Abstract :
A discussion is given on the history of the development of EDI in the automotive industry in Europe and the manner in which it is in use today. The issues discussed are taken from experience within the UK but are also known to be true for other countries. It must be emphasised, however, that the author talks about the situation as he sees it and the opinions are not necessarily those of the automotive industry in the UK. He argues that EDI messages must be used integrally to close a business cycle in order for the real added value to come through. Error free communication can only be achieved with the use of bar coded transport labels and auto reading of the data. In order to achieve this there must be true partnerships, with manufacturer and supplier working in harmony to achieve mutual benefit. There will need to be some investment, but the benefits can be returned within a relatively short time
