Why pay?
BMW asked you to switch to Catena-X for sharing certificates with them, and now you even have to pay for it? Why not use other solutions that are free of charge?
What sounds illogical at first makes sense when you look closer at what certificate management via Catena-X does differently, and what this technology has to offer:
Save time and personnel cost, reduce risks: Catena-X replaces dozens of disconnected portals that create a lot of redundant work with one place for all data and all participants. No other solution provides this unified sharing with all major OEMs.
So, instead of managing a certificate in 10 customer portals, you only need to manage it once – saving 90% effort. The personnel cost saved in the process also covers the cost for Catena-X access and apps (see price estimation below).
BMW is transitioning its supplier collaboration to Catena-X: An increasing part of the data exchanged between BMW and suppliers will use Catena-X. Many use cases, such as Bill of Materials are already accessible and in active use today. Others, for example Traceability are being rolled out in 2025. See the BMW Transition Roadmap for details (BMW Suppliers only).
Besides the use cases being rolled out by BMW or other OEMs, you will gain access to a network of companies and an ecosystem of digital business services that goes beyond a single application.
How much will it cost?
This depends on your company size, and how extensively you will use the Catena-X dataspace.
A typical small to medium company sharing certificates with up to 20 customers and partners can expect to pay ca. 2000 EUR yearly for dataspace and usage licenses, as well as usage fees for apps.
You can find a detailed breakdown of the pricing structure and use the pricing calculator to get a first estimate based on your needs.