APIs, especially REST APIs, are being increasingly used to provide and access information in automotive supply and distribution processes. They are comparatively easy to install and deploy, allow an agile process management, and can be used with many different devices from mobile phones up to server systems.
However, APIs also bring new threats to system integrity and data security and may cause serious disruptions to supply chain processes if developed and deployed without the appropriate security features.
The transportation of production parts may be compromised for many reasons, especially in long distance supply chains. The customer needs to know as quickly as possible what impact a delay in the transport chain could have on the current production plan but often the link between the contents of a shipment and the means of transport carrying that shipment is missing, especially in a 4 corner model where actors are not in an established relationship or use web portals to carry out activities such as, ad-hoc ordering and confirmation of transport capacity.
Digitalisation of the automotive supply chain continues apace and APIs appear to be the tool of choice to fill the gaps and supplement well established digital infrastructures. Odette has therefore set up an API Expert Group dedicated to developing rules for a standardised approach to API implementation and applying them to selected business cases.
In the drive to further digitalisation of automotive supply
chain processes, the use of APIs to complement traditional EDI messages is taking
hold and the inbound transport process is a perfect candidate for the
introduction of APIs to bridge the current digital gaps.
