DETROIT Auto exchange Covisint, now a subsidiary of Compuware, announced Thursday an agreement with General Motors to use Covisint Connect data messaging service, which will connect more than 6,000 GM suppliers.
Covisint Connect supports both traditional EDI as well as future ebXML-based communications through an advanced technology platform. GM will continue to provide suppliers no-cost access to exchange data with the company as they do today.
We exchange millions of production-critical EDI messages each month between our suppliers and our facilities, said Ralph Szygenda, Group Vice President and Chief Information Officer, General Motors. Covisint Connect will give us a more reliable, cost-effective messaging solution that will further improve our processes and drive real-time integration with our suppliers.
But Szygenda said Covisint Connect reduces the complexity of managing multiple formats that have been dictated by customers and the multitude of protocols and connection points that are required to conduct business. Covisint will provide GM with a complete service including set-up of their trading partner community and security management.
General Motors is a member of the Covisint technology development consortium that helped to fund and build Covisint Connect data messaging solution to improve communications between companies in the automotive industry. The other members of the consortium include DaimlerChrysler, Delphi, Ford Motor Company, Johnson Controls and Lear. Covisint Connect has been specifically designed to enable smaller companies, even those not currently using EDI, to connect to their customers and suppliers. The consortium members worked with AIAG to produce XML based standard documents as a replacement for traditional EDI documents where the members were ready to migrate.
