The EDI Solution: Redefining Partnerships in the Supply Chain

Visibility is king in your supply chain. Yet, when you manage enough data to support hundreds of thousands of purchase orders, visibility isn’t just about what you can see; it’s about what you’re missing. Manual processes are inconsistent and dependent upon human action.

The consequence?

You’re more vulnerable to unexpected issues disrupting your supply chain. The challenge of dealing with millions of points of data every day is the same for all: effectively collaborating and sharing information in a timely way.

Automating Real-time Visibility

We believe the talking should be left to technology. Gaining real-time, holistic knowledge from your partners means automating critical supply chain processes.

EDI, or Electronic Data Interchange, enables the systems from one company to “talk” to the systems of another company. It is the standard format for electronic data interchange in North America, enabled by The American National Standards Institute (ANSI). EDI automates the flow of data between systems in a faster, more cost-efficient way and eliminates the need to re-enter data.

What are the Top Benefits of EDI?

1) Visibility

Visibility is the key driver of supply chain performance. When information is exchanged through EDI, the data flow elevates visibility to real-time and the communication is direct, easy and accurately shared.

2) Accuracy

To err is human. It’s also time-consuming and expensive. Eliminating the need to re-key data with EDI means faster transactions with your many partners and ultimately, a more streamlined business process.

3) Productivity

Utilizing EDI means information is exchanged faster and data is manipulated more accurately. As a result, the cost of manual entry (as well as increased staff) is eliminated and cycle times are reduced.

How We Make EDI Work for Your Warehouse

Regardless of the systems you or your partners are running, our standard EDI integration enables data to flow seamlessly between organizations. This forever eliminates the need for manual data entry, saving both time and money.

Here are the six most common transaction sets, uploads, and downloads for warehouses that are pre-loaded in our standard EDI integration package.

The 6 Most Common EDI Transaction Sets for Warehouses

1. Purchase Order

2. Ship Notice/Manifest

3. Warehouse Shipping Order

4. Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt

5. Warehouse Shipping Advice

6. Warehouse Inventory Advice

The Most Common EDI Uploads for Warehouses

• 944 Warehouse Stock Transfer

The EDI 944 Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt Advice transaction set is an acknowledgment to a manufacturer that its transfer shipment has been received. This transaction is typically used by third-party logistics providers or warehouses – communications regarding shipments from a manufacturer to its own warehouses can typically be handled within the company’s own business or warehouse management system.

• 945 Shipping Transaction

The EDI 945 transaction set, referred to as a Warehouse Shipping Advice transaction, provides confirmation of a shipment. This transaction is used by a warehouse to notify a trading partner that a shipment was made.

- Shipment identification - Ship-from and ship-to information - Date shipment was made - Shipment payment type information - Transportation method (e.g., air freight, ground, etc.) - Shipping service level (e.g., overnight, 2-day delivery, etc.) - Item and quantity shipped, including variance from order quantity

• 947 Stock Adjustment

The 947 EDI Job extracts the Stock Adjustment JSON from the URL and stores it to a file in 947 EDI format. This X12 Transaction Set contains the format and establishes the data contents of the Warehouse Inventory Adjustment Advice Transaction Set (947). The transaction set can be used to inform a host system of a quantity or status change to inventory records. This transaction set provides detailed information concerning the internal adjustments which occur between a warehouse and a host.

The Most Common EDI Downloads for Warehouses

• 856 Purchase Order Details

The 856 EDI Job extracts data from an EDI file, converts it into a consolidated Purchase Order JSON (IRPODN & IRPODC), and then posts the JSON to the URL.

• 940 Customer Order Details

The 940 EDI Job extracts data from an EDI file, converts it into a consolidated Customer Order JSON (IRCODN, IRCODD & IRCODT) and posts the JSON to the URL.

Interested in learning more about how EDI can redefine your supply chain and improve relationships between you and your partners? Get in touch with our team of EDI experts today to get started making EDI work for you.