Cofinity-X and Volkswagen Group Info Services AG reach a milestone in business partner data management for the Volkswagen Group

What is the BPDM application in the context of Catena-X and what is it used for?

The intelligent management of business partner data (Business Partner Data Management or BPDM for short) is a core component of the Catena-X initiative. It aims to standardize business partner data across the global automotive sector and create a uniform, reliable data source. This increases efficiency across the entire value chain. Additionally, this integration reduces redundancies and ensures data accuracy and speed, which are crucial to meeting increasing legal and operational requirements.

Central to BPDM is the Business Partner Number (BPN), a unique identifier that ensures each business partner can be accurately and consistently differentiated within the system. This prevents duplication, maintains data integrity, and facilitates seamless cross-system integration and reliable audit trails. The result is improved operational efficiency and data consistency.

Key performance indicators and use case success

As the largest automotive group in Europe, the Volkswagen Group operates globally and collaborates with a vast network of business partners, managing hundreds of thousands of business partner records.

Against this background, BPDM is being established as the new industry-wide standard for business partner master data management, providing the following benefits:

• Eliminates data redundancies and reduces maintenance costs
• Provides a comprehensive view of business partner data and improves data processing speed
• Enables sorted, analyzed, and enriched partner data, supporting regulatory compliance across the value chain

BPDM – a joint success of Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, VW GIS AG and Cofinity-X

The collaboration between Cofinity-X, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, and VW GIS AG—as the central point of contact for group-wide data products—plays an important role in the development and introduction of BPDM.

Together with the responsible departments of the Volkswagen Group, particularly Audi and Porsche Procurement, all partners have applied their expertise in data management and digital technologies to improve data accuracy and efficiency. This has enabled the integration of extensive business partner data from the Volkswagen Group environment into BPDM.

Highlights of the cooperation

Sven Lorenz, Head of Group Data & Artificial Intelligence, Volkswagen Group: ‘Many challenges in the automotive supply chain, be they regulatory, economic or geopolitical, can only be solved in the future with the help of a powerful data ecosystem. Catena-X is such a system and Volkswagen is relying on it. Cofinity-X and Volkswagen GIS AG are cornerstones for the realisation of the Catena-X vision for Volkswagen.’

Dennis Schröer, Data Domain Manager Business Partner Data Volkswagen Group: ‘With the go-live of Volkswagen and Cofinity-X in Catena-X, we are setting new standards in master data management. The introduction of the Business Partner Number (BPN) and the Golden Record enables a considerable reduction in the manual effort involved in maintaining our master data. At the same time, it provides a comprehensive view of business partners and optimises data quality in the long term. This collaboration stands for maximum efficiency and transparency in business partner data management.’

Thomas Rösch, CEO & Managing Director of Cofinity-X GmbH: ‘The so-called “Golden Record Service” from Cofinity-X uses AI and the autonomous exchange of data to reduce the costs of business partner data management. It is harmonised with the entire automotive industry, enables greater efficiency and meets the complex regulatory requirements of the automotive industry. We are grateful for the successful collaboration with the Volkswagen Group and VW GIS AG and look forward to delivering the operational benefits to all members of the Catena-X network.’

Patricia Stich, CEO of VW GIS AG: ‘The successful integration of BPDM into the Catena-X network is a milestone on the way to standardised data transfer along the entire automotive value chain. The successful implementation underlines our goal as VW GIS AG to radically simplify the cross-company provision of data for our vehicle brands. It is further proof of what we can achieve through strategic partnerships within the Group and across the industry.’

What are the next steps in the collaboration between Cofinity-X, VW GIS AG and the partners involved?

In the future, Cofinity-X and VW GIS AG, together with Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche, plan to expand BPDM capabilities and incorporate artificial intelligence to predict and mitigate potential disruptions in real time. This development is intended to further improve the resilience and responsiveness of the automotive value chain.

Additional use cases are being implemented to set new industry-wide standards for data utilization, including:

• Decarbonization solutions
• Seamless traceability of individual parts and components
• A circular economy model for a sustainable value chain