With Floriday, we are offering one digital platform for the entire floriculture industry. Growers and buyers can work in Floriday's screens or through the API link by connecting their own software package. The API link offers multiple benefits for both growers and buyers. The Advanced Shipping Notice (ASN), part of the API link, fulfils an important need among buyers: Making order processing by buyers even more efficient. We will explain what it is and what you can do with it in this article.
What is an Advanced Shipping Notice (ASN)?
An Advanced Shipping Notice (ASN) is the international standard used by suppliers or logistics providers to inform buyers about the contents of a shipment or delivery. It is essentially the electronic version of the packing slip. Buyers can use this information to know in advance what is coming and use it as input for the orders they have outstanding with their customers.
From DESADV to ASN
Currently, buyers are used to working with the DESADV. Many buyers use or have used this notification. The DESADV is a coded email message that serves as a delivery message. Once the grower has submitted the EAB, the static DESADV message is sent to the buyer. This message contains information about the products purchased, a form number, the load carrier and the containers. The DESADV is based on old techniques.
With the advent of the API link, inbound orders are even easier to manage through the ASN (Advance Shipping Notice) as there is more information to hand. This affords much more efficiency to buyers in their order processing. In addition, the ASN is less error-prone when reading out the information and can include more data relevant to the buyer. In contrast to the DESADV, the ASN no longer contains financial data. As such, we can ensure that this data does not end up in the wrong hands.
More and real-time information through ASN
As soon as the grower starts processing the delivery in Floriday or in their own system, the necessary information is sent with the ASN, whereas the DESADV is not sent until the delivery is confirmed. The condition here is that the delivery is handled in Floriday. If the grower does not do this yet, this information will not get through to the buyer via the ASN. If you want to ask the grower to handle the delivery via Floriday, our support can always help if necessary.
The ASN contains additional information such as the order of the load carriers and the lot reference. This information is real-time. Because the order reference is always included, the order is easily traceable. If required, however, the financial information can always be retrieved. This way, you always have the information you are looking for to hand, it is a clear message, and you have control over sensitive data.
Because this is part of the API connection, the capabilities can be easily extended. For example, it is currently possible to specify whether a load carrier has been well-received. This will soon be possible on a line-by-line basis, including the reason.
New opportunities for the sector
This new standard also presents opportunities for the industry. As the lot reference is given in the correct way it can be used as a standard reference throughout the chain. This reference can then also be used in other business processes, such as inbound orders. This will allow further application of sector sticker capabilities.
Are you interested in finding out more about what the ASN or the API link can offer you? Then contact a Floriday Expert so we can look at the possibilities together with the software supplier.