The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) will host its third annual IMDS/ELV Summit on Oct. 12, 2006, at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, Mich., to help the automotive supply chain better manage and comply with materials content reporting as required by the European Union End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) Directive.

According to Yahoo Finance, the ELV Directive requires OEMs to closely track all substances of concern -- materials that upon disposal or recycling may cause harm to people or the environment -- in automotive parts and modules. Approximately 42,600 suppliers have been impacted by the ELV Directive, and are faced with addressing each of their customer's unique reporting requirements, which has added cost and complexity to the reporting process. The International Material Data System (IMDS) is a Web-based application that allows suppliers to report this information to the OEMs.

The event will allow the entire supplier base to gain an in-depth understanding of how IMDS works and how recently introduced or upcoming changes will affect their business model practices. Additionally, success stories and best practices from other suppliers on data organization and integration will be presented.

Representatives from the IMDS European Steering Committee, MDS Map, OEMs and suppliers will present:

* Instructions for new and existing users of the IMDS reporting tool.
* Details on updates and future plans for IMDS.
* A preview of the next version IMDS reporting tool (available in 2007).
* An overview of related global legislation affecting the industry.
* Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) Fourth Edition and materials
reporting Q&A.
* Supplier success stories.
* An update on the global automotive declarable substances list (GADSL)

A networking reception will conclude the event.

Since the ELV directive was passed in 2000, AIAG has been actively involved in addressing reporting issues and educating the supply chain. In 2005, AIAG was named the official voice of North American automotive suppliers in making recommendations for improvements to the GADSL.