Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is the electronic transfer of business documents, including purchase orders and invoices. Through EDI, data can be displayed, printed, downloaded or uploaded for processing by internal business applications. Suppliers using EDI typically have in-house developers or use a 3rd party company to integrate EDI with their internal systems.
EDI Benefits:
- Reduced cycle time
- Increased productivity
- Improved accuracy
- Reduced costs
- Minimized paper use and storage
- Improved business relationships
Register for EDI
Suppliers must complete, print, sign and return the Electronic Data Interchange Agreement below in order to receive purchase orders or send invoices through EDI. All existing terms, conditions, and agreements between the parties are unaffected by the transmission of documents through EDI. The NS Purchase Order Terms & Conditions and NS Freight Routing Instructions which are included with every paper purchase order sent through U.S. mail are also included as an attachment in the Electronic Data Interchange Agreement.
EDI Standards
NS conforms to the Implementation Guidelines for EDI developed by the RailMarketplace Committee on Information Standards. The guidelines are a subset of the American National Standards Institute Accredited Standards Committee X12 Electronic Data Interchange standard. Rail industry guidelines meet the specific needs of EDI between railroads and their suppliers.
ORISS: An EDI Alternative
ORISS, the Online Rail Industry Supply System, is the third-party EDI solution developed by Transentric for the small- to medium-sized railroad suppliers who are unable to use traditional EDI. Companies without EDI capabilities use ORISS to conform to railroad EDI requirements. Suppliers using this service can view and print purchase orders and create invoices electronically.
ORISS offers three service levels:
- Purchase orders and invoicing (requires a monthly service fee)
- Material invoicing only (no monthly fee)
- Fuel invoicing only (no monthly fee)
NS sends purchase orders to ORISS through the normal EDI process. Transentric converts the EDI data to a Web form viewable by suppliers subscribed to ORISS. The purchase order is stored on the website for suppliers to view, convert to an invoice, and return electronically to NS for automatic processing.
Click here for more information on ORISS and the registration process