The initial meeting took place in Brussels, Belgium, on July 10th 2002 following an invitation by Autodistribution International (ADI), Auto-Teile-Ring International (ATRI), Group Auto Union International (GAUI) and Temot International (TI). The buying groups were joined by representatives of leading part manufacturers, CLEPA (European Association of Automotive Suppliers) and Figiefa (International Federation of Automotive Aftermarket Distributors).

The participants decided to start a CAP (Common Aftermarket Protocol) initiative in order to establish a common standard for EDI internet communication within the industry. Based on the CLEPA-Figiefa EDI communication protocol, which was introduced in 1998, a modern XML version should be developed.

The CAP standard is a non-owner solution open to all players in the market and financed on a 50:50 basis between buying groups and part manufacturers. All attendees committed to actively promote and implement the CAP standard within their companies.

2003

After successful development of the new XML standard, the CAP members unanimously agreed on May 20th 2003 with the proposed roll-out plan and budget.

2005

By the end of 2005 the Common Aftermarket Protocol project will be successfully completed having reached the goal of defining and introducing a common standard for order processing in the Automotive Aftermarket. Now the key point of focus is to roll-out the use of the protocol quickly.

Against this background the CAP Steering Committee and TecCom have concluded an agreement that will actively support the speedy roll-out from January 1st, 2006. This foresees that the CAP protocol will remain accessible to all participants in the market and that so-called point-to-point connections can be used in future by the interested parties. TecCom will also maintain, support, and further develop the CAP standard.