MICO works with OEMs on doc exchange

Auto components major Mico Bosch has initiated a pilot project with original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to facilitate a co-ordinated interface and exchange of documents.

The project, test-launched along with several auto makers in the Mumbai-Pune region, is expected to run for a period of between six months to one year. After that MICO hopes to evolve it into an industry-wide standard.

Senior MICO officials said, "This process targets synchronising the back-end functions of automakers and suppliers. Currently, total co-ordination is lacking because automakers use different EDIs. While one runs Oracle, the other prefers SAP and we have another legacy system."

MICO expects at least a few of its clients to embrace the project by the end of this calender. Once the initial acceptance is sought, MICO will touch base with industry associations like ACMA (Automobile Component Manufacturers Association) and SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) to propagate this project across the component and auto manufacturing space.

The Rs 1,900 crore component maker deals with almost all the auto makers in the country. It's biggest clients include Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra, who incidentally have their plants in the Mumbai-Pune region.

Officials said an industrywide acceptance will free up resources. MICO has begun the project by focussing on central excise date exchange and has included its suppliers as well.

"Bringing in our dedicated suppliers into the system will be easy. But the next step, that of reining-in bigger suppliers and large OEMs will not. We are concentrating our energies on wooing as many partners as possible," officials said.

MICO said that it will engage as many of its clients as possible to thrash out a standardised and uniform interchange of data and documents within the auto industry.