Business to business (B2B) integration

At Norfolkline we have a clear objective of simplifing doing business with our customers.

By connecting our customer's systems directly to our own we reduce the possibilities of mistakes being made in the communication channel and minimise the potential for service failures.

Customers with whom Norfolkline have had successful B2B integrations include:

  • Travel agents & travel websites
  • Logistics companies shipping trailers on our ferry routes
  • Trucking companies using on our ferry routes
  • Retailers for whom Norfolkline manage the supply/distribution chain
  • Manufacturers looking to transport their goods across Europe  

 

What is involved?

Business to business integration involves creating a direct communication channel between the respective IT systems, facilitating the booking and amendment processes and opening the possibility for real time updates as to the status of the booking during the life cycle of the transport.  

  • The customer creates a booking request in their own IT sytems
  • The customer's IT system generates a message to be sent to Norfolkline's IT systems with details of the booking request
  • The message is transported securely to Norfolkline's IT systems using a suitable protocol (e.g. HTTP(s), SMTP, or FTP)
  • Norfolkline's systems receive the booking request, which is then processed in Norfolkline's internal systems
  • Once a new booking is created in Norfolkline's back-end system an acknowledgement is returned to the customer as required

 

This facility to book directly using the customer's IT systems is supplemented with e-Invoicing and track & trace functionalities.

Norfolkline's systems can receive booking requestes in a wide variety of formats including EDI, XML and flat file (among others), and Norfolkline are pioneering the use of Short Sea XML as an B2B communication standard.

Short Sea XML

Shortsea XML is a new message standard designed to streamline the administration processes within the Short Sea based logistics chain.

The standardised messages – based on XML technology – comprise the core processes of scheduling, booking, operations and invoicing.

Implementing these new standards within a supply chain will help to reduce costs, cut administration, streamline process and, ultimately, improve the competitiveness of Short Sea transport.

 

If you would like to find out more about B2B integration with Norfolkline please contact your Norfolkline representative or email us at eCommerce@norfolkline.com.