Receiving ASN

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Downloadable template & cheat sheet

Click here to download a carton detail asn template

Click here to view a cheat of what an ASN is and how to get started using ASNs.

What is an Electronic ASN (Advanced Shipment Notification)?

An electronic ASN provides the receiving department advanced notice of goods prior to their physical delivery. The receiving department uses this information to better plan receipt of your goods, speeding up our ability to receive and stage your product, which enables faster shipping and happier customers!

When do I send RAMP an ASN?

As product departs from the factory, either your vendor or you (the brand) should send Ramp an electronic ASN.

You can provide an ASN to Ramp whether or not the vendor's shipment is associated with an expected receipt. Expected receipts typically include Factory Purchase Orders and Return Authorizations, of which you've sent from your ERP.

What data does the ASN need?

Required Columns

There are only five columns required for an inbound electronic ASN:
Client Code - Use Ramp's client code assigned to your brand
Purchase Order # - Purchase Order number sent to Ramp from host system or ERP
Stock Item Number - item SKU or UPC
Quantity in Carton - actual quantity shipped in that specific carton for that specific item
Unique Carton ID (including any check digit) - unique carton number

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Single-SKU versus Mixed-SKU cartons

For simplicity's sake, whether your vendor packs only 1 unique item in a box or mixes different items in the same box, the ASN format and template is the same.

Examples

Two visual examples: Single-SKU Boxes & Mixed-SKU Boxes.

Example 1) An ASN for single-SKU boxes

The vendor ships five unique SKUs (👚 🧢 🧦 👗 👖) in five cartons (📦📦📦📦📦).

Carton 1 📦: 👚👚👚👚👚👚 (6 qty of HEATHER-PNK-S)
Carton 2 📦: 🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢 (12 qty of DADHAT-BLU-OS)
Carton 3 📦: 🧦🧦🧦🧦🧦🧦 (6 qty of DHSOCK-GRY-OS)
Carton 4 📦: 👗👗👗 (3 qty of SUMMER-GRN-3)
Carton 5 📦: 👖👖👖 (3 qty of LENNOX-DRKB-32)

Example 2) Mixed-SKU Boxes

The vendor ships five unique SKUs (👚 🧢 🧦 👗 👖) in four cartons (📦 📦 📦 📦).

The first three items each ship in their own, single-SKU, cartons:
Carton 1 📦: 👚👚👚👚👚👚 (6 qty of HEATHER-PNK-S)
Carton 2 📦: 🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢🧢 (12 qty of DADHAT-BLU-OS)
Carton 3 📦: 🧦🧦🧦🧦🧦🧦 (6 qty of DHSOCK-GRY-OS)

The last two items (👗 and 👖) ship together in a mixed-SKU carton:
Carton 4 📦: 👗👗👗 👖👖👖 (3 qty of SUMMER-GRN-3 along with 3 qty of LENNOX-DRKB-32)

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YES, your vendor can use the item's barcode in place of the SKU if it's easier

Sometimes vendors don't know the SKU as it would match in your (the brand) ERP or in Ramp's WMS. Alternatively, the vendor can list the product's barcode so long as the barcode matches that barcode associated to that item in Ramp's WMS. (example below)

Additional Requirements for Carton IDs

The preferred format for Carton IDs and labels is the industry-standard SSCC-18 / GS1-128. Use of this format helps guarantee that each carton ID is unique across all clients and cartons in our warehouse, and that labels can be scanned by typical warehouse equipment.

If a format other than SSCC-18 / GS1-128 will be used, please talk with us first. We'll need to coordinate together to ensure the proposed carton IDs are compatible with Ramp's system, and the barcode labels are acceptable.

The Carton ID should appear on the label in both human-readable format (plain text), and as a barcode that can be scanned by machine. The Carton ID on the ASN must match the carton ID used on the label placed on the outside of the carton.

If your carton labels will use SSCC-18 or another symbology that includes a check digit, the check digit must be included in the carton ID in the ASN file.

Finally, please remember that the carton ID must be unique across all shipments. The carton ID cannot be reused or repeated in subsequent shipments for a period of at least three years.

Some additional Technical Details for the File Format and Naming Convention

» The file must be sent in a .csv format (plain text).

» File naming convention: {clientcodeassignedbyRamp}{po#}{timestamp}.asn (example filename: MAN_PO123_20190101100.asn.csv)

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Looking for the integrated carton-detail ASN?

Click here.