EAI - Enterprise Application Integration 

EAI is a software solution for internal and external integration. Especially significant here is the linking of existing internal applications and databases to external e-business solutions for corporate-wide collaboration.

ECR - Efficient Consumer Response 

ECR is a mutual initiative from manufacturers with wholesalers/retailers and other partners within the supply chain. The objective of this initiative is to improve processes through combined efforts and thus make it possible to offer consumers the best possible quality, service and product variety at optimum cost efficiency. The task of the national ECR initiative worldwide is the corporate-wide process optimization from "the customers' customers to the suppliers' suppliers."

EDI Accompanying Document 

(VDA-4912): A standard delivery note on paper for the shipped goods of which the recipient has been notified by the seller by remote data transmission. Acquisition voucher if the transport data could not be transmitted.

EDI - Electronic Data Interchange 

All business processes in companies are supported by parallel flows of information. These flows can also be conducted in the form of electronic data interchanges (EDI´s) online in order to increase efficiency. EDI requires a standard method for data transmission. The EDIFACT (electronic data interchange for administration, commerce, and transport) project of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) sets uniform standards for the international form and structure of business forms (invoices, orders, order confirmations, delivery documentation etc.). The project also sets industry-specific standards, such as for retail, shipping, or the automotive industry.

EDIFACT - Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport 

International standard created under charge of the UN for the electronic exchange of commercial data in uniform formats for typical business processes such as orders, invoices, delivery notes, customs declarations, payment contracts etc. (Conversion of EDI into an applicable protocol. See www.dedig.de)

EDIFAX 

In the case of a small company that does not want to implement an EDI solution, a print routine is installed within the framework of an EDI implementation, which allows the company to print out data converted from EDIFACT to simple text. Also referred to as EDI-to-Fax solution.

Engineering Services 

Conversion service for various CAD systems whose file formats are incompatible.

ENX - European Network Exchange 

ENX stands for “European Network Exchange” (http://www.enxo.com) and is also the name of a company and the product. In addition to using the Internet, the automotive industry operates its own separate network. Important criteria for the separate network are high performance and the best possible security for international cooperation within the automotive industry.

eRfQ - electronic Request for Quotation 

Electronic Request for Quotation - asking potential suppliers to make bids.

ERP - Enterprise Resource Planning 

Enterprise Resource Planning is a term taken from the field of business economics and refers to operational planning, accounting and the management of business resources such as stock keeping, purchasing, sales etc.
ERP is also used frequently as an abbreviation for ERP programs. These are internal company software systems, that support these operational tasks, for example by processing the production target figures (or the production, planning and control system).
An ERP system normally consists of one or more relational databases as well as application programs, which are used for individual operational areas such as inventory management, maintenance of customer and personnel files, purchase planning, accounting, invoicing, production planning etc. An example of such a system is SAP R/3. Other well-known providers of ERP systems include Oracle and Baan.

ERP software has generally become network-compatible and offers interfaces to e-commerce platforms, for example for sourcing or sales.

FMEA - Failure Modes and Effects Analysis 

The objective of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis cycle is for a group of experts from the development, quality and operations scheduling areas to evaluate based on past experience, at regular intervals during product development, which problems might potentially arise. These problems are then analyzed, remedial measures are defined and their implementation/termination is tracked. The FMEA must be clearly documented and can be viewed by the customer at the supplier location at any time.

FTP - File Transfer Protocol 

FTP is a simple Internet standard based on TCP/IP for exchanging data files between various computers.