UPIK - Unique Partner Identification Key 

This project is working towards the creation of a worldwide unified identification system that will be applicable for all factories, plants and distribution centers of the automobile and supplier industry. A common numeric system simplifies the business transaction between the supplier partners and thus promotes a worldwide standard, which is required above all for e-business projects. This takes the form of a further developed D-U-N-S numeration by the Dun & Bradstreet firm.
Under the overall control of the German automotive industry association (VDA), leading companies of the automotive branch participate in the UPIK project.

User Account 

A user account is an access authorization to an online system such as the SupplyOn marketplace and consists of a User ID and a Login Name.

VAN - Virtual Area Network 

Here, users can negotiate through a broadband connection in a virtual, visually oriented network community. All users can meet "face to face" in a virtual network environment found in a virtual Internet cafe. Fast connection speeds are even to provide the ability to carry out remote medical diagnoses and real-time legal consultation, allow the cooperation of work groups within or outside of a company, provide environments for "meetings" for specialist teams via data networks and, last but not least, allow (video) conferences to take place. The basis for the structure of a VAN is a high data transfer rate, which can be achieved, for example, with ADSL.

VDA 

German Association of the Automotive Industry (in German, Verband der Deutschen Automobilindustrie - http://www.vda.de/index_en.html)

VMI - Vendor Managed Inventory  

Service provided by a supplier for a customer in which the supplier takes over the responsibility of replenishing his consignment stock (supplier's inventory in the plant or near the customer location). Prerequisite is that the supplier has access to the most up-to-date inventory levels and production plans (gross demand) from the customer's company. This service is facilitated by the visualization of the material needs, inventory and intransit quantities.

VPN - Virtual Private Network 

Encrypted path between two fixed IT points.
Today, this is already widely popular for business purposes when in need of exchanging secure information over untrustworthy networks such as the Internet.