Volkswagen Group Logistics to implement new Odette-ECG FVL Message
18 Dec 2023
Odette and ECG have recently published Release 1.2 of their digital message standards for Finished Vehicle Logistics (FVL). The new release includes amendments and updates which take account of issues discovered during the practical implementation of the original messages by several European OEMs, including BMW, Volvo Cars and Volkswagen Group Logistics.
Release 1.2 also includes a new message for Transport Capacity Reservation which will be implemented by Volkswagen Group Logistics in their next implementation step to cover the situation in their plants and compounds when it is not possible to assign specific vehicles to transporters prior to loading.
Benedict Bayer, from Volkswagen Group Logistics, explains that “this new message is needed when limited space in plants or compounds means that vehicles have to be stored in bulk. This makes it difficult to assign vehicles to carriers, especially if multiple carriers serving the same transport leg. In such cases it is not possible to predict in which order the carriers will show up at the compound.”
Where row or bulk parking is used, the carriers would need to show up in the correct sequence to avoid the need to re-assign the vehicles every time a deviation occurs. This would also lead to cancellation of transport orders that might be assigned to a load on the carrier side.
Other OEMs who are known to be in various stages of implementing, or planning to implement, the Odette-ECG standard messages include Mercedes-Benz, Renault and Stellantis.
Further developments are being planned as the need to introduce new messages to support emissions reporting is foreseen.