DESADV
DESADV is the UN/EDIFACT despatch advice message — better known as the Advance Ship Notice (ASN). A supplier sends it to the buyer or receiving warehouse to announce that an order has been shipped, detailing exactly what is on the way: the order reference, the line items and quantities, and — critically — the packaging hierarchy (which items are in which cartons, on which pallets, under which SSCC labels).
The DESADV/ASN is what makes modern receiving fast and accurate. The warehouse pre-books the inbound against the order, and on arrival scans the SSCC pallet labels to receive and put away without opening and counting every carton. It is a cornerstone of retail and manufacturing supply-chain EDI, alongside ORDERS (purchase order) and INVOIC (invoice).
DESADV is what turns goods receiving from a manual count into a scan. Because the ASN describes the packaging hierarchy in advance, the warehouse can pre-stage the inbound and receive a pallet with one SSCC scan — the difference between hours of checking and minutes of putaway.
despatches
pre-books inbound
receive & putaway
What is an Advance Ship Notice (ASN)?
The electronic notice a supplier sends announcing a shipment has despatched, with the order reference, line items, quantities and packaging hierarchy — carried by the DESADV message.
How does DESADV speed up receiving?
Because it describes the packaging hierarchy and SSCC labels in advance, the warehouse can pre-book the inbound and receive pallets by scanning the SSCC, without opening and counting every carton.