EDI Integration Services
Your biggest retailers and carriers want EDI. Your own systems speak APIs. We build the bridge between the two, so orders, shipment statuses and invoices arrive ready to process and nobody retypes them. Globaprom delivers API-to-EDI middleware on ANSI X12 and EDIFACT, mapped to the ERP or TMS you already run: fixed price, live in weeks, and monitored so a failed message never slips past.
What EDI integration actually connects
EDI integration links your systems to your trading partners' systems, so standard business documents move directly, machine to machine. EDI (electronic data interchange) covers purchase orders, shipping notices, status updates and invoices, sent in an agreed format instead of by email or PDF. A retailer's order arrives already structured, and your system books it in seconds.
The format decides everything. ANSI X12 dominates North America and EDIFACT covers most of the rest of the world. Each document type has its own code:
- Purchase order: X12 850, EDIFACT ORDERS.
- Advance ship notice: X12 856, EDIFACT DESADV.
- Invoice: X12 810, EDIFACT INVOIC.
- Shipment status: X12 214, EDIFACT IFTSTA.
- Load tender: X12 204.
Both sides implement the same spec, so once the mapping is right the exchange runs without anyone touching it. See what an EDI build costs.
Why a carrier, shipper, or 3PL needs it
Large retailers and carriers commonly require EDI from every partner, so the choice is often "EDI or no contract." That settles the argument. It also leaves you with a gap: your modern systems speak APIs, and the trading partner speaks a decades-old message standard. Bridge it badly and your staff re-key data every day.
The gap widens when you work with a third-party logistics provider (3PL). Its stock counts and shipment statuses arrive over EDI, and you need them inside your own transportation management system (TMS) and storefront to keep customers informed. Off-the-shelf connectors assume a standard setup. Partner feeds rarely are one.
Tell us which partner is asking for EDI, and we'll scope the bridge.
What Globaprom builds
We build the translation layer between the EDI world and your modern systems. A typical engagement covers four pieces:
- API-to-EDI middleware. A service that turns your API calls into valid X12 or EDIFACT messages and back, so your team never touches raw EDI.
- Partner mapping. Every trading partner bends the spec a little. We map their exact segments, qualifiers and quirks, one partner at a time.
- ERP and TMS sync. Two-way flow into systems like SAP and NetSuite, so an inbound order lands where your staff already work.
- Validation and monitoring. Every message is checked, logged and alerted on. A silent failure does more damage than a loud one, so nothing fails quietly.
You own the full source code, and there's no per-message licensing. When a new partner comes along, the extra mapping is quoted at a fixed price too.
How we scope and deliver
Most EDI integrations go from approved scope to production in weeks, not quarters. The price and the delivery date are fixed before any code is written.
Our engineers direct AI coding tools to generate the mapping and the middleware (an approach we call vibecoding), then review and harden the edge cases by hand. Trading-partner specs are nothing but edge cases, so that review is where the care goes.
Precise conversion between two systems that must agree exactly is also where Globaprom started. We grew out of a 20-year translation business. Same problem, different format.
Related builds: custom TMS development and supply chain visibility software. Or start from the custom logistics software overview.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between EDI and API integration?
EDI exchanges standard business documents in fixed formats like ANSI X12 or EDIFACT, and large partners often require it. APIs are newer and more flexible. Most operations need both: EDI with the giants that demand it, APIs with everyone else. We build the middleware that lets your API-based systems speak EDI.
Which EDI standards and documents do you support?
ANSI X12 for North America and EDIFACT for Europe and the rest of the world. Common logistics documents include the 850 purchase order, 856 advance ship notice, 810 invoice, 204 load tender, and 214 shipment status, with their EDIFACT equivalents such as ORDERS, DESADV, INVOIC, and IFTSTA.
What happens when an EDI message fails?
It gets caught. Every integration we deliver validates each message, logs it, retries where appropriate, and alerts your team when something needs attention. A message that fails silently causes far more damage than one that fails loudly, so we build for the loud version.
Connect your next trading partner without re-keying
List the partners you need to connect and the formats they require. You get a fixed scope, a fixed price and a delivery date in weeks.