Delivering electronic data about shipments to automakers is not always the easiest task. But now Glovia International ( www.glovia.com) and Bar Code Solutions ( www.barcodesolutions.com) have formed a partnership that will streamline those communications. Furthermore, Honda of America has approved use of the electronic data interchange (EDI) and shipping software at its North American plants.

In addition to simplifying data management about shipments and allowing closer collaboration between automakers and suppliers, the software is expected to improve quality and provide accountability for warranty recalls, says Young Kim, product line manger for Glovia.

The software fully integrates Bar Code Solutions' Visual ARMS (automated release management system) with Glovia's enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. It automatically creates the advanced shipment notices from the ship schedule and prints all bar code labels and related shipping documents required by Honda. Each shipping container can then be tracked and traced.

"The fully integrated solution includes lot and serial control traceability from the container itself, to finished products in the container, to major subcomponents in those products," says Kim.

He adds that the software's track and trace capability allows automakers to link parts shipped in specific containers to vehicle identification numbers of finished product. As a result, any product recall can be limited to specific vehicles with a known problem part rather than thousands of vehicles with potentially suspect parts.