OpenText Active Community - Trading Grid - Centric Integration and Automation

Common Integration Use Cases Between OpenText Active Community - Trading Grid and Centric

OpenText Active Community - Trading Grid and Centric complement each other well in organizations that manage complex product development and large trading partner networks. Centric governs product lifecycle, specifications, and collaboration across internal teams and suppliers, while OpenText Active Community - Trading Grid supports structured communication, issue resolution, and document exchange across external trading partners. Integrating the two platforms helps synchronize product data, accelerate issue handling, and improve visibility across the supply chain.

1. Product Development Issue Escalation to Trading Partners

Data flow: Centric to OpenText Active Community - Trading Grid

When a product development team identifies a supplier-related issue in Centric, such as a material nonconformance, sample delay, or specification mismatch, the issue can be automatically published to the relevant trading partner community in OpenText Active Community - Trading Grid. This gives suppliers immediate visibility into the problem, required actions, and supporting documentation.

• Speeds up supplier response times
• Creates a controlled external collaboration channel for issue resolution
• Reduces email-based follow-up and missed updates

2. Supplier Document Submission for Product Development

Data flow: OpenText Active Community - Trading Grid to Centric

Suppliers often submit certificates, compliance documents, test reports, or revised artwork through Trading Grid. These documents can be routed into Centric and attached to the relevant product, style, or development milestone. This ensures product teams work from the latest approved supplier inputs without manually downloading and re-uploading files.

• Improves document traceability
• Reduces manual handling of supplier files
• Supports audit readiness and version control

3. Product Specification Distribution to Trading Partners

Data flow: Centric to OpenText Active Community - Trading Grid

Once a product specification, tech pack, or approved design is finalized in Centric, the relevant data can be shared with selected trading partners through Trading Grid. This ensures suppliers receive the correct version of product requirements, packaging details, or compliance instructions in a secure partner workspace.

• Prevents suppliers from working off outdated specifications
• Improves first-time-right production outcomes
• Supports controlled release of product information by partner

4. Sample Review and Approval Collaboration

Data flow: Bi-directional

During sample development, Centric can manage internal review status and product requirements, while OpenText Active Community - Trading Grid can be used to exchange sample feedback, supplier comments, and corrective actions with external partners. Status updates from Trading Grid can sync back to Centric so product teams have a single view of sample progress.

• Aligns internal and external stakeholders on sample readiness
• Shortens approval cycles
• Improves visibility into outstanding actions and rework

5. Compliance and Certification Tracking for New Product Launches

Data flow: OpenText Active Community - Trading Grid to Centric

For regulated or retailer-driven product launches, suppliers can submit compliance certificates, lab results, and declarations through Trading Grid. These records can then be linked to the corresponding product record in Centric, helping launch teams verify that all required documentation is complete before go-live.

• Reduces launch delays caused by missing compliance artifacts
• Centralizes product-related regulatory evidence
• Improves governance across product launch workflows

6. Change Request Communication to Suppliers

Data flow: Centric to OpenText Active Community - Trading Grid

When a product change is approved in Centric, such as a material substitution, packaging update, or size adjustment, the change notice can be pushed to affected suppliers through Trading Grid. Suppliers receive the updated requirements, effective date, and any required acknowledgements in a structured partner workflow.

• Ensures suppliers are notified quickly and consistently
• Supports controlled rollout of product changes
• Reduces production errors caused by late communication

7. Partner Collaboration on Product Development Milestones

Data flow: Bi-directional

Centric can manage internal milestone planning for concept, development, sampling, and launch, while Trading Grid can be used to coordinate milestone-related tasks with external partners. For example, a supplier can confirm readiness for a sample submission or tooling completion in Trading Grid, and that confirmation can update the milestone status in Centric.

• Improves accountability across internal and external teams
• Provides a shared view of launch readiness
• Helps identify delays earlier in the development cycle

8. Centralized Product and Partner Communication Record

Data flow: Bi-directional

Key communications related to product development, such as approvals, clarifications, and issue resolutions, can be synchronized between Centric and OpenText Active Community - Trading Grid. This creates a complete record of product decisions and partner interactions tied to the relevant product or project.

• Improves traceability of decisions and approvals
• Reduces risk of lost context across teams
• Supports compliance, audit, and dispute resolution needs

Overall, integrating OpenText Active Community - Trading Grid with Centric helps organizations connect product lifecycle management with external partner collaboration. The result is faster issue resolution, better document control, and more reliable execution across product development and launch processes.