Innovative enterprises seek to develop and produce smart products by the intelligent coordination of engineering processes across different enterprises and domains. A global automotive supplier is a leader in the development, manufacture and sale of hydraulic and pneumatic components for passenger cars and trucks. Modular design is necessary to gain high performance at limited costs of product platforms. It imposes a comprehensive approach for engineering communication with numerous customers worldwide. Providing that the engineered data is delivered to the recipient in the right format, quality and time is substantial in the collaboration between the supplier and its customer. The supplier has tackled the challenge by establishing a focal point of data exchange and translation (including a knowledge protection), which includes also modular product structures. The OpenDESC.com service, utilized by the company as the focal point of data exchange and translation, is capable of sending and receiving data to all partners, ensuring the independence from the standards and tools their partners use. This paper shows the requirements, challenges and solutions in the engineering collaboration on modular products.