NEWS
DETROIT — As Ford Motor Co. has tried to downplay its ongoing talks with Volkswagen Group, VW CEO Herbert Diess keeps upping the ante. Besides the potential for cooperating on commercial vehicles and sharing platforms for electric vehicles and pickups, Diess last week revealed that VW is eyeing access to Ford’s U.S. manufacturing footprint, too. […]
Read MoreCarlos Ghosn was planning to remove Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa before Ghosn was arrested in Japan last month for alleged financial misconduct, people familiar with the matter said. Ghosn, who was then Nissan Motor Co.’s chairman, was planning a wider management shakeup, and part of the blueprint included a new CEO, two people with knowledge of […]
Read MoreWaymo, the subsidiary spun from Google to handle autonomous driving, intends to offer commercial service with its self-driving Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans. The service is called Waymo One. More at Automotive News
Read MoreThe delivery of just-in-sequence front-end modules for vehicles coming down the A-Class assembly line involves the management of more than 185 individual components and can be completed on three hours’ notice, plant manager Carlos Galan says. Automotive supplier HBPO opens a plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico, that will produce modular front-end systems for Mercedes-Benz A-Class sedans […]
Read MoreLOS ANGELES – America loves an underdog and that story is playing out at Lincoln, the other American luxury brand. Lincoln’s crosstown rival Cadillac, the luxury arm of General Motors, has been stealing most of the headlines in recent years as it tries to challenge premium German brands dominating the U.S. market. But whereas Cadillac […]
Read MoreFord, Toyota, Nissan and American Honda posted declines in U.S. auto sales last month as the industry continues to reel from plunging car demand. FCA posted a 17 percent gain behind higher retail and fleet volume. As automakers report sales today, the tally for U.S. light-vehicle sales in November had been expected to decline about […]
Read MoreMILAN — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will spend 5 billion euros ($5.7 billion) through 2022 on the automaker’s factories in Italy, stepping up the pace on making more in-demand SUVs and electric cars, people familiar with the plans said. See more at Europe Auto News
Read MoreBMW has announced it will build its next electric car, the iX3 SUV, in China just as a trade war heats up between the U.S. and China involving cars-and in particular, electric cars. On Monday, BMW announced that it will expand its Chinese partnership with Brilliance, known as BMW Brilliance Automotive or BBA, to build […]
Read MoreTesla Inc. and BMW AG are raising vehicle prices in China, becoming the first carmakers to take major steps and counter punitive tariffs amid rising trade tensions between Beijing and the United States. BMW said it will be unable to “completely absorb” a new Chinese 25 percent tariff on imported U.S.-made models and will have […]
Read MoreThe all-new 2020 Ford Explorer is getting an unconventional reveal. The production model hasn’t been shown yet, but we now basically know what it’ll look like thanks to these photos of the 2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility hybrid—a renamed Explorer SUV for the 5-0. While the overall silhouette might fool you into thinking it’s […]
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"What's Your Strategy For Meeting IMDS Requirements?"
Design2Part Magazine, September 29, 2016
"IPC Declarations: Sufficient for Automotive Electronics?"
Circuit Assembly magazine September 1, 2016
"Customer Demanding IMDS? You Have Options"
Ward's Automotive, August 13, 2014
"My Customer Wants Me to Submit to IMDS: What Do I do Now?"
Plastics Today, March 14, 2014
What is the IMDS?
The International Material Database System (IMDS) is a web-based tool to archive all the materials used to manufacture an automobile. The IMDS exists for Tier I–IV suppliers to automotive OEMs and their subsidiaries and suppliers. Submitting Material Data Sheets (MDSs) for each component to the IMDS is now a requirement along with supplying the product or part.
Purpose of the IMDS
The IMDS provides a common system for archiving and maintaining a database of materials used in vehicles. The system serves to ensure that OEMs and their suppliers are in compliance with international and national standards. In the future, the database will facilitate the recycling of scrapped vehicles.
The IMDS has quickly gained acceptance with the growing demand for recycling. All vehicle components will be fed back into the substance recovery cycle. In this way, the IMDS plays a significant role in protecting the environment.
Membership
More and more automotive OEMs have accepted the ELV directive and now require IMDS compliance. These OEMs now include: BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Fiat, Ford, Fuji Heavy Industries, General Motors, Hyundai, Isuzu, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Renault, Shanghai GM, Sangyong, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo. If you are supplying parts or materials for new cars manufactured by any of these OEM members, most likely you are subject to IMDS reporting requirements.
Reporting Responsibility
IMDS compliance is a well-established condition of supply within the automotive sector. It’s also a mandatory part of the PPAP process. Tier I suppliers are now responsible for submitting the component data for their parts into the IMDS system. They often delegate this responsibility to their Tier II–IV suppliers. This means the cost for submitting Material Data Sheets has been pushed down to smaller and smaller companies.
If your company has been forced to comply with the IMDS requirement, you may be unprepared to navigate the IMDS maze. Let us do it for you!
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