“XCEED is a powerful tool to transform the automotive industry by fostering operational excellence for the entire ecosystem, including small and medium-sized businesses that could not otherwise have invested in such technology.”
Odile Panciatici, XCEED Project Coordinator, Renault Group.
XCEED for eXtended Compliance End-to-End Distributed certifies the conformity of vehicle components from design to production by creating a trusted network for sharing compliance information between parts manufacturers, throughout the supply chain to vehicle manufacturers.
This solution uses Blockchain technology and mixes Big Data (data management) and Artificial Intelligence.
Developed and produced by Faurecia (instrument panel and seat specialist), Renault Group, Knauf Industries (Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier of structural parts), Simoldes (Interior trim specialist and tool manufacturer) and Coşkunöz (manufacture of stamped metal parts, in collaboration with IBM, it will initially be implemented in partner factories around Bursa (Turkey), Douai (France) and Palencia (Spain).
The stakes are high: one car represents more than 6,000 regulatory features across the entire supply chain. The conformity of a vehicle depends on the conformity of each of these characteristics. The information shared includes:
- Safety and regulatory features.
- Geometric characteristics.
- Characteristics of materials.
“The XCEED project is for us working at an operational level, a great opportunity that will allow us a greater efficiency and responsiveness in the management of the quality of the suppliers and also that will guarantee the certification of the conformity of our vehicles. The Douai plant was a pioneer in the use of this new technology, which is leading us into Industry 4.0.”
Abdelkrim Berdeg, Head of Quality Department, Douai Factory
Based on an open source blockchain protocol, this blockchain uses inclusive technology and respects privacy, intellectual property and data ownership. A smart and efficient combination of existing digital technology.
XCEED’s ambition is to provide a traceability and compliance platform for the entire European automotive industry ecosystem.
“Beyond the certification and traceability aspect, the XCEED project allows us to work collaboratively and efficiently with our suppliers and, above all, eliminate value-added operations in the factory: QR code capture is completely automated.”
Djamel Yamani, Digital Manager, Platforms Europe Industrial Division.
The promise is a productivity gain of 15 to 30% for the services concerned, a 10% reduction in costs concerning the management of non-quality/non-compliance and a halving of the occurrence and cost of non-compliance.
Based on sharing, this technology also allows a pooling of data storage costs.
The medium-term objective is to extend this blockchain to the following information:
- Software
- Repair and maintenance
- Homologation
- Battery
- Recycling
- CO² Footprint
XCEED is now open to other manufacturers and hundreds of global suppliers, regardless of size, across the entire supply chain.
The success of this project will pave the way for further connections, partnerships and artificial intelligence projects in particular. The need for real-time information exchange, transparency and traceability will be exponential in the coming years. The blockchain has a future and Renault has understood this since 2015.
