Asset Administration Shell and Digital Product Passport – From Concept to Implementation

Industrial companies are facing increasing requirements:

With the Digital Product Passport (DPP), topics such as transparency, data availability, and interoperability are becoming critical. A key enabler is the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) – the standardized foundation for Digital Twins.

But what does this mean in practice? How does AAS relate to DPP? And how can companies get started—especially within existing IT landscapes?

These questions are discussed in the latest episode of the DPP Deep Dive podcast together with Adrian Grüner from Neoception.

What is the Asset Administration Shell?

The Asset Administration Shell (AAS) is a core concept of Industry 4.0. It enables the standardized digital representation of physical assets such as machines, components, or products.

Its key value lies in making data structured, interoperable, and usable across systems, enabling consistent data usage across the entire product lifecycle.

Why AAS is the foundation for the Digital Product Passport

The Digital Product Passport defines what data must be provided, such as information on origin, materials, and sustainability.

The AAS defines how:

• Standardized data models
• Unified semantics (e.g., ECLASS)
• Interoperability across systems and organizations
• Scalable data provisioning

This makes AAS a key enabler for implementing DPP requirements.

Brownfield reality in industrial environments

Most companies are not starting from scratch. Instead, they face:

• Legacy IT landscapes
• Distributed data sources (ERP, PLM, MES)
• High requirements for security and availability

The key is not replacing existing systems, but integrating them.

Modern platform approaches help harmonize distributed data and build a scalable digital foundation step by step.

From theory to implementation

A key takeaway from the podcast: Implementation must be pragmatic.

Success factors include:

• Step-by-step integration of existing systems
• Use of established standards
• Focus on concrete use cases
• Scalable infrastructure for Digital Twins

This enables quick wins while building a long-term foundation.

The newest episode from ECHO PRM GmbH provides practical insights into how AAS and DPP work together, clearly explained and without unnecessary buzzwords.