What Is Advance Ship Notice (ASN)?
Also known as: ASN, EDI 856, advance shipping notice, dispatch advice
Definition
An advance ship notice (ASN) is an electronic message a supplier sends before a shipment arrives, listing what is on the truck, how it is packed and how it is labelled. In EDI it is transaction set 856.
Advance Ship Notice (ASN) Explained
The ASN lets the receiver prepare dock time, receiving labour and put-away before freight arrives. It usually carries purchase order and line references, quantities, lot or serial numbers, carton or pallet identifiers and the carrier tracking number.
The hierarchy matters. A common structure is shipment, then order, then pack (carton or pallet), then item. Retail and automotive trading partners each publish their own ASN guide, with rules for label barcodes such as SSCC-18 and for which segments are mandatory.
The supplier ERP builds the ASN when a shipment is confirmed. In SyteLine this is tied to the shipping and EDI features, Infor LN uses EDI and outbound procedures, and NetSuite relies on integration apps or an EDI provider. On the receiving side, the ASN can pre-populate a receipt so scanning a pallet label receives the whole line.
Accuracy is the whole game. If the ASN says 10 cartons and 9 arrive, or the label does not match the message, trading partners may issue chargebacks.
Why It Matters
- Retailers and OEMs commonly fine suppliers for missing or inaccurate ASNs.
- Receivers can scan once instead of keying, which speeds dock-to-stock.
- Lot and serial data carried in the ASN supports traceability.
- An ASN sent before the truck leaves is the baseline for visibility into in-transit stock.
In Practice
A supplier ships 12 pallets to an assembly plant. The EDI 856 must go out within the partner window after shipment confirmation, and each pallet label must match a pallet record in the message. One mismatched SSCC means the receiver cannot scan-receive that pallet and may bill an administrative fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is EDI 856?
EDI 856 is the ANSI X12 transaction set for the ship notice or manifest. Its European counterpart is the DESADV message in EDIFACT.
When must an ASN be sent?
Timing is set by each trading partner agreement, commonly at or soon after shipment confirmation and before arrival. Check the partner guide for the exact rule.
Why do ASN mismatches cause chargebacks?
Receiving systems rely on the ASN to auto-receive. Differences between the message and the physical goods force manual handling, which partners often penalize.
Related Terms
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is the computer-to-computer exchange of business documents such as purchase orders, invoices, and shipping notices between trading partners in a standardized structured format, without human intervention.
EDI 850 Purchase Order
The EDI 850 is the ANSI X12 transaction set used to transmit a purchase order electronically from a buyer to a supplier, carrying header terms, ship-to and bill-to parties, and line item details such as quantity, price, and product identifiers.
Bill of Lading (BOL)
A bill of lading (BOL) is the document a carrier issues to confirm it received goods for shipment. It acts as a receipt, a contract of carriage and, in some forms, a document of title. ERPs print it from the shipping transaction.
Packing List
A packing list, also called a packing slip, is a document that itemizes what is in a shipment: items, quantities, package counts and references. It travels with the goods and lets the receiver check contents without opening an invoice.
Traceability
Traceability is the ability to follow the history, location, and application of a part or material through the supply chain and production process, both backward to its sources and forward to every product and customer it reached.
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