An advance shipping notice is a supplier-provided message describing an expected shipment before it arrives. It commonly identifies the purchase order, items, quantities, packaging, carrier, and expected delivery timing. The notice gives receiving and operations teams a record against which they can plan arrival, identify discrepancies, and connect the eventual receipt to the correct order.
In plain English
It tells the buyer what a supplier says is on the way before delivery.
Illustrative example
At Northstar Industrial Systems, a component supplier submits an ASN so the receiving team can prepare for the shipment and compare delivered quantities with the purchase order.
- Related terms
- Purchase order; Goods receipt; Delivery commitment; PO acknowledgment
- Lifecycle stages
- Execute; Receive
- Stakeholders
- Supplier; Operations; Procurement