Good news: You got a message from a customer and it starts with “I want to purchase…”
Bad news? What if the same message started with… Ich möchte kaufen… or Quiero comprar…, or Chcę kupić…,or Je veux acheter…, or Wǒ yào gòumǎi (Chinese). Would you know that the customer wanted to buy something from you?
Welcome to the world of the , where order requests come into your organization in multiple ways (i.e., electronically, manually, with or without kanban or In Line Vehicle Sequence data) and with multiple interpretations. You may be thinking… “the has set standards on EDI formats. I have common EDI formats for inbound orders… right?”
Well, sort of. Nope.
Even though the EDI framework falls to a common interpretation, senders of to suppliers often can, and do, interpret segment data in a variety of ways. This is why automotive suppliers typically cannot use a “standard” ERP system, and need to have a system that can interpret mixed EDI and spot buy orders, without missing a beat.
And let’s not forget that the EDI of today may not be the EDI of tomorrow… IT IS CHANGING.
To make things even more interesting, inbound EDI forecast and Just in Time transactions are more often including information that must be on specific outbound package labels and shipping notifications. If you don’t get the labels or ASNs right, you could have supplier rating penalties and a variety of other issues that impact your profit.
The best news… if you are an automotive supplier we can help you interpret your EDI and ERP requirements. Contact us here at AIM Computer Solutions, Inc. We are a Michigan-basedwith ERP and SCM solutions that are certified for Microsoft Dynamics.
