Working together to advance the Digital Product Passport

The event at GEMU's headquarters in Kupferzell focused on specific application examples and cross-company data exchange - particularly with regard to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Around 30 participants from industry, the business sector and trade associations attended the event to find out about the latest developments relating to digital data rooms and Manufacturing-X, an initiative for secure data exchange in industry. The Digital Product Passport enables companies to provide product information in a transparent, standardised and cross-organisational manner throughout the entire life cycle, thereby laying the foundations for more efficient data exchange along the value chain.

As a co-host, GEMU used specific applications to demonstrate how digital data rooms and the Digital Product Passport are already being used in industrial practice today. A hands-on demonstration featuring various applications, AI-powered solutions and a scale model of a bioreactor brought the concepts on display to life. Using a model at the trade fair, GEMU gave a practical demonstration of how the CONEXO asset management software provides digital support for maintenance. A workshop also provided practical guidance on how to get started with cross-company data exchange.

"The event provided an excellent opportunity for an open discussion and answered numerous practical questions. However, it also made it clear that the level of knowledge about the Digital Product Passport varies considerably from one company to another. At present, the main focus is on providing guidance and explaining the interrelationships in a way that is easy to understand. The best way to get started is through specific applications, practical discussions and the courage to just get going," explains Simon Stadtmuller, Senior Product Owner, Digital Business Transformation at GEMU.

Through this joint event, GEMU, the IHK Heilbronn-Franken and the VDMA highlighted the importance of practical access to digital data rooms and the Digital Product Passport for industrial networking. The in- depth discussion made it clear that the topic is becoming increasingly relevant, whilst at the same time there remains a great need for information. It also became clear that practical examples and dialogue between companies, associations and institutions are crucial to successfully advancing secure data exchange within the industry.