Hitting the UK eCoC Deadline: How IT Systems Make VCA Compliance Easier
Build or buy?
The eCoC mandate obliges manufacturers to create digitally signed XML files in a tightly defined format and lodge them with the VCA. Some will weigh up building that capability themselves. Before going down that road, it's worth taking stock of everything it entails:
- Parsing and mapping type approval data onto the IVI 2.0 XML schema (hundreds of fields, plenty of conditional logic)
- Building XAdES digital signatures with proper certificate management
- XSD schema validation to catch errors ahead of submission
- VCA API integration for automated submission, authentication and error handling included
- Ongoing upkeep as the VCA moves schema versions and API specifications forward
What a dedicated eCoC system gives you
Purpose-built eCoC management software covers all of these requirements out of the box, freeing manufacturers to concentrate on building vehicles rather than engineering XML:
Data management
A central store of type approval data, vehicle specifications and eCoC submissions, complete with full change history and an audit trail.
Automatic XML generation
Maps your vehicle data onto the IVI schema for you, dealing with GB/UK(NI)-specific fields, multi-stage references and conditional field logic.
Digital signing
Automatic XAdES signing in the right order — validate, then sign, then submit — with certificate management and expiry monitoring built in.
VCA integration
Submit through the VCA API or portal, then track submission status, deal with rejections and handle resubmissions all from one interface.
ERP integration
Most manufacturers already keep their vehicle technical data in an ERP system. A dedicated eCoC platform can draw that data straight from your ERP, doing away with manual entry and making sure each eCoC always mirrors the latest production data.
That matters most for high-volume manufacturers, where keying data in by hand would be both impractical and error-prone.
Being ready for Conformity of Production (CoP)
The VCA runs Conformity of Production (CoP) audits to confirm that manufacturers keep building vehicles in conformity with the approved type. A full audit trail covering every eCoC submission, correction and resubmission is vital evidence for those audits.
eCoC EU² — from the production line to VCA submission
eCoC EU² is purpose-built eCoC management software for UK vehicle manufacturers: