Upstream EDI

One step ahead with upstream EDI

The term “upstream“ means that upstream or preliminary suppliers are included in the value chain. This is achieved via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and GS1 identification standards. One of the pioneers in this area is the food manufacturer Spitz, who now relies on EDI with its suppliers at the upstream stage. packit!, a packaging business based in Upper Austria, is among the first to benefit from these new opportunities. This is how it works: after placing an order (ORDERS), Spitz receives a fully automated purchase order response (ORDRSP) from packit! as a confirmation. Thanks to an electronic despatch advice (DESADV) with integrated SSCC(Serial Shipping Container Code), the merchandise can be traced without any system inconsistencies. This translates into dramatically increased efficiency, improved data quality and faster processing. For packit!, a company that had previously not used EDI, the benefits are plain to see: orders no longer have to be entered manually, which saves considerable amounts of time and money.

Our close collaboration with EDITEL, Spitz and our ERP system provider during the implementation phase made the retrieval process very straightforward. We are now ready to implement the system with other clients as well. Manuel Schiffel, project manager at packit!

In brief

• As an upstream supplier, packit! is a pioneer in the area of upstream EDI
• Implemented message formats:
  • Orders (ORDERS)
  • Purchase order responses (ORDRSP)
  • Despatch advices (DESADV)
• Improved data quality without any system inconsistencies
• Swift and correct merchandise delivery to clients
• Seamless traceability