Become a Member

New Working Group "N-Tier Data & Supply Chain Network Transparency"

Become part of the new N-Tier Data & Supply Chain Network Transparency Working Group and help shape how Catena-X addresses one of the most critical challenges for resilient, compliant, and trustworthy supply chains: enabling legitimate visibility beyond direct business partners while preserving the One-Up/One-Down principle, protecting business secrets, and avoiding data centralisation.

We are pleased to announce that applications are now open for the new N-Tier Data & Supply Chain Network Transparency Working Group.

 

Purpose

Increasing regulatory requirements such as UFLPA, EUDR, the EU Battery Regulation, CBAM, the Critical Raw Materials Act, and due diligence legislation require companies to gain visibility deeper into their supply chains. At the same time, organizations must protect commercially sensitive information and maintain trust between business partners.

The N-Tier Data & Supply Chain Network Transparency Working Group will develop a decision-ready framework for handling N-Tier data in Catena-X, defining governance principles, access rules, architectural options, and the foundation for future standardization and KIT development.

 

Key Goals

  • Need-to-Know Governance: Define how N-Tier information can be shared and governed while ensuring that “Need-to-Know” does not become a general “Right-to-See.”
  • Use Case & Data Scope Definition: Establish a common understanding of N-Tier data, relevant use cases, required network depth, and minimum data requirements.
  • Architecture Decision Preparation: Evaluate and prepare recommendations for future Catena-X architecture approaches, including decentralized models and trusted third-party concepts.

 

Deliverables

  1. Definition and scope of N-Tier Data within Catena-X.
  2. Governance framework defining access rights, purposes, granularity, and retention principles.
  3. Assessment of key use cases, including risk management, incident response, regulatory disclosure, and contractual relationships.
  4. Definition of required data depth and minimum information sets following the principle of “as much as necessary, as little as possible.”
  5. Assessment of antitrust, liability, data sovereignty, and legal implications.
  6. Evaluation and reuse strategy for existing Catena-X assets, including BPDM, Industry Core, Traceability, ESS/Due Diligence KIT, and IRS.
  7. Architecture recommendation for future N-Tier transparency capabilities.
  8. Standardization and KIT roadmap, including release planning recommendations.

 

Why participate?

  • Shape Future Governance: Influence the rules that determine how supply chain network information is shared and protected across Catena-X.
  • Support Regulatory Compliance: Help create a shared industry approach for compliance, resilience, and risk management requirements.
  • Reduce Industry Effort: Contribute to reducing duplicated multi-tier surveys and repetitive supplier requests through reusable approaches.
  • Strategic Industry Impact: Influence whether critical network transparency capabilities remain governed within Catena-X or are driven primarily by proprietary market solutions.
  • Cross-Industry Collaboration: Work together with experts from OEMs, suppliers, SMEs, legal functions, governance organizations, and solution providers.
  • Enable Future Innovation: Establish trustworthy network data as a foundation for AI-supported risk, compliance, and procurement solutions.

 

Who should apply?

Experts with strong expertise in at least one of the following areas:

  • Supply Chain Risk Management: Managing operational, geopolitical, sustainability, or resilience-related supply chain risks.
  • Business Partner & Master Data: Experience with supply chain structures, network data, business partner management, or related domains.
  • Compliance & Due Diligence: Regulatory compliance, supply chain legislation, disclosure obligations, or sustainability requirements.
  • Data Sovereignty & Governance: Data spaces, governance frameworks, trust mechanisms, and data sharing concepts.
  • Legal Expertise: Antitrust law, contract law, liability considerations, or related legal disciplines.

Knowledge of existing Catena-X assets and use cases such as BPDM, Industry Core, ESS, IRS, and Traceability is considered an advantage.

 

Commitment

Participants should be willing to actively contribute and regularly attend bi-weekly or weekly working sessions. A minimum availability of approximately 10 hours per week is expected.

The group is planned with 10–15 members representing different levels of the automotive value chain, including OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, additional N-Tier levels, SMEs, governance experts, and legal specialists.

Lead and Co-Lead candidates are explicitly encouraged to apply. For experts with limited availability, participation in an extended review group is also possible.

Association Contact: Hanno Focken / Michael Hahn

Further information and detailed participation requirements can be found in the Working Group Profile.

 

How to apply

All registered members received an email from info@catena-x.net on October 6, 2026 regarding the call for applications, including a link to the application form. If you are a member of the Association and have not received this email, please contact the primary contact person in your organisation. Please submit your application by October 27, 2026, 5 p.m. CET.

We look forward to your application.