Who?
Autentica Car Parts is led by Irma Gilbert, who has more than 35 years of experience in the international manufacturing industry.
Why?
The aftermarket in the automotive spare parts supply chain globally is facing several perennial challenges, such as costly warehouse storage of spare parts; high logistics costs due to time-intensive production and shipping; and low-risk resilience due to cross-border transport, which can affect delivery times significantly.
What?
Autentica Car Parts allows OEMs, such as car designers and manufacturers, to sell spare parts designs to authorised dealers, distributors, and repair centres.
How?
The platform enables certified design assets to be 3D printed on-demand locally, backed by non-fungible tokens and protected by the blockchain. NFTs further help prevent IP infringement and sort out liability issues, enabling OEMs control over 3D printing service providers by streaming G-CODE tokens instead of 3D model files.
Developed in partnership with the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and cloud technology company Oracle, it enables instant access to spare car parts compared to the industry standard of 28 days, reduces non-production costs like storage by 70 per cent, and slashes the carbon footprint of transportation by 40 per cent.
Where?
Autentica Car Parts is based at Sci-Tech Daresbury, Cheshire.
They say:
Gilbert: “Digital technologies are catalysts in delivering a radical transformation to global supply chains by leveraging, among others, the power of automation, analytics and intelligence to improve efficiency, visibility, sustainability and resilience. Over the last two years, with the backing of Innovate UK and partners including AMRC and Oracle, we have developed a web platform which combines three major digital technologies – additive manufacturing, distributed ledger and artificial intelligence – to help revolutionise the aftermarket and automotive spare parts supply chain. I am delighted that we can launch our business model in the UK and then into international markets, bringing a transformative economic and environmental impact.”
James Bedford, digital tech cluster manager for the Science and Technology Facilities Council, operator of Sci-Tech Daresbury: “Autentica Car Parts is a fantastic example of how innovative young companies can potentially disrupt major industries. The team have worked tirelessly to solve issues in the automotive sector by thinking outside the box to deliver a secure, inventive, tech solution. I am proud to have Autentica Car Parts as part of the Digital Tech Cluster.”