EDI transaction sets frequently used in Manufacturing

As EDI becomes more and more popular in many manufacturing verticals and as the thin line between manufacturers and distributors becomes more and more blurred in today’s world of e-commerce transactions, here is a list of some of the more popular EDI transaction sets used in today’s modern world of manufacturing:

§  ANSI X12 810 / EDIFACT INVOIC – Invoice – sent by manufacturers to the customer to bill for goods ordered and delivered.

§  ANSI X12 830 / EDIFACT DELFOR – Planning Schedule/Material Release – provides forecast data for upcoming orders that helps suppliers manage materials and other resources such as labor requirements. Not all 830's, however, can be used to create a Purchase Order, just manufacturers with 830's that have release capabilities.

§  ANSI X12 832 / EDIFACT PRICAT – Price/Sales Catalog – used by manufacturers to provide product information and prices to their supply chain partners in the form of a catalog.

§  ANSI X12 846 / EDIFACT INVRPT – Inventory Inquiry/Advice – used to notify trading partners of on-hand inventory. Becoming a strong requirement from Online Retail trading partners.

§  ANSI X12 850 / EDIFACT ORDERS – Purchase Order – used by manufacturer to purchase materials and/or services from a supplier.

§  ANSI X12 856 / EDIFACT DESADV – Advance Ship Notice (ASN) – communicates the contents of a shipment, sent in advance of that shipment’s arrival, which also provides information on the order, the products, the shipment arrival date and time, etc.

§  ANSI X12 862 / EDIFACT DELJIT – Shipping Schedule – provides detailed shipping requirements and may be triggered by product usage, allowing suppliers to replenish items immediately (similar to VMI), in support of Just In Time manufacturing processes.

§  ANSI X12 940 / EDIFACT INSDES – Warehouse Shipping Order – used to instruct remote Third Party Logistics Providers (3PL) or warehouses to ship orders to customers.

§  ANSI X12 943 / EDIFACT DESADV – Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment Advice – an advance ship notice to a remote warehouse that a transfer shipment has been made from the manufacturer.

§  ANSI X12 944 / EDIFACT RECADV – Warehouse Receipt Advice – acknowledgment of receipt of a shipment (such as may be referenced in an EDI 943 transaction) at the warehouse.

§  ANSI X12 945 / EDIFACT DESADV – Warehouse Ship Advice – used by 3PL or warehouse to let manufacturer know goods have been shipped to customer.

§  ANSI X12 997 / EDIFACT CONTRL – Functional Acknowledgement – customer acknowledges receipt of EDI transaction set from manufacturer.

If your organization would like to know more about how EDI can help improve its supply chain efficiencies, please contact B2BGateway today by visiting our website www.B2BGateway.Net to get a local office number or simply email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

Automating Orders and Inventory between your eCommerce site and ERP

As online shopping continues to gather rapid pace (Forrester predicts that over $278 Billion will be spent this year online by US consumers on products and services), many organizations are purchasing eCommerce platforms such as 3dcart, Volusion, Magento, etc., to help them operate their eCommerce online stores. An eCommerce platform is a complete online store application that includes search, navigation, user accounts, shopping cart and ordering capabilities.

Without the right tools using an eCommerce platform can be quite a cumbersome and manual process as the following steps will outline:

1.       Setup product items to sell online including pricing, imagery, inventory.

2.       Customer places order online through the shopping cart.

3.       Order details are keyed in manually into the organizations backend accounting software solution or ERP.

4.       The order is sent (email, fax, etc.) to the warehouse for fulfilment, where it is manually entered again into the warehouse’s WMS.

5.       The warehouse fulfils the order and sends the organization notice (email, fax, etc.) that the goods have been shipped with tracking details.

6.       Order information from warehouse re-keyed into organizations backend system.

7.       Product shipped to customer.

 



 

As can be seen from the steps above, the entire process is quite laborious and can be error prone. Now let’s see how the same transaction would work if the organization implemented EDI:

1.       Setup product items to sell online including pricing, imagery inventory.

2.       Customer places order online through the shopping cart.

3.       EDI 850 Purchase Order is sent directly into organizations backend accounting software or ERP (no need to re-key data). The EDI 850 triggers an EDI 940 (warehouse ship order) to be sent directly into the warehouses WMS (again full automation and no re-keying of data required).

4.       The warehouse fulfills the order and sends an EDI 945 (warehouse shipping advice) to the organization letting them know the goods have been shipped. The organization uses the EDI 945 to close out the sale in their back end system.

5.       Product shipped to customer.

As well as orders and shipping notices, organizations can use the EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry/Advice document to let their trading partners know of stock levels at all times to avoid selling out of stock goods and the EDI 856 Advance Ship Notice to let trading partners know when to expect to receive goods.

For further information on integrating your eCommerce platform with your ERP/Accounting Software system please call B2BGateway today at (401) 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

B2BGateway EDI Solutions for the Omni-Channel

Webinar July 09 at 1pm EST: Integrate your eCommerce Platform with your Accounting Software or ERP

Do you use an eCommerce Platform such as Magento, 3dcart, Shopify, Volusion, etc. to run your Online Shopping Cart?

Would you like to learn how to integrate your eCommerce platform to your Accounting Software / ERP system? (QuickBooks, NetSuite, SAP, Microsost Dynamics, etc.)

Regiester today to learn how to:

• Use B2BGateway's fully-integrated EDI solutions to pull orders from your online shopping cart and populate them as sales orders in your accounting package or ERP system without rekeying any data!
• Keep your online site up to date with inventory updates.
• Connect and communicate seamlessly with 3PLs and outsourced warehouses or shipping companies.

We'll have a 'questions and answers' segment at the end for any specific question that might not have been covered in the Webinar. Please click the link below to register we hope to see you on July 9th!

Register here http://bit.ly/1yU0idk

DSD (Direct Store Delivery) and EDI

Many items that are date sensitive, or have limited shelf lives are delivered directly to the retailer store locations, by the supplier, as opposed to being shipped through the retailer’s warehouse. This method of delivery is often referred to as Direct Store Delivery (DSD). Some suppliers who use this method are organizations that deliver bread, milk, soda or any other perishable items. Direct Store Delivery (DSD) transactions allow suppliers to get their product on retailers’ shelves as quickly as possible, bypassing the retailers distribution centers.

 
Due to short life guidelines, it is common for over thirty percent of a retail grocers produce to be brought to store via DSD. In convenience and drug stores, over half of merchandise may be directly delivered. Using EDI to automate the DSD process can relieve congestion at the retailer’s back door and reduce check-in times.
 
EDI 850 Purchase Orders are not usually sent to DSD suppliers.  In some cases sales reports may be sent by the store through EDI 852 (Point of Sale Activity Data) or it the EDI 882 transaction set may also be used.  The EDI 882 transaction set is used to summarize detailed delivery, return and adjustment information which was previously reconciled at time of delivery in a retail direct store delivery environment, and also to request payment for the products delivered. This transaction set will provide only a summary of direct store deliveries and adjustments without product detail.
 
More commonly, product deliveries are scheduled based on monitoring of the in-store inventory by either the supplier or the store manager. Invoices are still required and are typically sent through EDI 810 transactions. The EDI 810 invoices must adhere to each retailers specific requirements, data standards and communication protocols.
 
For further information on handling EDI in a DSD environment please call B2BGateway on +1 (401) 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

EDI in the Transportation Industry

 

EDI has become very popular in the haulage and transportation industry as transportation companies and load brokers are adapting their systems to cater for EDI document exchange.

The advantages for those working in the transportation industry is that routine high volume communications can be automated allowing dispatchers and accounts receivables staff more time to focus on more productive/profitable tasks and provide clients with better customer service. One of the main advantages of EDI is that it eliminates a dispatcher from having to manually key information into the dispatch operational and billing system. This results in saving time and money while eliminating any costly data entry mistakes. The other advantage is that transportation companies who are EDI compliant can communicate seamlessly and electronically with all parties in the supply chain process.

 
All data is communicated between the carrier, shipper, and the consignee in electronic EDI documents known as ANSI X12 “Transaction Sets.” The most commonly used EDI Transaction Sets in the Transportation Industry are:

204- Motor Carrier Load Tender

211- Bill of Lading

212- Delivery Trailer Manifest

214- Shipment Status Message

210- Freight Details and Invoice

820- Payment Order/Remittance Advice

 

990- Response to the Load Tender

997- Functional Acknowledgement

 
Being EDI enabled allows carriers to have access to the vital information that helps them perform at optimum efficiencies and effectiveness, while at the same time saving time and money.
 
For further information on how B2BGateway can help your transportation organization become EDI compliant and meet the needs of your clients and their trading partners call +1 (401) 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net  

Why use EDI to integrate your eCommerce shopping platform with your ERP/Accounting Software System?

As online shopping continues to gather rapid pace (Forrester predicts that over $278 Billion will be spent this year online by US consumers on products and services), many organizations are purchasing eCommerce platforms such as 3dcart, Volusion, Magento, etc., to help them operate their eCommerce online stores. An eCommerce platform is a complete online store application that includes search, navigation, user accounts, shopping cart and ordering capabilities.

 
Without the right tools using an eCommerce platform can be quite a cumbersome and manual process as the following steps will outline:

1. Setup product items to sell online including pricing, imagery, inventory.
2. Customer places order online through the shopping cart.
3. Order details are keyed in manually into the organizations backend accounting software solution or ERP.
4. The order is sent (email, fax, etc.) to the warehouse for fulfillment, where it is manually entered again into the warehouse’s WMS.
5. The warehouse fulfills the order and sends the organization notice (email, fax, etc.) that the goods have been shipped with tracking details.
6. Order information from warehouse re-keyed into organizations backend system.
7. Product shipped to customer.

As can be seen from the steps above, the entire process is quite laborious and can be error prone. Now let’s see how the same transaction would work if the organization implemented EDI:

1. Setup product items to sell online including pricing, imagery inventory.
2. Customer places order online through the shopping cart.
3. EDI 850 Purchase Order is sent directly into organizations backend accounting software or ERP (no need to re-key data). The EDI 850 triggers an EDI 940 (warehouse ship order) to be sent directly into the warehouses WMS (again full automation and no re-keying of data required).
4. The warehouse fulfills the order and sends an EDI 945 (warehouse shipping advice) to the organization letting them know the goods have been shipped. The organization uses the EDI 945 to close out the sale in their back end system.
5Product shipped to customer.

As well as orders and shipping notices, organizations can use the EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry/Advice document to let their trading partners know of stock levels at all times to avoid selling out of stock goods and the EDI 856 Advance Ship Notice to let trading partners know when to expect to receive goods.

For further information on integrating your eCommerce platform with your ERP/Accounting Software system please call B2BGateway today at (401) 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

Integrate your Omni-Channel Logistics with cloud based EDI solutions from B2BGateway.

 

To fulfill goods and services for the ever increasing world of Omni-Channel Retail, suppliers have to create excellence in their Omni-Channel Logistics operations. Omni-Channel Retailing is best described by Wikipedia as the evolution of multi-channel retailing, but is concentrated more on a seamless approach to the consumer experience through all available shopping channels, i.e. mobile internet devices, computers, bricks-and-mortar, television, radio, direct mail, catalog and so on. Retailers are meeting the new customer demands by deploying specialized supply chain strategies and software solutions.

The major challenge for suppliers, in order to meet the retailers’ new omni-channel needs, is to get their goods and services to the correct channel as quickly and as accurately as possible and, needless to say,  in the most cost effective manner.

In order to help suppliers achieve excellence in Omni-Channel Logistics, B2BGateway has developed full end to end seamless connectivity between the supplier and all parties in the supply chain from box store retailers (Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, etc.) to online retailers (Amazon, Buy.com, etc.), to manufacturers, third party logistics providers (3PL) and even the suppliers own online shopping carts (which may be powered by online platform providers such as 3dcart, Volusion, Magento, etc.).

 

Through specially developed, cloud based EDI software, B2BGateway’s Omni-Channel Logistics solution fully integrates the suppliers ERP software with all parties in the supply chain, thus allowing fully automated and seamless connectivity for the exchange of all business documentation needed such as Purchase Orders (EDI 850), Invoices (EDI 810), Inventory Updates (EDI 846), Warehouse Shipping Orders (EDI 940), Advanced Shipping Notices (EDI 856) and so forth.

  

As there is full automation and no need to re-key data, the supplier benefits greatly from increased speed, increased accuracy, greater visibility and reduced labor overheads.

 

If you would like to learn more about B2BGateway’s fully integrated Omni-Channel Logistics solution please call +1 401-491-9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net  



 

How to use B2BGateway EDI solutions to fulfill your orders when using NetSuite and a 3PL



It is important to understand the flow of documents when working with EDI. This sequence will show you how to work with a 3PL or Third Party Logistics provider and NetSuite when integrating with a box store retailer such as Walmart. This is a typical EDI transaction where the NetSuite user uses a 3PL to store and ship goods. 

 

 



(1) A Purchase Order (850) is sent from Trading Partner to NetSuite user and is imported into NetSuite as a Sales Order (850).
(2) The Sales Order is pulled from NetSuite based on pre-determined criteria and sent as a Warehouse Ship Order (940) to the 3PL.
(3) The 3PL returns a Warehouse Ship Advice (945) which B2BGateway sends to the TP (if required) as an Advance Ship Notice (856) and also fulfills the sales order in NetSuite.
(4) The NetSuite user creates an Invoice (810) in NetSuite and based on the query rules established it will be pulled by B2BGateway and sent to the TP as an Invoice (810).

To learn more about B2BGateways fully integrated EDI solutions for NetSuite and 3PL's , please visit us online at www.B2BGateway.Net, email Sales@B2BGateway.Net or call 401-401-9595 extension 5.               

Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and EDI

A warehouse management system (WMS) is a software application that supports the day-to-day operations in a warehouse and is a key part of the modern supply chain process. WMS programs enable centralized management of tasks such as tracking inventory levels, receiving, picking, put-away and identifying stock locations.

 
A WMS monitors the progress of products through the warehouse. It involves the physical warehouse infrastructure, tracking systems, and communication between product stations. More precisely, warehouse management involves the receipt, storage and movement of goods to distribution centers or to a final customer. In today’s modern world, organizations may use multiple levels of warehouses. These may include a central warehouse, regional warehouses (serviced by the central warehouse) and potentially retail warehouses (serviced by the regional warehouses).
 
Early warehouse management systems could only provide simple storage location functionality. Current WMS applications can be so complex and data intensive that they require a dedicated staff to run them. High-end systems may include tracking and routing technologies such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and voice recognition.
 
No matter how simple or complex the application is, the goal of a warehouse management system remains the same -- to provide management with the information it needs to efficiently control the movement of materials within a warehouse.
 
WMS systems may be standalone applications or modules of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.  B2BGateway offers clients fully integrated, cloud based EDI solutions to link their WMS with their ERP or Accounting Software solution. This automates the flow of data between systems and removes the need to re-key data.  This in turn gives the client greater accuracy, reduces charge backs and saves both time and money.
 
To learn more about B2BGateways fully integrated EDI solutions for WMS call +1-401-491-9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net 

Most common EDI transaction sets used by Third Party Logistics providers (3PL’s).

 

Most common EDI transaction sets used by Third Party Logistics providers (3PL’s).
ANSI X12 Transaction	Transaction Name	Transaction Description
940	Warehouse Shipping Order	Data contents of the Warehouse Shipping Order Transaction Set (940) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. This transaction set can be used to enable the depositor to advise a warehouse to make a shipment, confirm a shipment, or modify or cancel a previously transmitted shipping order.
943	Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment Advice	Data contents of the Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment Advice Transaction Set (943) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used by a depositor or an agent of the depositor to advise the recipient that a transfer shipment has been made. This transaction set provides a receiving location with detail information concerning product being shipped to that location.
944	Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt Advice	Data contents of the Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt Advice Transaction Set (944) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used by a receiving location to advise a depositor or an agent of the depositor that a transfer shipment has been received. This transaction set provides the depositor or the depositor's agent with detail information concerning product that has been received
945	Warehouse Shipping Advice	Data contents of the Warehouse Shipping Advice Transaction Set (945) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used by the warehouse to advise the depositor that shipment was made. It is used to reconcile order quantities with shipment quantities.
946	Delivery Information Message	The transaction set can be used by a receiving location to advise a depositor or an agent of the depositor that a transfer shipment has been received. This transaction set provides the depositor or the depositor's agent with detail information concerning product that has been received. If you need help supporting this EDI document, please visit our signup page. We will contact you shortly after the information is received. Thank you
947	Warehouse Inventory Adjustment Advice	Data contents of the Warehouse Inventory Adjustment Advice Transaction Set (947) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used to inform a warehouse/depositor of a quantity or status change to inventory records. This transaction set provides detail information concerning the internal adjustments which occur between a warehouse and a depositor.
997	Functional Acknowledgement	Data contents of the Functional Acknowledgment Transaction Set (997) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used to define the control structures for a set of acknowledgments to indicate the results of the syntactical analysis of the electronically encoded documents. The encoded documents are the transaction sets, which are grouped in functional groups, used in defining transactions for business data interchange. This standard does not cover the semantic meaning of the information encoded in the transaction sets.
856	Advance Ship Notice/Manifest	Data contents of the Advance Ship Notice/Manifest Transaction Set (856) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. The transaction set can be used to list the contents of a shipment of goods as well as additional information relating to the shipment, such as order information, product description, physical characteristics, type of packaging, marking, carrier information, and configuration of goods within the transportation equipment. The transaction set enables the sender to describe the contents and configuration of a shipment in various levels of detail and provides an ordered flexibility to convey information. The sender of this transaction is the organization responsible for detailing and communicating the contents of a shipment, or shipments, to one or more receivers of the transaction set. The receiver of this transaction set can be any organization having an interest in the contents of a shipment or information about the contents of a shipment.

 For a full list of all EDI X12 documents supported bt B2BGateway.Net please visit http://www.b2bgateway.net/edidocs.asp

Advantages of EDI for 3PL's

Advantages to 3PL's, Logistics Organizations, Warehouse and Shipping Companies in becoming EDI compliant:

• Able to handle more daily shipments and customers
• Provides greater efficiencies on the production environment
• Accuracy boosted through integration and minimizing manual data entry
• Secures larger more sophisticated client base
• Enhances ability to build more business through differentiation
• Order-to-cash cycle time reduceded
• Retailer chargeback fees minimized for your clients

Check out www.B2BGateway.Net for more details or view a brief video demonstration on EDI for 3PL's here http://www.b2bgateway.net/videos.asp?id=26