Prostep ivip is a globally active, independent association of 180 member [1] companies from industry, IT and research.

By designing digital transformation in the manufacturing industry prostep ivip defines and aggregates the requirements of manufacturers and suppliers, intending to define standards and interfaces primarily for the digitalization of the entire product creation process – from idea to implementation.

Leading IT managers at BMW, Bosch, Continental, Daimler, Delphi, Opel, Siemens, Volkswagen and 30 other companies realized that the development of modern processes for efficient product data management was crucial to ensuring the ability of German companies to compete in the global marketplace and that they can address their common aims at best when joining under the neutral umbrella of an association.

[4] This tripartism is also reflected within the by-annually elected board of the association: one representative of the manufacturers, one of the suppliers, one of the IT and one of the research institutions.

Examples for these organizations are AIA, ISO, OMG as well as associations like the French GALIA, the Japanese JAMA, the US-based PDES, Inc., the German VDA .