About EDI
EDI stands for Electronic Data Interchange. It is a standard communication protocol for system-to-system integration. Companies in a variety of industries use EDI to transmit business information electronically. Organizations that handle large volumes of data often use EDI to minimize data entry and share information with other systems within their organization. In the shipping industry, customers can set up EDI with their carriers to submit and receive shipment information. If you use EDI for existing business applications, you may want to consider using it to manage your shipment data.
Business Benefits
- EDI integration eliminates the need for double input, improving your operations.
- Experience
- fewer submission errors and faster document turnaround time.
- Managing shipment information by EDI can help you minimize phone, fax, and courier charges by submitting documents electronically.
- Save effort with proven and efficient implementation process - standardized integrations can be implemented quickly.
- Data integrity -- our system automatically monitors message integrity and can issue reports and e-mail notifications to the appropriate parties if the message fails established criteria.Standard EDI Messages
OOCL offers a standardized EDI integration process. OOCL supports the following UN/EDIFACT and ANSI-X.12 message standards:
| Messages |
EDIFACT |
X.12 |
| Sailing Schedule |
IFTSAI |
|
| Booking Request |
IFTMBF |
|
| Booking Confirmation |
IFTMBC |
|
| Booking Cancellation |
IFTMBF |
|
| Shipping Instructions |
IFTMIN |
|
| Manifest or B/L Information |
IFTMCS |
|
| Shipment Milestone Status |
IFTSTA |
|
| Message Acknowledgement |
APERAK |
|
Message Formats
EDI - Widely adopted market standard (UN/EDIFACT and X12) for system-to-system integration for booking, shipping instructions, shipment status, and B/L details.
XML - Provides flexible method to organize, integrate, and transmit your shipment data.
Other File Formats - Used to exchange shipping information between systems with different data element structures. Ideal for customers without a format EDI/XML system. Other file formats include flat file, PDF, and comma-delimited files.
Transmission Protocols
The following transmission protocols can be used to transport electronic document formats including EDI, XML, or proprietary formats.
Secure FTP (SFTP) - Combined with SSH (Secure Shell) protocal, SFTP lets you transfer and manipulate data over the Internet.
Value-Added Network (VAN) - A secure, reliable, and traceable transmission method that allows trading partners to share data and business processes formatted for EDI.
AS2 - A protocol used to securely transport data over the Internet. Security is achieved with digital certificates and encryption.
SMTP - Text-based protocol that allows e-mail transmission over the Internet.
>> more information on OOCL standard protocol SFTP and SSH.
Getting Started
For implementation guides, more information about messages, formats and protocols, and other information to help you get started, please contact your local OOCL representatives.
If you prefer to exchange shipment information with multiple carriers through one single connection, please contact Client Services of CargoSmart at client.services@cargosmart.com.