2) What are the benefits of a factory using an EDI system:

工厂使用EDI系统有什么好处？

TradeLink One states what they find are the benefits of using an EDI system:

http://www.tradelinkone.com/solutions/benefits.html

Buyers (Importers) Benefits

Buyers of products sourced internationally are finding there are benefits to automating their

inventory and shipment information. By using standard trading documents, it allows the process

to be automated from the beginning of the purchasing process to when the shipment is received.

The benefits to the Buyer are:

► Helps maximize inventory "turns" with increased in-transit inventory visibility.

► Provides Transportation and Distribution departments with detailed shipment information to

better allocate logistics costs and resources.

► Allows the Distribution Center the opportunity to automatically receipt cartons.

► Increases shipment accuracy with scanning and UCC-128 Carton Labeling process.

Supplier Benefits

The suppliers have had to react to the Buyers' requirements for automating shipment information.

They do benefit via the new shipment information process by updating many outdated procedures.

The benefits to the Supplier are:

► Accurate shipment information.

► Reduced clerical costs in shipping departments. Information is generated automatically from

the system - documents and carton shipping labels.

► Acceptance of the Buyer's proprietary electronic trading documents.

► Flexibility of the system to handle multiple buyer formats and documents.

► Automatically interfaced documents into in-house systems.

Transportation Provider Benefits

TradeLink can help transportation providers by forwarding the exporter shipment documentation

to them electronically. TradeLink is already doing this with a number of providers including

Maersk Logistics, APL Logistics, and DHL, Kuehne & Nagel, Eagle Global, AGI, and others.

These providers receive electronic packing lists or container manifests in their required

electronic format. This information helps support load planning, better in-transit shipment

visibility, and in the future Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT).

Manifest information sent from the factories (exporters) should help the transportation providers

with meeting deadlines for shipment information timing requirements.

Also TradeLink's ShipOne and TradeLink products are installed in over 40 locations helping these

customers offer more value added services and messaging.