Aerospace and defense
Aerospace and Defense EDI and API Integration
Schedules, shipments and traceability data your aerospace and defense customers can rely on
Aerospace and defense programs run on long lead times, strict part traceability and customers with their own supplier requirements. ECOM connects customer schedules and orders, your ERP and your own suppliers, and carries the serial, lot and certification references each shipment needs, over connections chosen with your security team.
At a glance
Key documents
- 830 Planning Schedules and Forecasts
- 850 Purchase Orders
- 860 Order Changes
- 855 Order Acknowledgments
- 856 Ship Notices (ASN)
- 810 Invoices
- 842 Nonconformance Reports
Systems we integrate
- ERP and MRP
- Quality management
- Shipping and labeling
- Customer and government portals
PRISM products
- PRISM-EDI
- PRISM-WebEDI
- PRISM-SmartConvert
- PRISM-SCV
- Who we help
- Tiered suppliers to primes and OEMs, parts distributors, MRO and repair stations, and suppliers to government customers.
- What we connect
- Customer schedules, orders and portals to your ERP and your own suppliers, carrying the serial, lot and certificate data each shipment needs.
- Problems we solve
- Customer-specific supplier requirements, traceability data that must travel with the part, and long lead times that make late changes costly.
- Even without EDI
- Many customers use supplier portals, XML, web services, spreadsheets or PDFs alongside or instead of EDI. ECOM works with those routes as well.
What is aerospace and defense EDI?
Aerospace and defense EDI covers the documents exchanged between prime contractors, tiered suppliers, distributors, airlines and maintenance providers. Manufacturing supply chains use ANSI X12 documents such as the 830 planning schedule, 850 purchase order, 855 acknowledgment, 856 ship notice and 810 invoice, often carrying serial numbers, lots and certificates of conformance. Commercial aviation parts and maintenance exchanges also use ATA Spec 2000, and government customers set their own electronic invoicing and receiving requirements.
Who you connect with
Who an aerospace and defense supplier exchanges data with
Commercial aviation and defense manufacturing overlap, but their customers and data differ.
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Primes and OEMs
Schedules, orders, ship notices
EDI, supplier portals -
Airlines and MROs
Parts orders, repair orders, invoices
Spec 2000, EDI, web services -
Sub-tier suppliers
Your orders, confirmations, certificates
EDI, web forms, PDFs -
Parts distributors
Quotes, orders, availability
EDI, catalogs, APIs -
Government customers
Orders, receiving documents, invoices
Government submission systems
Sectors
Commercial aviation and MRO differ from defense manufacturing
Both need traceability. They differ in who the customers are and which documents and portals they use. Published customer requirements vary, so we start from the customer's own documents.
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Commercial aviation and MRO
Airlines, repair stations and parts suppliers ordering, repairing and returning aircraft parts.
- How it runs
- Parts and repair orders, quotes, shipment advisories and invoices are exchanged under airline-industry messages such as ATA Spec 2000, or under X12 where a partner prefers it.
- Systems
- MRO and inventory systems, ERP, parts catalogs.
- Typical problem
- Part, serial and condition data must stay attached through every order, repair and return.
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Defense manufacturing and tiered supply
Suppliers to primes and sub-tier suppliers building to schedule.
- How it runs
- Planning schedules and shipping schedules drive production. Ship notices carry serial and lot detail and certificates, and nonconformances are reported back.
- Documents
- Systems
- ERP and MRP, quality management, shop floor systems.
- Typical problem
- Schedules change often, and a ship notice without the right serial or lot data can stop receiving.
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Aerospace parts distribution
Distributors holding and quoting parts for airlines, MROs and manufacturers.
- How it runs
- Customers send requests and orders. The distributor confirms availability, ships with traceability documents and invoices.
- Systems
- ERP, inventory and pricing systems, customer portals.
- Typical problem
- Customers order through their own systems and portals, each with different part identifiers.
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Suppliers to government customers
Suppliers whose contracts require submission through government systems.
- How it runs
- Orders and receiving documents follow the customer's submission system. The government page explains the options.
- Systems
- ERP, government submission systems.
- Typical problem
- Contract clauses set how documents are submitted, and they differ by agency.
How to read this page: a standard or system named here shows where a requirement is published or what ECOM can connect. It does not mean ECOM has a verified partnership with any named company, and your own contracts and partners define the final requirements.
Who it's for
Different roles, different workflows
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Tiered suppliers to primes and OEMs
Your customers send planning schedules and purchase orders, often with long-lead releases, and expect ship notices that carry part, serial and lot references matching the paperwork in the box.
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Parts distributors and repair stations
Airlines, operators and maintenance providers order parts and repairs, and expect quotes, order status and shipment data, often in Spec 2000 or X12.
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Suppliers to government customers
Government buyers set their own requirements for electronic invoices and receiving reports, alongside the contract's marking and data-handling clauses.
How the workflow runs
From customer schedule to traceable shipment, with your own suppliers in the loop
A tiered supplier receives demand from above and passes it down. Traceability depends on serial, lot and certificate references being carried through every document, not added at the end.
- Prime or OEM→Your company 830 Planning schedule Long-lead forecast and firm releases.
- Prime or OEM→Your company 850 Purchase order Part number, revision and quality clauses.
- Your company→Sub-tier supplier 850 Sub-tier purchase order Material and part requirements flowed down.
- Sub-tier supplier→Your company 856 Inbound ship notice Lots, serials and certificate references.
- Your company→Prime or OEM 856 Ship notice Serial and lot data matching the shipment.
- Your company→Prime or OEM 810 Invoice Matched to order line and receipt.
- 01
Receive schedules and orders
830 schedules and 850 orders, with changes in 860s, update the ERP, including part revisions and quality requirements on each line.
- 02
Flow requirements down
Purchase orders to sub-tier suppliers carry the same part, revision and quality references, so returned data can be matched.
- 03
Capture traceability at receipt
Inbound ship notices and certificates are matched to lots and serials in the ERP or quality system.
- 04
Ship with matching data
Outbound 856 ship notices carry the serial and lot numbers of what was packed, built from the same data as labels and paperwork.
- 05
Invoice and track exceptions
Invoices follow shipped quantities, and missing acknowledgments, late ship notices or rejected invoices surface as exceptions.
Beyond EDI
Every way aerospace data arrives, kept traceable
Customers send schedules and orders as EDI, XML or portal postings. Suppliers return confirmations and certificates as files or PDFs. ECOM keeps the part identity attached to the data.
How it arrives
- EDI830 and 862 schedules, 850 orders, 856 notices
- XMLSpec 2000 and customer XML messages
- PortalCustomer supplier portals
- APIWeb services where a customer offers them
- SpreadsheetDelivery commitments and capacity sheets
- PDF or emailCertificates and supplier confirmations
ECOM
- Validate every file or message
- Map to each partner's rules
- Deliver, acknowledge and monitor
Where it goes
- ERP and MRP
- Quality system
- Ship notices
- Invoices
Challenges
Integration challenges in aerospace and defense
Traceability across tiers
A serial or lot number keyed by hand at shipping breaks the link between what was built, certified and delivered.
Long lead times, frequent changes
Schedules stretch over months while firm releases and engineering revisions change line by line.
Customer-specific requirements
Each prime, airline or agency publishes its own supplier requirements, formats and connection rules.
Sensitive program data
Drawings, specifications and contract data may carry export-control or contractual handling rules that the exchange must respect.
How we help
How ECOM supports aerospace and defense companies
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Schedule and order integration
830, 850 and 860 documents loaded into ERP and MRP planning, with acknowledgments generated from the ERP.
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Traceable ship notices
856 ship notices built from shipping and quality data, carrying serial numbers, lots and certificate references where customers require them.
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Sub-tier supplier connectivity
Orders, acknowledgments and ship notices with your suppliers by EDI, a browser portal or converted documents.
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Spec 2000 and X12 together
Commercial aviation parts exchanges in Spec 2000 alongside X12 manufacturing documents, mapped to the same ERP.
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Connections set with your security team
Protocols, encryption, hosting location and access are agreed with your security and compliance teams for each partner.
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Monitoring
Late schedules, unanswered orders and failed documents visible as exceptions before they affect delivery.
PRISM products
Which PRISM products apply
Each partner connects in the way it can support. These products cover the connections and visibility this industry needs most.
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PRISM-EDI
Exchange of schedules, orders, ship notices and invoices with customers and suppliers, translated to and from your ERP.
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PRISM-WebEDI
Browser-based purchase orders, acknowledgments, ship notices and invoices for sub-tier suppliers without EDI systems.
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PRISM-SmartConvert
Supplier confirmations, invoices and certificates that arrive as PDFs or emails converted into structured data.
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PRISM-SCV
Monitoring of transactions and exceptions across customer and supplier documents.
Systems integration
What aerospace and defense EDI connects to
Traceability only holds if every system shares the same part, serial and lot references.
From
- Customer schedules
- Purchase orders
- Sub-tier shipments
- Quality records
ECOM · Traceable exchange
- Validate part data
- Carry serial and lot
- Route to ERP
To
- ERP and MRP
- Quality system
- Ship notices
- Invoices
| System | What flows | What to plan for |
|---|---|---|
| ERP and MRP | Schedules and orders in; acknowledgments, ship notices and invoices out. | Part revisions and order line references must survive every change. |
| Quality management | Certificates of conformance, inspection results and nonconformances. | Decide which quality records travel electronically and which as attachments. |
| Shipping and labeling | Packed serials, lots and labels for ship notices. | Labels and ship notices must be built from the same packing data. |
| Customer and government portals | Invoices, receiving reports and supplier data where customers require portal entry. | Each portal has its own submission rules and file options. |
Standards
Spec 2000, X12 and customer requirements
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ATA Spec 2000
The commercial aviation standard for parts ordering, invoicing, reliability data and traceability between airlines, suppliers and repair stations.
ATA Spec 2000 in detail -
X12 manufacturing documents
Schedules, orders, ship notices and invoices between primes, tiered suppliers and distributors, as in other manufacturing sectors.
X12 manufacturing documents in detail -
Government requirements
Defense and government buyers specify their own electronic invoicing, receiving and marking requirements in the contract. Those terms govern the exchange.
Government requirements in detail
Trading partners
Guides for distributors that serve aerospace and defense suppliers
Connector, fastener and component distributors are frequent trading partners for aerospace and defense manufacturers.
All distributor guides-
PEI-Genesis
Connector distributor; the guide covers the documents commonly exchanged and what to plan for.
PEI-Genesis in detail -
Endries International
Fastener and component distributor; the guide covers documents and connection options.
Endries International in detail -
Bisco Industries
Fastener and electronic component distributor; the guide covers documents and planning points.
Bisco Industries in detail -
TTI
Passive and electromechanical component distributor; the guide covers documents and planning points.
TTI in detail
Implementation
What to plan for in an aerospace and defense EDI project
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Collect supplier requirements
Start with each customer's supplier requirements and EDI guides, including traceability fields and labeling.
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Decide where traceability data lives
Serial, lot and certificate data must come from one system of record, not be re-keyed at shipping.
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Review data handling
Agree with your security and compliance teams which data may be exchanged, where it is processed and who may access it.
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Test with real changes
Test revisions, partial shipments, rejected invoices and schedule changes, not only new orders.
Documents and standards
Common transactions
Common X12 documents in aerospace and defense supply chains. Commercial aviation parts and maintenance exchanges also use ATA Spec 2000.
| Code | Document | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 830 | Planning Schedules and ForecastsX12 name: Planning Schedule with Release Capability | Shares forecasts and releases. |
| 850 | Purchase Orders | Orders parts and materials. |
| 860 | Order ChangesX12 name: Purchase Order Change Request - Buyer Initiated | Changes an order. |
| 855 | Order AcknowledgmentsX12 name: Purchase Order Acknowledgment | Confirms the order. |
| 856 | Ship Notices (ASN)X12 name: Ship Notice/Manifest | Describes the shipment with serial and lot data. |
| 810 | Invoices | Bills for shipped parts. |
| 842 | Nonconformance Reports | Reports a quality nonconformance. |
Scenarios
Typical integration scenarios
Tier-two supplier to several primes
Meet each prime's schedule, ship notice and invoice requirements from one ERP.
Sub-tier enablement
Bring machine shops and small suppliers onto electronic orders and ship notices through a browser.
Parts distribution
Exchange orders, quotes and shipments with airlines and repair stations in Spec 2000 or X12.
Frequently asked questions
Which EDI documents do aerospace suppliers exchange?
Most exchange 830 planning schedules, 850 purchase orders, 855 acknowledgments, 856 ship notices and 810 invoices, with serial, lot and certificate data where customers require it. Commercial aviation parts exchanges also use ATA Spec 2000.
Can ship notices carry serial and lot numbers?
Yes. The 856 can carry serial and lot data for each item packed, built from your shipping and quality records so it matches the physical shipment.
How are defense data-handling requirements reviewed?
Requirements differ by contract, for example for controlled unclassified information or export-controlled data. ECOM works through a project security assessment with you: what data the exchange carries, where it is stored, who can access it and which of your contract's controls apply. ECOM's current security attestations are listed on its security page.
Does ECOM provide a quality or MRO system?
No. ECOM integrates documents and data with the ERP, quality and maintenance systems you already run.
Can small sub-tier suppliers participate without EDI software?
Yes. They can use a browser to receive orders and send acknowledgments, ship notices and invoices, or send documents for conversion.
How to get started
Tell us who you trade with and what you run
- Send the basics. Your trading partners, the documents they require, your ERP or other systems, and any deadline.
- We review the requirements. An ECOM specialist looks at the partner programs, document formats and connections involved.
- You decide how to proceed. We outline the options, including managed services or software, for you to compare.
Helpful to share, but not required
You do not need an implementation guide or a finished requirements list to contact us. If you have these, they speed things up:
- Whether you serve commercial aviation and MRO, defense programs or both.
- Your customers' supplier portals or requirements documents, where you have them; if not, we can help identify what applies.
- Your ERP and any sub-tier suppliers you must pass data to.
- What traceability data each shipment must carry, and any contract data-handling rules we should know about.
See how ECOM works with customers: case studies ERP integrations compare delivery options (software, managed or team-based)
Review a customer's supplier requirements with us
Share a prime's EDI or supplier guide and the ERP you run. An ECOM specialist will outline documents, traceability fields and testing.