Advanced Shipping Notice (ASN)

Advance Shipping Notice (ASN) for Delivery

A message used for supply chain execution and logistics, the advance ship notice or advance shipping notice (ASN) is an alert or notification of pending deliveries, with similar in information provided by the packing list and/or bill of lading. The advance shipping notice is sent in electronic format and is a common EDI document with various different names. It is called the EDI 856 document in the EDI X12 system and the EDIFACT equivalent is the DESADV (Dispatch Advice) message in EDIFACT.

Purpose of the Advance Shipping Notice

The advance shipping notice is similar to a bill of lading but serves the purpose of notifying the consignee that merchandise is in transit and specifics as to what exactly is in the individual boxes (Items, quantities, etc.), and evolved as technology has automated logistics functions. In general terms, the bill of lading travels with the shipment’s delivery as it progresses to the consignee. The ASN is usually delivered well ahead of the actual shipment delivery, to optimize receiving, payment and tracking.

When Are Advance Shipping Notices Created?

Advance shipping notices are generally automatically generated at the time the order is released for shipment. This gives the consignee time between shipment release and delivery to anticipate and prepare for the specific shipment. The ASN EDI message can be produced by the ERP, WMS, or shipping system, while the shipping label portion of the ASN is typically produced by the parcel manifest shipping system.

Whichever system is used, it must be configured to transmit electric messages to the various trading partners involved in the transaction.

The process of generating ASNs and communicating with your customers and trading partners can be optimized to save time and capture all activity if you are using a multi-carrier shipping system such as InfoShip®/Vx.

Learn More

Creative Logistics Solutions has helped many customers streamline shipping processes and reduce shipping costs with our InfoShip/Vx multi-carrier shipping software solution. Please contact us for a quick chat if you would like to automate shipping tasks, compare carrier rates to reduce freight costs, and automate shipment processing in your fulfillment operations.

Also, learn more in our case studies and blog posts, such as:

Case Study: Dollar Shave Club Boosts Shipping Volume with InfoShip/Vx and Black Box Shipping Automation
Blog: Five Ways to Reduce Unexpected Carrier Back Charges
Blog: How to Reduce Shipping Costs with a Mail or Shipping Consolidator