Keeping clear and efficient communication channels with your trading network is always important. But with supply chain issues affecting many business sectors due to the ongoing ripple effects of both Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s more vital than ever.

When it comes to sharing and processing business documents, an automated EDI ordering system is the recommended solution for helping to keep trade moving. Let’s consider the benefits of an EDI ordering system and how you can get started with one that’s right for you.

Our bundled EDI solutions

An evolving solution

Standing for Electronic Data Interchange, EDI is a software solution that enables you to share essential documentation with your trading partners. In previous years, EDI tended to be used mainly for orders, invoices and ASNs (Advance Shipping Notices) but increasingly other message types, such as sales reports, have begun to be supported too. That’s a real help if you are looking to capture and analyse data to review how your sales activity is going, what impact your marketing spend is having and, if you are a manufacturer with multiple routes to market, the comparative value and ROI your various distribution and retail partners are bringing you.

Keeping it simple

You may be a start up, say a niche food manufacturer with a single contract agreed with a large retailer putting through rapid orders. Or perhaps you are an established, mid-size online retailer with a long list of suppliers and a need to reconcile warehouse stock held in different locations to orders, ASNs and invoices.

Either way, you have a need to process and communicate important business information with your trading partners. This is what an EDI ordering system does for you. And the better the system, the faster, cheaper and more accurately it will work.

Crucially, you want to keep things simple. You just don’t have time to go under the bonnet of a new IT system. Instead, you will want your provider to do all the heavy lifting on your behalf so you can get on with what you do best.

In a nutshell, an EDI ordering system automatically maps the required data output from the source file into the relevant EDI format for you.

As soon as it is up and running, you and your partner or partners can be trading electronically secure in the knowledge that you have a robust, agile, scalable and high-performance platform supporting you.

Managed services

Transalis eDI™ is an online platform harnessing Software as a Service (SaaS) from digital supply chain technology provider Transalis. The platform offers managed services under which Transalis performs all day-to-day EDI operations on your behalf so you can exchange essential messages with your trading network.

Whether you type or input individual orders manually, or do a bulk upload, Transalis eDI™ uses ‘narrow AI’ technology to ensure everything is processed correctly and without error.

As well as speeding up the process of placing orders, using Transalis eDI™ as your EDI ordering system can reduce errors as it is possible to use product catalogues to reference the input information and where an error is spotted, reject the order before it is sent.

Choice of products

Transalis EDI software is offered in bundled solutions suited to differing business needs and supply chain complexities, from SMEs to international corporations. Transalis eDI™ is transparently priced, offers complete order data visibility, and increases business efficiency.

eDI Instant

If you are just starting on the EDI journey, newly launched eDI Instant is an ideal solution. It is specifically aimed at SME manufacturers and producers who are new to EDI or have been mandated to connect to a retail partner’s system.

eDI Instant is the latest in a suite of Transalis products for automating EDI. All of them give you certainty on budget through a transparent, fixed-price annual subscription model which, in the case of eDI Instant, costs just £495 regardless of the data volumes being sent.

eDI Essential

eDI Essential is another ‘entry-level’ solution for users such as niche manufacturers who are building their trading network, with one or two partners, and need to demonstrate compliance to win and service contracts. eDI Essential is costed at £1,750 per annum.

eDI Freedom

Companies with more expansive trading networks may prefer eDI Freedom to benefit from a totally customisable EDI solution with a wider selection of features and message formats according to your unique business needs. An annual subscription for eDI Freedom starts from £3,950.

To discuss your requirements for an EDI ordering system, call us a call on 0845 123 3746 (calling from UK) or +44 1978 369 343 (for international callers), or contact us via email sales@transalis.com to discuss your requirements.

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