There is no fixed fee for connecting your software to the digital product passport. The costs are made up of a number of separate items: the work of your software supplier to unlock data, any licensing costs for a connection or API, and the time needed internally to get data in order. What you ultimately pay depends heavily on how your current system is set up and how many product groups you have.
The largest cost item is usually not the technology itself, but finding out which data you already record, in which system, and in what form. If alloy composition, origin and recycling percentage are already structured in your ERP or PIM, a connection is relatively straightforward. If that data is scattered across spreadsheets, certificates from suppliers and the memory of a few employees, then the work is mainly in bringing that data together and organizing it, before there is anything to connect in the first place.
Where the amount comes from
Software suppliers usually charge in one of three ways: an hourly rate for custom work on the connection, a fixed price per connection to an existing module, or a recurring licence cost when the connection becomes part of a subscription. Which form applies varies by supplier and by package. Therefore, do not only ask for a one-time amount, but also ask what a connection structurally costs for maintenance, for example when the regulation changes at a later date and the data fields are adjusted.
A second cost item arises when your current system has no open interface (API). Some older ERP systems were not built to automatically share data with an external platform. In that case, the supplier must first build an interface before anything can be connected, and that work falls outside a regular update or maintenance subscription. Ask about this specifically before you accept a cost estimate.
A third item is internal: the time of your own employees to check, supplement and approve data. This time is often not included in quotes from software suppliers, although in practice it determines a large part of the process. the knowledge base with explanations per topic provides an overview of which data is typically needed, so that you can conduct that discussion internally before you request a quote.
What determines the amount
The number of product groups and variants plays a major role. A profile manufacturer with a limited range has less connection work than a packaging producer with dozens of alloys and dimensions. The number of suppliers from whom you need to receive data also matters: each link in the chain that does not itself supply structured data means extra manual work on your part.
The degree of automation you want is a third factor. A one-time export of data is cheaper than a fully automatic, ongoing connection that updates the passport with every change in your inventory. For companies with a stable, limited range, a one-time or periodic delivery is often sufficient; with rapidly changing production, an automatic connection may pay for itself sooner. Which choice is appropriate in your situation is best discussed with your software supplier and, as far as legal obligations are concerned, with a lawyer or the competent supervisory authority.
It is also useful to make a distinction between the costs of connecting your software and the costs of the digital product passport itself. At alupas.eu, the digital product passport is compiled from the data you provide, regardless of whether that happens via a connection or via a simple upload; you are therefore not required to build an expensive connection first before you can start. An overview of what that costs is available on the pricing page.
How to make a good comparison
Always ask your software supplier three things: the one-time amount for the connection, the recurring costs for maintenance, and what happens if the data fields change at a later date because the regulations change. Place these three points side by side before you make a choice, because a low one-time price can be accompanied by high maintenance costs, and vice versa.
Would you like to get an idea first of what is needed in your own situation before you have the conversation with your software supplier? With the free product scan that provides an indication in a few questions you can see roughly where you stand, without needing an account for that.
Do you still not have a complete picture of what the digital product passport exactly asks of you? Do the free quick-scan or read the topics in the knowledge base; both give you a first, free overview before you take further steps.