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The third generation of Advanced Data Exchanges ADX Network supply chain integration software provides document translation between any business and any supplier, the company said.
ADX Network 3.0, which will be announced this week, is the foundation of the companys outsourced supply chain connectivity service, which automates electronic transactions.
The ADX Network upgrade provides the ability to do any-to-any document translation, a capability that lets large organizations transfer business documents in a wide variety of formats to smaller suppliers that have been left out of the electronic data loop because of complexity and the high cost of transactions. The software can accommodate formats such as any XML dialect, SAP AGs iDocs, Oracle, Meta-Interface Models or EDI (electronic data interchange). It can then translate and transport files to a supply or demand chain.
“Moving information from machine to machine has been relegated to large-company-to-large-company transactions, with most companies using EDI as the entry or exit point in and out of their back-end system,” said Andrew Duncan, CEO of ADX. “[ADX] is really about getting everyone connected. We set up a services network that allows anyone to connect. We do the hard work of data translation, and we make money by charging a transaction fee.”
With Version 3.0s any-to-any capability, ADX hooks into a large companys supply chain document translation system—usually EDI—and translates business documents to a format a smaller company can receive. Version 3.0 also offers complete interoperability with AS1 and AS2, document exchange standards for the Internet.
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Jim Hawkins, e-sourcing process leader at Owens Corning, of Toledo, Ohio, is using ADX to connect with suppliers and acknowledge purchase orders, invoices and automated ship notices. In the midst of a project to connect to about 2,000 of Owens Cornings suppliers, Hawkins said he will look to the next iteration of ADX Network to connect to suppliers via XML and to send SAP iDocs files.
“A lot of our bigger suppliers want to be able to transact via XML, but we dont have that capability. Thats something were pretty excited about [with the next version of ADX Network]. That will enable us to transact with the people who do business that way,” Hawkins said.
The upgraded platform also helps smaller suppliers transact with Owens Corning. “They can get connected, and they dont have to have the traditional [EDI],” said Hawkins. “Now they pay a low fee each month, and theyre … rolling with the same capabilities.”
In addition to announcing Version 3.0, ADX, of Newark, Calif., is also releasing new versions of its access products, ADX WebAccess and ADX Desktop. Both provide tools to small and midsize companies for using ADXs outsourced translation service.