HP Helps World’s Leading Car Manufacturers Reduce Waste

HP - Press Releases - January 28, 2013 

HP Helps World’s Leading Car Manufacturers Reduce Waste

HP renews contract to host and support International Material Data System

BÖBLINGEN, Germany, — Hewlett-Packard GmbH today announced it will help 34 of the world’s leading car manufacturers eliminate harmful substances from the automotive supply chain by hosting the International Material Data System(IMDS) for the next five years.

The IMDS is a shared service that enables the world’s leading automotive manufacturers and more than 100,000 companies in the vehicle supply chain to meet regulations on hazardous substances. By supplying more than 40 million data sheets that list the details of every substance involved in the manufacture of all components, the IMDS helps prevent the use of heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury and hexavalent chromium, and ensures that reportable substances are declared for recycling.

Under the contract renewal, HP Enterprise Services will continue to develop, maintain and host the IMDS global data repository.

“Previously, OEMs all had their own lists of prohibited and reportable substances, which made it difficult to identify them in the supply chain,” said Matthew Griffin, representative, Jaguar Land Rover, and speaker, IMDS Steering Committee. “The IMDS provides a standardized format for exchanging material information throughout the manufacturing process, making it easier for the automotive industry to comply with legal requirements in a cost-efficient manner.”

Originally developed in response to the European Union’s End-Of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive , which aims at waste reduction, the IMDS has been adopted as the global standard for reporting material content across the automotive industry. Automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) throughout the world have now joined original sponsors BMW , Daimler , Ford , Opel , Porsche ,Volvo and VW as additional regions implement more rigorous legislation.

The IMDS provides a venue for information exchange between car manufacturers, their suppliers and their suppliers’ suppliers about the materials used in all the components of a vehicle. Material information on parts is delivered from the OEMs to dismantler companies in order to achieve the goals of the ELV Directive. As a result, the IMDS will help car manufacturers meet their commitment to recycle 95 percent of the mass of each vehicle sold by 2015.

“The automotive industry needs to meet constantly changing legislation and increase the amount of recycling from old cars,” said Oliver Bahns, worldwide director, Automotive and Aerospace, HP. “HP has worked closely with the industry for the past 12 years to ensure that the IMDS provides clear information concerning the materials used in all components of a vehicle through every stage of the supply chain.” 

(Source: www.hp.com)