A high-performance supply chain for the wiring harness is of strategic importance for German automobile manufacturers (OEMs) and the entire industry. Efficient and transparent supply chains are crucial to remaining competitive and meeting the requirements of modern production. X-Chain offers a platform that enables data to be exchanged securely and efficiently along the entire value chain. This leads to increased transparency, better planning security and ultimately cost savings.

The convoy project “Getting to know Catena-X” aims to Company in a structured and collaborative process to familiarize yourself with Catena-XThrough synchronized information sessions and intensive deep-dive workshops, participants gain a deep insight into the technology and its benefits. Our goal is to give participants the tools to make informed decisions for implementing Catena-X in their organization.

The project is based on the principle that each company goes through the Catena-X getting to know each other process individually, but in synchronization with other companies. This enables synergies such as:

• Equal information level for all companies
• Joint participation in information events
• Shared consulting resources
• Use of the test and demonstration environment ARENA-X

Phase 1: Preparation phase (June - October 2024)

• • Initialization and planning: definition of the main topics and selection of experts. Decision on participation.
  • Visit to the Catena-X Conference of the IHK Stuttgart on 25 June

Phase 2: Development and deepening (November - December 2024)

• • Deepdive workshops: Detailed discussion of the relevant technologies and modules.

Phase 3: Completion and Implementation (January 2024 - February 2025)

• • Follow-up processes: Support and advice on the application of technologies in your own company.
  • Summary and evaluation: Presentation of the results and findings from the workshops and follow-ups.
  • Results event: Summary of project results and presentation of best use cases.

The following topic blocks (“modules”) are intended for in-depth study:

• My Own Local Data Space (formerly MXD)
• Roles in the Catena-X ecosystem: Data users, data providers, application providers, marketplaces, operating company
• Deployment on a local system: Eclipse Dataspace Connectors (sender and receiver), Keycloak Instance, Postgres Database, Managed Identity Wallet, portal for testing the deployment and policies
• Use data models: Distributed Digital Twin Registry (dDTR), AASX or Basyx server
• Introduction to the KITs: Industry Core, Traceability, DCM
• Who, Where, What: Business Partner Number (BPN), BPN Discovery Service, EDC Discovery Service and Wallet
• Application examples
• Development of wallets in interaction with distributed identities

• Consolidated information offerings: Consolidated information offerings create a uniform knowledge base that ensures that all participants have the same level of knowledge. 
• Access to Catena-X basics: Participants receive comprehensive access to the basics of Catena-X, including the Tractus-X tutorial, which provides step-by-step instructions for getting started. In addition, a demonstrator (EDC.exe) is available that enables practical demonstrations of the application. The ARENA-X test environment, which serves as a planned white label environment for test runs, rounds off the offer and offers a practical platform for initial experience with Catena-X.
• Best Practices: Use of best practices and experiences of ARENA2036 members and Catena-X.
• Shared costs for experts: Cost reduction through shared use of consultant resources.
• Pre-competitive networking: Exchange ideas with other companies before the competition begins and learn from their experiences.
• Learning through questions from others: Utilizing insights from questions from other participants.
• Definition of MVPs/PoCs:Development of Minimal Viable Products (MVPs) and Proof of Concepts (PoCs) based on comprehensive knowledge.
• Directing capacity of the Project Office: Support and guidance from the Project Office throughout the entire project.

All companies that have deadline October 18, 2024 have requested their participation in writing. Later registrations will not be considered. Participation in the convoy project does not constitute membership in ARENA2036 eV

For further information and to register please contact:

• Georg Schnauffer: georg.schnuffer@arena2036.de
• Johannes Diemer: johannes.diemer@arena2036.de

Take the opportunity to discover the basics and advantages of Catena-X together with other companies and under professional guidance and to make well-founded decisions for the future. For detailed information, please visit Downloads (see right) a PDF file is available.

At the Catena-X event under the motto "Catena-X - The common path to the digital data economy" am June 25, 2024, which was organized in cooperation with the IHK Stuttgart, the event also marked the Start of the convoy project "Getting to know Catena-X"Mr. Oliver Ganser, Chairman of the Board of Catena-X Automotive Network eV, and Mr. Ernst Stöckl-Pukall, Head of the Digitalization and Industry 4.0 Department at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, highlighted the importance and opportunities for the Konvoi project in an exclusive meet & greet with companies from the wiring harness spectrum.

The “Getting to know Catena-X” project enables companies in the wiring harness industry to intensively engage with standardized data spaces.

In the first phases, the participating companies received Sumitomo, Coroplast and Komax valuable insights into the structure and use of data rooms. For this purpose, they sent an IT expert and a specialist.

A key milestone was the development of a Proof of Concept (PoC) to calculate the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF)The aim is to apply the principles of Catena-X using a practical example and to demonstrate its functionality.

In the next phase, the PoC will be test and demonstration environment of ARENA2036 This provides a practical platform to test data exchange and validate technical feasibility in the Catena-X context.

The project so far has enabled the companies to significantly deepen their understanding of data spaces and how Catena-X works. The upcoming implementation of the PoC in ARENA2036 represents an important step in putting the learned concepts into practice and integrating them into real applications.