FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Short answers about EDI and how we work. If you can’t find what you need, get in touch.
About EDI
What to know about EDI
What is EDI?
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) is the automatic, electronic exchange of business documents between two companies’ systems: purchase orders, despatch advice, receiving advice, confirmations, stock reports or invoices. More in our guide to EDI.
Why do companies use EDI?
For speed, accuracy and efficiency: documents no longer travel on paper or by email, and nobody retypes them. EDI also lets you track flows with partners in real time.
How does EDI work?
Partners agree on the documents and the format (EDIFACT, X12, XML, JSON or CSV). The EDI platform converts each document from the sender’s format to the receiver’s and transmits it automatically, with no manual entry.
Which documents can be exchanged by EDI?
The most common are purchase orders (ORDERS), invoices (INVOIC), despatch advice (DESADV) and receiving advice (RECADV), plus product data (PRODAT), party data (PARTIN), price catalogues (PRICAT) and transport instructions (IFTMIN).
What are the benefits of EDI?
Much shorter processing times, fewer errors and delays, faster problem resolution and KPIs tracked in real time. The exact gain depends on the process, but order processing time can drop by 75% or more.
What types of EDI solution are there?
Three main models, each with strengths and limits:
- Dedicated EDI software: plenty of control, but high costs and specialist staff.
- EDI module in the ERP, WMS or TMS: affordable, but limited when customisation is complex or partners use different formats.
- EDI service provider: flexible and affordable, provided they respond quickly and stay involved.
ZenB2B is a fully managed EDI service: we map, test, onboard partners and run your EDI flows.
About ZenB2B
How we work
Is ZenB2B software or a service?
Both, but primarily a service. The platform runs in the cloud; our team does the onboarding, mapping, monitoring and support. You don’t need an in-house EDI team or specialist.
Which formats do you support?
Any format that suits the integration: the EDIFACT (including EANCOM) and X12 standards, as well as XML, JSON, CSV, flat files or the partner’s own format, over the channel each partner prefers. We map to each partner’s specification.
How long does onboarding a partner take?
It depends on the partner’s specification and testing schedule. You get a timeline in the written proposal, before any work starts.
How much does it cost?
ZenB2B is a managed service, quoted after a short call about your partners and volumes. You get a written proposal with clear costs before any commitment.
Do you work with our existing EDI provider or ERP vendor?
Yes. We often work alongside both, and take over only the flows you want us to.
Where is data hosted?
In the European Union. Every document has a full audit trail, and access is scoped per organisation.
Will AI replace EDI?
We don’t think so. The EDI standards (EDIFACT, EANCOM, X12) are what the industry agreed on and they are here to stay, and AI cannot replace them precisely because it depends on them. They hold decades of business knowledge: what an order, a despatch advice or a receiving advice means, and how products and locations are identified. AI will make EDI faster to implement and easier to operate, on top of those standards. We are testing AI for orders that still arrive as PDFs or emails, in a pilot programme separate from ZenB2B.
Do you work with companies outside Romania?
Yes. We work with partners and teams across Europe and North America, in English and Romanian.
Trading in Romania
Retail, e-Factura and e-Transport
Which Romanian retailers can you connect us with?
We can build the EDI connection with key-account chains such as Kaufland, Lidl, Carrefour, Auchan, Mega Image, Profi, Metro and Penny, DIY chains such as Hornbach, Dedeman, Leroy Merlin and Brico Dépôt, and online grocers such as Sezamo and Freshful. Retailers open a connection at their supplier’s request, so the process starts with you. See retail EDI and DIY retail EDI.
How does the EDI flow fit with e-Factura?
Invoices from the EDI flow land in your invoicing tool or ERP, consolidated with the rest, and that system sends them to e-Factura through your existing process. Most ERP and invoicing systems in Romania are already connected to e-Factura. See invoicing from EDI.
What is e-Transport and how do you automate it?
e-Transport is ANAF’s system for monitoring road transport of certain goods in Romania; each shipment needs a UIT code. We generate it automatically from order and delivery data. See transport EDI.
We are a foreign company with a Romanian subsidiary. Can you help both teams?
Yes. We offer English-speaking project management for your headquarters and Romanian for the local team, on the same flows.
Let’s take the hassle out of your EDI.
Tell us which partners and systems you need to connect. A specialist from our team will contact you within one business day for a direct, transparent technical assessment.