ADVANCED SHIPPING NOTICE (ASN)
What is ASN?
An ASN is usually used by a supplier and customer to give advanced notice to the customer that the parts they ordered have been shipped and are on the way.Typically, this information is not known until the parts hit the customer's dock and are received into inventory.
What does it contain?
An ASN is an electronic signal that contains all of the order information: header data including customer P.O. Number, Sales Order Number, date shipped etc. It also contains line item data with part, batch, serial numbers of each item as well as quantity and other part data. Some ASNs also contain digital documents which may be scanned images of Delivery Notes, Certificates of Conformity (C of C) and other technical certificates from the supplier's raw material provider like Physical Chemistry Reports, raw material C of Cs, Mill Certs etc. All of this is critical for a quality delivery.
What value does ASN provide?
Supplier
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Reduced labor during the shipping process
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Remove all paper from the shipping process
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Know exactly when the customer has received the order via electronic Delivery Note
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Project a sophisticated image to customers
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Be easier to do business with
Distributor
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Reduce receiving labor 10x by automatically triggering ERP receiving transactions without re-keying order data
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Improved first-pass quality by inspecting documents digitally before the parts arrive
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Increased lead time to fix documentation errors
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Predict when parts will arrive
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Ability to pass on electronic documentation to customers
End Customer
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Multi-Tier visibility helps predict when parts will show up and is a critical element in the planning and forecasting function
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Increased lead time to solve critical parts problems, like manufacturing delays
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Ability to mitigate sourcing risks and seek alternate source of supply should something go wrong
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Improve receiving efficiency 10X via electronic ASN to ERP connection
With over 98% of manufacturers being small and medium sized entities, it follows that the majority of the manufacturing supply chain cannot produce an ASN. This has serious implications for the larger players.
How to connect
If you can produce a delivery note, then you can create an ASN on our platform. We offer simple flat file (.csv) asynchronous uploading of shipping data to our platform as well as direct connection via our open APIs. A one-time investment in connecting will give you the ability to offer digital ASN to all your customers as well as move the problem of connecting to different customers with different data requirements to us. Contact us to learn more.