EDI For 3PL

A listing of the most commonly used 3PL (Third Party Logistics Provider) EDI transactions.

Terminology

• depositor: a manufacturer, seller or wholesaler that owns the product that need to be stored in warehouse.
• customer: a buyer, consumer or retailer that purchases the product.

3PL Process

In general, third-party warehouses store products for depositor who then instruct the warehouse to ship to other locations. This process, utilizing EDI, generally follows this sequence:

• Depositor transmits production information to warehouse for reference in future communication. This is done using EDI 888 Item Maintenance transaction.
   
• Prior to shipping product to the warehouse, the manufacturer sends a shipment notification to indicate to the warehouse that an order is on its way. This is done using the EDI 943 Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment Advice transaction. (Note: this ship notice is different from 856, which is for notice of delivery to customer.)
   
• When the shipment arrives, the warehouse confirms this by transmitting an EDI 944 Warehouse Stock Receipt transaction.
   
• The depositor periodically submits an EDI 940 Warehouse Shipping Order to the warehouse. This transaction directs the warehouse to ship product from its stock, usually to customer locations. depositor may also use this transaction to change or cancel the shipping order.
   
• The warehouse confirms shipment of the order using a EDI 945 Warehouse Shipping Advice transaction.
   
• If customer is a business entity, EDI 856 Ship Notice/Manifest transaction is generally required to be transmitted by either the depositor or the warehouse.
   
• Warehouse or depositor may use EDI 947 Warehouse Inventory Adjustment Advice transaction to information each other of a quantity or status change to inventory records.
   
• Warehouse and depositor can utilize EDI 846 Inventory Inquiry/Advice to reconcile the inventory.

X12 EDI Documents

Table below listed the relevant X12 EDI transactions in the order of the transaction number.

X12	Name	Description
846	Inventory Inquiry/Advice	This transaction set can be used in the following ways: for a seller of goods and services to provide inventory information to a prospective purchaser, with no obligation to the purchaser to acquire these goods or services; for a representative of a seller of goods and services to supply inventory information to that seller; for one location to supply another location with inventory information; and for an inquiry as to the availability of inventory with no obligation on the seller of goods and services to reserve that inventory.
856	Ship Notice/Manifest	This transaction is more commonly called the Advance Ship Notice or ASN. It is utilized to electronically communicate the contents of a shipment to another trading partner. It is sent in advance of a shipment arriving at the other trading partner’s facility.
888	Item Maintenance	This transaction set is used to enable a manufacturer, supplier, broker, or agent to provide detailed finished goods product information to a partner in a consumer goods market. This transaction set can be used to provide information about new products or changes in existing product specifications. Price changes will not be sent with this transaction set, but can be sent with the Price Change Transaction Set (879)
940	Warehouse Shipping Order	This transaction set is used to instruct remote warehouses to ship orders. It is commonly used by a depositor, to authorize a warehouse to make a shipment to a customer. The 940 may also be used to confirm a shipment, modify a shipment or cancel a previous shipping order.
943	Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment Advice	This transaction set is an advance ship notice to a remote warehouse that a transfer shipment has been made to the warehouse. The 943 transaction may also be used by depositor to authorize a warehouse to accept a return from a customer.
944	Warehouse Stock Receipt	This transaction set is an acknowledgement from warehouse to the depositor that its transfer shipment has been received.
945	Warehouse Shipping Advice	This transaction set, also known as Warehouse Shipping Order Confirmation, provides confirmation of a shipment. It is used by warehouse to notify the depositor that a shipment was made.
947	Warehouse Inventory Adjustment Advice	This transaction set is 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 Acknowledgment	This transaction set, known as the Functional Acknowledgment or FA, is sent as a response to other EDI transactions received. An EDI 997 serves as a receipt, to acknowledge that an EDI transaction, or a group of transactions, was received by the remote party.