By Swetha SankarPublished:

Table of Contents

Automotive suppliers may need to work with IMDS, CAMDS, or both, depending on their customers, markets and supply-chain requirements.

The important distinction is that IMDS and CAMDS are material-data systems, not regulations. They help automotive companies exchange information about the materials and substances contained in components and products.

For global suppliers, the challenge is usually not choosing between IMDS and CAMDS. It is managing the underlying material data consistently when different customers require different systems.

Understanding the differences between IMDS vs CAMDS

IMDS is the International Material Data System used widely across the global automotive supply chain.

CAMDS is the China Automotive Material Data System used within automotive supply chains connected to China.

Both systems support the exchange of automotive material information, but they operate in different customer and market environments.

A supplier serving multiple OEMs may therefore need to manage material information for both.

The practical workflow becomes:

Understanding the differences between IMDS vs CAMDS.png

This is why automotive material-data management should not be built around a single submission.

What is IMDS?

The International Material Data System (IMDS) is a central system used by automotive manufacturers and suppliers to exchange material and substance information.

Suppliers create and submit material declarations for components and products.

The information can support requirements associated with automotive material compliance, including areas such as GADSL and ELV.

Regilient's automotive compliance overview explains how IMDS, GADSL and ELV fit into the wider automotive compliance workflow.

IMDS therefore becomes part of the supplier's product and material information process rather than an isolated reporting activity.

What is CAMDS?

CAMDS, or China Automotive Material Data System, is used to manage automotive material information in supply chains connected to China.

Like IMDS, the system is concerned with material information associated with automotive parts and products.

The important operational difference for suppliers is where and for whom the information is required.

A supplier selling to different automotive customers may therefore have to maintain material information in different system environments.

IMDS vs CAMDS: key differences

Area

IMDS

CAMDS

Primary use

Automotive material information exchange

Automotive material information exchange for China-related supply chains

Geographic relevance

Global automotive supply chain

China automotive supply chain

Typical users

Automotive OEMs and suppliers worldwide

Automotive companies and suppliers operating within China-related supply chains

Core data

Material and substance information

Material and substance information

Supplier challenge

Accurate MDS creation, submission and maintenance

Accurate material-data management and customer submission

Main operational issue

Data quality and supplier coordination

Data quality, supplier coordination and managing China-specific customer requirements

Multi-system requirement

May need to coexist with CAMDS

May need to coexist with IMDS

The systems should therefore be viewed as parallel channels for automotive material information, rather than as competing compliance standards.

Do suppliers need both IMDS and CAMDS?

Not every supplier needs both.

The requirement depends on the customers and markets the supplier serves.

A supplier serving only customers that require IMDS may operate primarily within IMDS.

A supplier serving customers connected to China's automotive supply chain may also need to manage CAMDS.

Global Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers can face both requirements.

The important question is therefore not:

"Which system should we use?"

It is:

"Which customers require which material-data submission, and how do we maintain one reliable source of material information behind those submissions?"

Why managing both systems can become difficult

The material information often originates from the same underlying sources:

  • Supplier declarations
  • Component information
  • Material composition
  • Substance information
  • Product structures
  • BOM data
  • Material weights
  • Supplier records
  • Engineering changes

But the information may need to be maintained or submitted through different workflows.

This creates a common operational problem:

Why managing both systems can become difficult.png

If teams manage these independently in spreadsheets, they can end up collecting the same information repeatedly.

The real problem is upstream supplier data

For many automotive compliance teams, the difficult part is not opening IMDS or CAMDS.

It is getting accurate material information from suppliers.

A typical workflow looks like:

The real problem is upstream supplier data.png

When the supplier response is incomplete, the problem propagates downstream.

An incorrect or outdated material declaration can affect the associated component, product and customer submission.

Regilient's existing IMDS data-quality workflow focuses on these upstream problems, including missing or incorrect automotive material information.

IMDS and CAMDS should sit on top of a common data layer

The most scalable approach is to avoid treating each submission system as the master record.

Instead, maintain the underlying product and material information centrally.

For example:

C-_Users_Hemalatha_Downloads_New-folder-(7)_New-folder_IMDS-and-CAMDS-should-sit-on-top-of-a-common-data-layer.png

This allows the same validated material information to support different customer workflows.

The submission system becomes the destination for the required information rather than the only place where the information exists.

What should automotive suppliers centralize?

A supplier managing multiple automotive customers should consider centralizing:

Supplier information

Who supplied the material or component, what information was received and when it was last validated.

Material information

The composition and material records associated with components.

Component relationships

Which materials belong to which components.

Product and BOM relationships

Which components are used in which products.

Compliance information

Relevant GADSL, ELV and other material-compliance requirements.

Submission status

Whether the required information has been submitted, accepted, rejected or requires action.

Evidence

The declarations and supporting records behind the compliance decision.

This creates a traceable relationship between supplier data and customer submissions.

What happens when a material changes?

This is where a connected data model becomes particularly useful.

Suppose a supplier changes the material used in a component.

The compliance team should be able to identify:

  1. Which component uses the material
  2. Which products contain the component
  3. Which supplier provided the information
  4. Which material declaration is affected
  5. Which customer submissions may require review
  6. Whether the IMDS record needs updating
  7. Whether CAMDS information also needs review
  8. Which compliance assessments need to be reassessed

Without these relationships, engineering changes can trigger a manual investigation across multiple spreadsheets and systems.

IMDS vs CAMDS is not really a software-selection question

Teams sometimes approach the issue as if they need to select one platform over another.

For global automotive suppliers, that can be the wrong starting point.

The better question is:

How do we manage material information once and support the submission workflows our customers require?

This changes the focus from individual systems to the underlying data process.

The-workflow.png

Where automation helps

Automation is particularly useful around the work that happens before and after submission.

Supplier data collection

Request required material information and follow up when suppliers have not responded.

Data validation

Identify incomplete or inconsistent material information before submission.

Material and BOM mapping

Connect supplier material records to components and products.

Submission tracking

Track which records have been submitted and which require action.

Change management

Identify products and submissions potentially affected by a material or component change.

Evidence management

Maintain supporting declarations and compliance records.

Regilient's IMDS and ELV compliance software is positioned around this workflow, including IMDS/CAMDS ingestion and validation, supplier data management and compliance evidence.

IMDS, CAMDS and broader automotive compliance

Material-data systems should also be considered alongside the broader automotive compliance environment.

A material record may support work involving:

  • GADSL
  • ELV
  • IMDS
  • CAMDS
  • Customer-specific material requirements
  • Material declarations
  • Product compliance
  • End-of-life assessments

This is why the material-data layer is more valuable than treating each submission as a separate administrative task.

The objective is to maintain reliable information about what is in the product, where the information came from and which requirements depend on it.

How to build a practical IMDS/CAMDS workflow

For suppliers managing both systems, a practical operating model is:

1. Establish the product structure

Maintain the relationship between products, components and materials.

2. Collect supplier information

Create a controlled process for obtaining material declarations.

3. Validate the data

Identify missing, inconsistent or incorrect material information.

4. Map material information

Connect supplier declarations to the correct components and products.

5. Determine customer requirements

Identify whether the relevant customer requires IMDS, CAMDS or another material-data submission.

6. Prepare the submission

Use the validated material information for the required customer workflow.

7. Track the outcome

Record submission status, corrections and approvals.

8. Monitor changes

When material, component or supplier information changes, identify affected records and reassess them.

This creates a repeatable process instead of separate manual workflows for every customer.

The practical takeaway

IMDS and CAMDS are not competing regulations. They are automotive material-data systems used in different supply-chain contexts.

Some suppliers will only need one. Global suppliers may need both.

The scalable approach is to maintain a reliable underlying record of suppliers, materials, components, substances and products, then use that validated information to support the required IMDS or CAMDS workflows.

That reduces duplicate data collection, improves material-data quality and makes it easier to identify the impact of engineering and supplier changes.

For automotive suppliers, the goal should not be simply to submit data to IMDS or CAMDS.

It should be to maintain one reliable material-data process that can support multiple customer requirements.

Topics

IMDS

Speak to Our Compliance Experts

Questions about compliance, partnerships, or support? We're here to help.

Share

IMDS vs CAMDS: What Automotive Suppliers Need to Know

Is CAMDS the same as IMDS?
No. Both systems manage automotive material information, but they serve different supply-chain environments.
Do automotive suppliers need both IMDS and CAMDS?
Not necessarily. The requirement depends on the customers and markets served. Global suppliers may need to manage both.
Is CAMDS a regulation?
No. CAMDS is a material-data system. The applicable regulatory and customer requirements determine what information suppliers need to provide.
Can the same material data be used for IMDS and CAMDS?
The underlying material information can often be reused, but suppliers must follow the specific requirements and workflows applicable to each customer and system.
Why is supplier data quality important for both systems?
Both workflows depend on accurate material information. Missing or incorrect supplier data can result in additional review, correction and submission work.
Can IMDS and CAMDS data be managed in one platform?
A compliance-data platform can provide a common layer for supplier, material, component and product information while supporting the relevant IMDS/CAMDS workflows. Regilient provides IMDS/CAMDS ingestion and validation support .
What should suppliers automate first?
Start with supplier data collection, follow-up, material-data validation, component/BOM mapping and submission-status tracking. These activities create the foundation for more reliable IMDS and CAMDS management.