Advanced Ship Notices (ASNs) are digital documents that are sent ahead of a shipment, via an EDI (or Electronic Data Interchange), to communicate detailed item data regarding the goods in a particular shipment. Advanced Shipping Notice Software is commonly used to automatically generate these important shipping documents. The use of ASNs are common in many modern industries including the Defense Industry – most often in conjunction with shipments to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).

These Shipping Notices, or Manifest Transaction Sets (856), are data files that are designed in context for an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment. This transaction set can be used to provide a list of the contents of a shipment. The ASN can also provide additional information relating to the shipment, such as order information, product description, physical characteristics, type of packaging, marking, carrier information, and the configuration of the goods within the transportation equipment. ASNs are usually generated with the use of advanced shipping notice software which can be integrated with, or a component of the asset management platform.

The Pre-ASN Era

In the pre-ASN era, organizations often did not have detailed information about when product shipments were being delivered or what products were included in each shipment. Employees would spend way too much time manually processing each shipment to figure out how to allocate each item… Were there enough widgets to ship to a store, or five stores, or 50 stores?

In the pre-ASN era, organizations had to manually identify a shipment’s contents, the amount of assets supplied, the supplier, and identify the ultimate destination.

The ASN Era

In the ASN era, though, organizations can make instant assessments as soon as they receive the ASN, which is received prior to the shipment.

The electronically delivered ASN — which is also known as an EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) 856 document — should include the following information:

  • When the shipment was sent and the expected delivery time and date
  • What specific products are in the shipment
  • The product’s destination
    • This information is crucial for a company with several warehouses and distribution centers
  • ID numbers that correspond with the order such as purchase order numbers and ship notice numbers
    • This information is very beneficial to an organization’s financial and record keeping departments and can expedite payment to the supplier
  • How the products are packaged
    • This information could be crucial to employees who are responsible for storing the property in a warehouse or preparing it for a delivery

An ASN that is part of an automated order can also help organizations track the status of the products they have received as they travel through the supply chain. The ASN provides a list of the barcoded ID numbers for each shipping unit (a carton or a pallet) and each product within the shipping unit.

The benefits of ASNs were obvious by the early 1990s, but Dan Gilmore, the editor-in-chief of Supply Chain Digest, wrote that organizations were way too slow to accept them. The blog “Benefits of using ASNs (Advanced Shipment Notices)” also expressed surprise about how many companies were still not using them.

“To me, the ASN is one of the definitive “best practices” of an integrated supply chain,” wrote Gilmore in the blog “ASN and the Supply Chain.” “It is what links the flow of goods between supplier and customer…The ASN should be and often is a key element of the “perfect order.” To be a true perfect order, the ASN should exactly match what is received and also perfectly match the invoice.”

Government Contractors and Advanced Ship Notices

Government Contractors are often obligated, by contract requirements, to send Advanced Ship Notices when providing the military End Items.  For example, let’s say a Government Contractor makes a helmet for the US Military. These helmets have been produced, packaged and are ready to be shipped. The contractor will need to send this Advanced Ship Notice 856 document prior to shipping the helmets. The contractor may also be required to print a Military Shipping Label (MSL) and apply that to the shipment packaging to be compliant with MIL-STD-129.

Without the proper ASN automation technology, the contractor can waste a huge amount of time creating and sending these required documents.

UC! Web is an essential tool for the Shipping Department to facilitate the creation and management of these time-consuming shipping requirements. UC! Web was specifically designed to meet these tough US Military requirements and make it easy for the contractor to fulfill their contract obligations.  By using the A2B Tracking platform the contractor can automatically generate Advanced Ship Notices, DD250 forms (Material Inspection and Receiving Reports), WAWF Combos, and DD1149 forms (for property transfer and acceptance).

Modern government contractors need to leverage technology to support their contract obligations. Businesses are being forced to operate faster and more efficiently than ever before. Shipping departments need to have the ability to create and send Advanced Ship Notices with a click of the button. Schedule a Discovery call today to learn more about how UC! Web can support your organization.

Editors Note: This article was originally published in December, 2015 and March, 2021. It has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.