EDI 862 - Shipping Schedule
The EDI 862 delivers granular, date-specific shipping instructions to suppliers in JIT manufacturing environments. It supersedes the planning schedule with firm delivery windows measured in days or hours - a production line stoppage can follow if a 862 is missed.
✦ What It Does
The EDI 862 Shipping Schedule flows from OEM or manufacturer to supplier, specifying exactly what part numbers are needed, in what quantities, on what specific delivery dates, and at what delivery locations. Where the 830 Planning Schedule communicates forward-looking demand in weekly buckets with firm/planning/forecast horizons, the 862 drills into the immediate horizon with day-specific or shift-specific delivery requirements. In automotive assembly plants, the 862 may specify delivery requirements in 2-hour windows to feed a production line directly from the supplier's truck.
The 862 is built around the BSS (Beginning Segment for Shipping Schedule) header, followed by LIN loops for each part number being scheduled. Within each LIN loop, multiple FST (Forecast Schedule) segments carry the time-phased delivery requirements - each FST represents a distinct delivery requirement: quantity, date/time, and schedule quantity type (firm, planning, or release). The 862 also carries shipping location data (ship-to via N1 loops), authorized quantity windows, and cumulative quantity tracking information that suppliers use to reconcile total releases against blanket PO quantities.
The 862 is the closest EDI comes to a real-time production signal. Automotive OEMs retransmit 862s as frequently as daily or even per shift as production schedules are adjusted. A supplier that cannot receive, parse, and act on a 862 within hours of receipt risks a production line shutdown at the customer's facility - which triggers not just chargebacks but contractual shut-down cost liability. This makes the 862 one of the highest-stakes EDI transactions in terms of operational consequence for processing errors or delays.
⚡ When It's Triggered
- An automotive OEM's MRP system runs nightly and generates updated 862s for all active component suppliers, reflecting changes in the vehicle build schedule for the upcoming 2-week firm window.
- A production line schedule change (model mix shift, unplanned downtime, or engineering change) triggers an immediate 862 revision to affected Tier 1 suppliers, who must respond by adjusting their own production and shipping plans.
- An aerospace manufacturer releases 862s to fastener, composite, and electronics suppliers aligned with major assembly milestones - the 862 arrival is the signal to begin final assembly and packaging of the subassembly.
- An industrial equipment manufacturer uses 862s to pull components from a supplier's consignment stock held on-site, converting informal pull signals into formal EDI transactions for ERP visibility.
- A 3PL managing inbound freight consolidation for an OEM receives 862s and translates them into pick instructions for multiple supplier facilities in a milk-run routing plan.
Who Uses EDI 862
Automotive (OEMs & Tier 1)
Automotive is the dominant user of 862. Every major OEM - Ford, GM, Stellantis, Toyota, Honda - sends 862s to their Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers. The 862 is integrated with the OEM's production sequencing system, and delivery timing is measured against the vehicle build schedule, not a warehouse receiving calendar. Tier 1 suppliers receiving 862s must cascade requirements to Tier 2 suppliers, often translating 862 data into their own downstream scheduling signals.
Aerospace
Aerospace manufacturers (Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed, Raytheon) use 862s for long-lead and critical path components. Unlike automotive's daily cadence, aerospace 862s may cover multi-week delivery windows for complex assemblies, but the compliance requirements are equally strict. A missed delivery date in aerospace can delay an entire aircraft program, and the contractual penalties reflect that severity.
Industrial Manufacturing
Industrial equipment manufacturers use 862s to manage component scheduling across extended production cycles. A construction equipment manufacturer might send 862s to hydraulic cylinder, engine, and structural steel suppliers on a weekly basis, coordinating components that have very different lead times into a synchronized final assembly schedule.
Electronics Manufacturing
Contract electronics manufacturers (CEMs) and EMS providers use 862s when operating under OEM vendor-managed supply programs. The CEM receives 862s from the OEM specifying PCB assembly requirements and issues downstream 862s or purchase orders to component distributors, managing the two-tier scheduling challenge of a high-mix, high-volume electronics environment.
Key Segments & Data Elements
BSS: Beginning Segment for Shipping Schedule
Opens the 862. BSS01 = transaction set purpose code (00 = original, 05 = replace, 06 = cancel). BSS02 = schedule type: SS = shipping schedule, P = planning schedule (distinguishing the 862 from a 830). BSS03 = schedule date (date of this release). BSS04 = release number (cumulative release counter - critical for suppliers to process releases in order). BSS05 = schedule period start date. BSS06 = schedule period end date.
LIN: Line Item (Part Number)
One LIN loop per part number being scheduled. LIN01 = line number. LIN02/03 = product ID qualifier/value: BP (buyer's part number), VP (vendor's part number), EN (EAN/UPC). In automotive, the buyer's engineering part number (BP) is the primary identifier, and suppliers must maintain an exact cross-reference to their internal part number. LIN is followed by PID for part description and UIT for unit of measure.
FST: Forecast Schedule
The time-phased delivery requirements that define the 862's value. FST01 = quantity required. FST02 = quantity type: Z = firm (committed delivery), P = planning (likely but subject to change), F = forecast (tentative, for supplier planning only). FST03/04 = date qualifier and date. FST05/06 = time qualifier and time (for hour-specific delivery windows in automotive JIT). Multiple FST segments appear per LIN for different dates/windows.
SDP: Ship-Deliver Pattern
Defines the delivery frequency pattern and packaging requirements. SDP01 = delivery pattern code (D = daily, W = weekly, shift codes). SDP02 = delivery time code. SDP03 = quantity per delivery. SDP04 = number of deliveries per period. Used in milk-run and shuttle programs where the supplier ships the same quantity on a fixed schedule and the 862 confirms or updates that pattern.
QTY: Quantity Summaries
Multiple QTY segments at the LIN level provide cumulative quantity data that suppliers need for blanket PO reconciliation. QTY qualifier codes: 1 = discrete quantity (this release), 2A = cumulative quantity received, 2B = cumulative quantity authorized, 53 = quantity on order. Cumulative quantities help suppliers verify they haven't over-shipped or under-shipped against the total blanket PO authorization.
REF: Reference Numbers
Links the 862 to blanket POs and engineering documents. REF-CT = contract number (blanket PO). REF-OP = original purchase order number. REF-EM = engineering change notice (ECN) number - critical when a 862 is being issued under a revised engineering revision level. REF-ZZ = mutually defined codes used for plant-specific references like dock door numbers, sequencing codes, or container type identifiers.
Related Transaction Sets
Planning Schedule
The 830 provides the longer-horizon demand forecast (weeks 1–26, rolling) that establishes the supplier's production plan. The 862 then releases the immediate near-term requirements from within the 830's firm horizon. Suppliers use the 830 to plan capacity and raw materials; they use the 862 to execute daily production and shipping.
Purchase Order
In many manufacturing programs, a blanket 850 establishes the annual volume and pricing for a part, while individual 862s release specific quantities against that blanket. The 862's REF-CT or REF-OP references the blanket PO, and the cumulative QTY segments in the 862 allow the supplier to track releases against the blanket authorization.
Ship Notice / Manifest (ASN)
The supplier's response to a 862 is execution - shipping the parts - followed by an 856 confirming the shipment. In automotive JIT programs, the 856 must be transmitted before the truck departs the supplier's dock. The OEM's receiving system matches the 856 against open 862 requirements to confirm that all scheduled deliveries are on track.
PO Change Acknowledgment
When a 862 cannot be met as transmitted - a supplier has a capacity constraint or material shortage - the formal mechanism is an 865 change acknowledgment noting the variance. In practice, automotive suppliers more commonly escalate via phone given the production line urgency, but the 865 provides the documented trail.
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