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XCEED is a new information exchange platform in blockchain technology for the European automotive industry, which allows you to check the certification of all automotive components available on the market in real time. The tool, developed by the leaders of the automotive market in cooperation with IBM, has already successfully passed the tests at the Renault factory, and has now become available to all OEMs and sub-suppliers around the world.

The XCEED project was initiated by leading companies in the automotive industry – Faurecia, Renault Group, Knauf Industries, Simoldes and Coşkunöz in cooperation with the IBM brand. The purpose of creating this open database in proven blockchain technology is to provide its users with quick access to up-to-date information on the certification of thousands of different parts needed for the production of cars. After a short testing phase at the Renault plant in Douai, France, the system will now also be finally deployed at the brand’s plants in Turkey and Spanish Palencia. At the same time, it has been made available to all original equipment manufacturers and sub-suppliers from the global automotive market, regardless of the company’s size or its place in the supply chain.

A digital tool for the present day is the optimal answer to the growing need for quick access to information about the compliance of components with the changing European regulations.

A tool dedicated to the European automotive industry

In September 2020, more stringent requirements related to the approval of vehicles and control of product compliance with the regulations in force in the European Union entered into force. The ambition of the creators of the XCEED project is to ensure that all elements that make up the entire ecosystem of the European automotive industry can be traced in this respect.

The platform allows you to increase the transparency and efficiency of processes and save time throughout the supply chain. The companies using it will be able to respond even better and faster to the requirements of the latest legal regulations, as well as the expectations of the customers themselves related to the safety and quality of vehicles.

The project is also an element of supporting the competitiveness of European industry and its technological independence. At the same time, it integrates all global players, from large international concerns to small and medium-sized enterprises, providing them all on an equal basis with a unique tool in the form of an intelligent architecture of reliable information supplemented in real time by the users themselves.

A modern, secure and always up-to-date database
The XCEED platform has a decentralized “blockchain” structure that enables the creation of a trusted network for the exchange of information on approvals between all participants in the automotive industry, from a single component plant to a car factory. It allows you to easily check the compliance of individual products with the requirements, but at the same time respects the right of each party to data confidentiality, intellectual property and data control. The unique structure of the system results from its distributed architecture, which does not require multilateral arrangements regarding e.g. rights to stored data, as in the case of centralized solutions.

The solution developed by IBM, based on the open Hyperledger Fabric protocol, enables data collection in a hybrid cloud environment, so users can store data in a private cloud or use a public cloud provided, among others, by by IBM. The possibilities of this “ecosystem” are complemented by the functions of automatic saving of changes and notifications in real time. Although the XCEED project was initiated by several leading companies, it is ultimately to be created by all entities from the global automotive industry. The entire initiative was developed in cooperation with the Directorate-General for Communication Networks, Content and Technology of the European Commission.

Creators about the XCEED project:

„Blockchain has proven to be a valuable solution that provides a new way to manage traceability and compliance in the food industry, supply chains and more. XCEED is our first initiative in the automotive industry, aiming to enable traceability of components on a large scale, thanks to the values and benefits of blockchain technology. Our goal at IBM is to provide the industry with the right business solutions, leveraging our expertise in building blockchain networks based on hybrid multicloud solutions, to accelerate this journey and build trust in the global industry platform.”
Dirk Wollschläger, Industry General Manager, IBM

„From the outset, Faurecia has been playing a key role in this innovative ecosystem and we are delighted to join this initiative and the new way we work with our customer The Renault Group, for which transparency, compliance and traceability are at the heart of the supply chain. Thanks to this secure, transparent and automated data sharing system, we can quickly identify and solve problems, thus strengthening our compliance, reliability and competitiveness. We are convinced that this innovative project will change practices in our industry in the coming years.”
Eric Jacquot, Group End to End Quality Director, Faurecia

„XCEED is a powerful transformation tool for the automotive industry as it paves the way for operational excellence for the entire ecosystem, including smaller players who would not otherwise be able to invest in such technology.”
Odile Panciatici, Coordinator of the XCEED Project, Grupa Renault

„As a responsible player in the automotive market, we have decided to join the XCEED project to ensure the traceability and compliance of our products even more effectively. XCEED provides a unique opportunity to evaluate and modify our systems and methods and improve performance in an increasingly complex environment and therefore our overall performance. The XCEED project fits perfectly into the Knauf Group’s digitization strategy and our corporate social responsibility policy. With XCEED, we now have a consistent approach, from our collaboration during the program concept stage right through to the end-of-life phase of the vehicle. We are glad that we belong to the automotive community that creates value and will contribute to increasing transparency on the market.”
Sylvie Janod, Automotive Market Director, Knauf Industries

„Once we understood that the XCEED blockchain project would contribute to operational excellence by ensuring simplicity, speed, transparency and product compliance, and that it would include all participants in the supply chain, we immediately decided to become part of this project as it fits the Simoldes brand vision. “Juntos fazemos melhor” and our path to Industry 4.0.”
Jaime Sá, Board member, Simoldes

„We are delighted to be part of this pioneering digitization movement in the automotive sector as a partner company in the XCEED project. We believe that thanks to this global project, Coşkunöz will take an important step forward in its vision of the path to digitization.”
Barış Karaadak, General Manager, Coşkunöz