Advance notice sent by a depositor to a 3PL that inventory is en route to their facility - giving the warehouse time to plan dock appointments, receiving labor, putaway locations, and quality inspection before the truck arrives.
The EDI 943 Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment Advice is the inbound equivalent of an ASN - it's the depositor telling the 3PL "inventory is coming your way, here's exactly what to expect." Sent when a depositor ships goods to a 3PL facility for storage and future fulfillment, the 943 arrives in the WMS before the physical freight, allowing the warehouse to prepare in advance rather than scrambling when a truck shows up unexpectedly.
The 943 includes the expected arrival date, carrier and PRO/tracking number, a line-by-line detail of each SKU being sent with quantities and unit of measure, lot numbers and expiration dates (critical for food, pharma, and CPG), and any special receiving instructions - temperature requirements, inspection hold flags, or pre-assigned putaway locations.
Without a 943 (or equivalent advance notice), warehouses must either blind-receive against a generic PO or hold freight in a receiving queue while they contact the depositor to find out what's being sent. This creates receiving backlogs, putaway delays, and delayed inventory availability - all of which cascade into late fulfillment of 940 Shipping Orders. The 943 is the document that makes receiving a planned, scheduled operation rather than a reactive one.
3PLs depend on 943s to run an efficient receiving dock. When a 943 is in the WMS, receiving associates can pre-count expected pallets, pre-print putaway labels, and schedule dock doors. Many 3PLs charge additional handling fees for "blind receipts" (no advance notice) - a financial incentive for depositors to send 943s consistently. The 943 data also populates expected inventory on the 3PL's client portal before goods arrive.
DTC brands restocking their 3PL with new inventory from factories or domestic suppliers send 943s so the warehouse can plan for the inbound. During Q4 peak season, 3PLs use 943 data to allocate receiving bay capacity across all their depositor clients. An eCommerce brand that fails to send 943s may find their inbound prioritized lower - impacting when new SKUs become available to ship.
Retailers transferring inventory between their own DC and a 3PL-operated overflow or e-comm fulfillment center use 943 to manage the inbound. Retail 943s often carry detailed allocation data - store assignments, pre-ticketing instructions, and floor-ready requirements - that the 3PL must be prepared to execute as part of the receiving process before goods are stowed.
CPG companies with complex lot and expiration date management rely on 943 to pre-populate the WMS with expected lot data. When the 943 includes lot numbers, the warehouse can perform receiving confirmation (944) against expected lots, catching lot number mismatches before stock is placed in pickable locations - critical for FEFO (First Expired First Out) inventory management.
Opens the 943 transaction body. W1701 = reporting code (D = original, C = cancel), W1702 = date of shipment (when the goods left the origin), W1703 = depositor order number (the ASN/reference number the depositor uses to track this inbound), W1704 = ship notice reference number, W1706 = depositor's account number at the 3PL. This segment is the 3PL's primary lookup key when the physical freight arrives and they need to find the matching 943 in the WMS.
Identifies the depositor (DE), the warehouse/3PL receiving the goods (WH), and the ship-from location (SF). When multiple 3PL facilities are in use, the N1/WH identification specifies exactly which facility should receive this inbound - preventing goods from being received at the wrong location in a multi-facility WMS deployment.
Expected arrival date and time window at the 3PL (G6201 = 17 = estimated arrival). Some depositors also include the actual ship date (11) and a not-before / not-after arrival window. The 3PL's WMS uses G62 arrival dates to schedule dock appointments, allocate receiving staff, and order the receiving queue when multiple inbounds are expected on the same day.
Line-item detail for each SKU being shipped. W0701 = quantity shipped, W0702 = unit of measure (EA, CA, PL), W0703 = UPC/GTIN, W0704 = product/service ID qualifier, W0705 = depositor's item number. Lot number (W0706), expiration date (W0707 or a separate G62), and serial numbers can be included. Multiple W07 loops, one per SKU line, make up the full bill of lading detail.
Carries cross-document reference numbers: N901 = reference qualifier (BM = bill of lading, PO = purchase order, CN = carrier's reference/PRO), N902 = reference number. Multiple N9 segments link the 943 to the BOL, the carrier's PRO number (for tracking), and any associated purchase order. When the 3PL calls the carrier about an in-transit shipment, they use the PRO from the 943's N9 segment.
TD1 describes the physical shipment: number of pallets/cartons, total weight, and packaging type. TD5 identifies the carrier: TD501 = routing sequence, TD502 = SCAC code, TD503 = routing (carrier name). The 3PL uses TD5 to match against arriving carriers at the dock - helpful for high-volume receiving docks verifying that the truck pulling up matches an expected inbound in the system before opening a receiving dock door.
The 3PL's confirmation that the inbound shipment was received. Sent back to the depositor after physical receiving is complete, detailing quantities actually received, any discrepancies from the 943, lot numbers confirmed, and condition of goods. Closes the 943/944 receiving loop and triggers inventory availability in the depositor's system.
Once inventory from the 943 is confirmed via 944, the depositor can begin sending 940 Warehouse Shipping Orders to fulfill outbound demand. Many depositors pre-allocate inventory - sending 940s immediately after the 943 - with the 3PL holding the order until the 944 confirms availability.
The 943 is conceptually the inbound version of an 856 ASN. In some trading relationships, the inbound stock transfer originates from a supplier who sends a standard 856 to the depositor, who then transforms it into a 943 for the 3PL. Understanding this relationship helps when mapping inbound document flows across multi-tier supply chains.
Better EDI connects depositor ERPs to 3PL WMS platforms via 943/944 - with lot tracking, multi-facility routing, and real-time inventory sync included.
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