There is no fixed, legally prescribed deadline for connecting your software to the digital product passport for aluminium. The regulation itself does not specify a number of weeks or months for this type of process; the delegated act that must establish the details for aluminium has not yet been published. What can be said is: companies that have already gone through this process report lead times that vary considerably, from a few weeks to well over half a year, depending on the state of their data and the planning of their software provider.
The most important factor is not the technology, but the preparation. A connection between your current system and a product passport only works quickly if the underlying data is already in order: which aluminium alloy, which origin, which processing steps. If that foundation is missing, most of the time goes into collecting and verifying data, not into the connection itself.
What determines the lead time
Three things determine in practice how long a process takes. First, the completeness of your own data: is everything already in one system, or does it need to be consolidated from multiple sources. Second, the planning of your software provider: do they already have experience with product passports, or does this need to be set up for them as well. Third, the internal decision-making within your own company: who needs to approve the contract modification, and who is internally responsible for providing the correct data.
These three factors are independent of each other and can reinforce one another. A company with good data but a slow provider waits just as long as a company with a fast provider but messy data. If you map this out beforehand, you can plan more realistically than if you just start without preparation.
The phases most companies go through
In practice, there are usually four steps to recognise. First an inventory: which data do you already have, and where is something missing. Then the conversation with the software provider about what is technically possible and what it costs. Next a test phase in which a limited number of products already receive a passport, to see if the connection works as intended. Only then does scaling to the full range follow.
From first conversation to working connection
The step that is most underestimated is the test phase. Companies often assume that a working connection for one product will automatically work for all products. In practice, product lines differ in how their data is stored, and that requires a small adjustment each time. If you skip this phase, you risk the scaling taking more time later than the entire preparation combined.
Where things get stuck in practice
Most delays do not occur in the technology, but in the coordination around it. A contract with the software provider needs to be amended, and that takes time from the procurement department. Data that falls under the GDPR, such as contact details of a supplier in the chain, must be separately assessed before it appears in a publicly accessible passport. And internally there is often no single clear owner of the process, which means decisions get passed from one department to another.
The absence of a fixed end date in the regulation also plays a role here. Without a concrete deadline, it is difficult for many companies to give the process priority over other work. That is an understandable trade-off, but it does mean that a process that would take three months on paper ends up taking a year or longer in practice, simply because it keeps being postponed.
What you can do now, even without a fixed date
Even without a confirmed obligation, it is possible to determine your current position now. A good starting point is mapping which data you already have and which are still missing, regardless of when the obligation comes into effect. With a brief questionnaire that maps your current situation you already get a first indication of this, without it costing you time you don't have.
It is also advisable to know in advance what the data flow to a product passport looks like, so that the conversation with your software provider can be more concrete. an overview of how that data flow works in practice helps to conduct that conversation more purposefully, rather than starting only when the obligation becomes fixed. For the questions that often come up, a an overview of frequently asked questions is a good starting point.
What is the best planning for your own business depends on your specific situation, your current systems and your contractual agreements with suppliers. This article does not provide advice on this; for your own situation, consult a lawyer or, where it concerns the interpretation of the regulation itself, the competent supervisory authority.
Do you want to look broader than just the lead time, for example at what the process entails or who in your chain has which role? In the knowledge base with all topics explained per situation you will find that background, and the quick-scan remains an accessible way to see where your business currently stands without obligations.