Using EDI in the Defense and Aerospace Industries
Evolve Using Your Existing EDI Systems
Made to order has long horizons and yet surprise crises. To adapt, your company has evolved unique methods that have been optimized over many years. WAWF integration and development must honor the time proven and yet offer cost savings for reliability and economy. The challenge is the variation each customer demands. For example, the Wide Area Work Flow (WAWF) can be automated using X12 or XML for outbound Receiving Reports (ASN, 856) and Invoices (810) to eliminate error prone data entry. Yet low volume documents such as a contract change can be received from the Web site.
Additionally, the industry protocols are evolving. Wide Area Work Flow will have a new look starting in February 2011 in Release 5.0. All FTP/EDI users should review the FTP/EDI changes related to Release 5.0.
DCS has extensive ASN and invoicing automation experience with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle’s e-Business Suite or EnterpriseOne, and Infor’s LN. Our DCS consultants are EDI specialists in the defense and aerospace industries. Click here to learn more on how our services can help you with your process optimization with new EDI protocols. We also offer a FREE assessment providing you with an outline and cost estimate on what you need to do to get the most out of your new or existing EDI system.
What is WAWF?
According to Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS): Wide Area Work Flow (WAWF) is a Paperless Contracting DoD-wide application designed to eliminate paper from the receipts and acceptance process of the DoD contracting lifecycle. The goal is to enable authorized Defense contractors and DoD personnel the ability to create invoices and receiving reports and access contract related documents.
In the traditional DoD business method, three documents are required to make a payment – the contract, the receiving report and the invoice. Each of these may arrive at the payment office separately – if they are paper. They are processed individually as they arrive. Information is then manually keyed in to the payment system. Using WAWF, electronic documents are shared, eliminating paper and redundant data entry. Data accuracy is increased and the risk of losing a document is greatly reduced.
The contract is available through a seamless interface with an application called Electronic Document Access (EDA). Contractors have electronic options for submitting invoices and receiving documents. They can submit documents on the Web, through FTP, or through EDI.
WAWF supports DoD’s efforts to reduce unmatched disbursements in the DoD receipt, acceptance, entitlement and payment process through data sharing and electronic processing. The benefits to DoD are global accessibility of documents, reduced need for re-keying, improved data accuracy, real-time processing, and secure transactions with audit capability. For vendors, benefits include the capability to electronically submit invoices, reduction of lost or misplaced documents and online access to contract payment records.
Learn More:
RFID (Shipping label radio transmitter)
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the computer-to-computer exchange of routine business documents such as Purchase Orders, Shipment Notices, Invoices, and Remittance Advices without human intervention. Data moves from your customer’s computer system – through the Internet securely – to your computer system.