OEM&Lieferant Ausgabe 2/2018 / OEM&Supplier Edition 2/2018

134 In the automotive industry, the use of stan- dardized EDI formats is a fundamental pre- requisite for the automated and smooth ex- change of logistics data between the individual partners in the value chain: the automobile manufacturers (OEMs), the suppliers, the up- stream suppliers and the forwarding agents. Digitization of logistics processes This is where the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) comes into play. It regularly develops and publishes recommenda- tions aimed at standardizing the electronic data exchange in the automotive supply chain. The VDA recommendations are thus important building blocks for the digitization of cross- company logistics processes in the automotive industry. Graphics: ©WSW Software GmbH VDA 4933 enables EDI-supported processing of transport notifications and order confirmations and thus transparent and efficient transport control between supplier, OEM and forwarding agent. For automotive suppliers in particular, but also for forwarding agents, this means that with each new VDA recommendation they must map the corresponding processes in their IT or SAP system and adapt them to the require- ments of the OEM. The challenges can be clearly illustrated by means of the transport notification for shipment-related transport orders. EDI-based transport notification The transport notification for shipment-related transport orders must usually be issued by the supplier on the day before the planned pick-up. The shipment notification is sent either via the OEM or directly to the forwarding agent. Up to now, this process as well as the confirmation of the transport order was usually carried out manually by e-mail or fax. This was cumber- some, time-consuming and the information provided was not very detailed. VDA Recommendation 4933 based on the glo- bal EDIFACT format DESADV, published in June 2018, puts an end to this. VDA 4933-com- pliant processes allow EDI-supported and thus structured and uniform processing of trans- port notifications and order confirmations. They enable a continuous flow of information between supplier, OEM and forwarding agent and thus transparent and efficient transport control. In addition, EDI-based transport no- tification and order according to VDA 4933 also reduce the communication effort. This shortens processing times and increases pro- cess reliability. Unlike the manual process, the electronic ship- ment notification also transmits detailed in- formation about the upcoming delivery: Pro- viding location and loading point, number and type of loading units including identification number, gross weight and dimensions, pickup IT and Automotive VDA 4933 requirements: Execute directly in SAP using SPEEDI fromWSW Software By Stephan Eckert, SAP Product Manager at WSW Software GmbH Standardized, EDI-based data exchange is a central component for the digitization of logistics processes in the automotive industry. This is proven by VDA Recommendation 4933 on transport notifications. Using a special SPEEDI function and mappings from WSW Software, suppliers using SAP software can map and process trans- port notification requirements directly in their SAP processes.