​Consolidating VAN providers


After the trying year of 2020, businesses across the globe have gone to great lengths to stay afloat. Many involved in global supply chains have had to examine every aspect of the running of their company. Those frequently overlooked ‘black boxes’ running in the corner of a room, or the services that were introduced to fix a supply chain problem in a hurry, but shortly forgotten about, are being brought to attention.

What is a Value Added Network (VAN)?

A VAN is essentially ‘managed EDI’. It started as a way of removing the burden and complexity of managing hundreds or even thousands of individual connections from companies. Getting data to and from businesses is mission critical, so as you would expect, the best way this can be achieved is a common question.

One of those supply chain “black boxes” that can be overlooked is EDI. But how do businesses end up with multiple VAN providers? Often these are legacy issues: individual corporate divisions, such as manufacturing and finance, may have gone down very different paths in days when VANs were highly specialised around one function or industry. Additional VANs may have been acquired through corporate mergers and the idea of integrating everything onto a single platform just seems too immense a task.

In this article we will address the common issues of having multiple Value Added Network providers.

Status of supplier networks

Since the pandemic hit, supply chains have been under grave pressure to perform, some have even switched what they manufacture to remain viable. During this period, having reliable suppliers across the business network has been essential. Some suppliers will have gone bust, others not lived up to expectations, while some businesses will have had to bring onboard new suppliers to fulfil new manufacturing requirements, resulting in an assessment and consolidation of their supplier network. Leaving a smaller but stronger supplier network, ready to strive forward in the “new normal”.

Businesses can also reduce a layer of risk and complexity within their supply chain by applying this assessment to their EDI & VAN suppliers. Evaluating what value they provide and thus, consolidating to one reliable service provider to deliver EDI.

Service providers are becoming ever increasingly popular. Businesses are choosing to outsource specific aspects to experts in the field. For example, ‘The global managed services market size was valued at USD 174.98 billion in 2018 and is expected to register a CAGR of 11.7% from 2019 to 2025.’ This growth rate of Managed Services is due to businesses choosing to focus their resources on the most important priorities.

Downsides to using multiple VAN providers

The risks associated with multiple VAN providers

Some companies trade and interact through direct EDI very successfully, also known as point-to-point, without ever going near a VAN (Value Added Network) provider. Others find themselves with multiple service providers, without good reason. Can either of these approaches really be appropriate and sustainable? However, some businesses naturally choose a single VAN provider, below we outline some of the issues that contribute to this decision:

Suggested reading: Different types of EDI compared.

Longer time to resolution

With a setup of multiple VAN providers, you will have duplicates of a lot of functions. To name a few:

  • Support desks/contacts/phone numbers
  • Web portals
  • Reports
  • Service/SLA reviews

With all these duplicated functions comes complexity and more for your internal resource to manage. If you are faced with an issue, say with an order document, it will take you longer to identify where the issue originated, due to the added complexity in your set up. Your internal resource will need to log into each web portal (using different user interfaces) for each VAN provider and see if they can find the issue.

If not, they will need to ring round, or create tickets with each VAN providers support team. After this, they will need to chase and keep on top of each ticket until the origin of the issue is discovered. Once this has been found, a resolution can be worked on. Why not just work with one VAN provider? It can get your issues resolved much quicker!

Costs

Having multiple VAN providers means needing support for each, and this is clearly a duplication of a cost which could be much smaller if wrapped up with one provider. Furthermore, it is not just the upfront cost from the providers but the cost of wasted time in terms of your internal resource. Take, for example, reporting. Rather than being able to set up a report or dashboard to report from within a web portal, there are several dashboards or reports to work from. But the business needs to see the full overview of trading documents and stats. This takes your internal resource time to merge into one overarching report.

Why pay two or three sets of fees for very similar services? We rarely, nowadays, have multiple mobile phone accounts to access services or apps, why not take this kind of thinking into the world of business. Firms should be thinking of gaining economies of scale on pricing:

• Lowering internal costs because there are fewer contracts to monitor and manage.
• Having just one contact point if a problem arises (and not having the confusion of which vendor may be the cause of the problem).
• Redirecting staff to more gainful activities.
• Having a larger amount of traffic going through one VAN gives you more leverage.

Suggested reading: To find out what other costs you could be facing read our article – The impact of failed EDI on supply chain.

Third-party risk

Using multiple VAN providers increases your third-party risk. Not only are you opening the risk to those directly serving you, but those who also serve your providers. This increases your risk dramatically. In addition, it is adding complexity to the overall engine that runs your business. This increases the time it takes to get things done, squandering your efficiency.

Ultimately businesses outsource to transfer the ownership onto experts in certain fields. While this has its benefits, it is good to understand how your provider operates. How many third parties do they work with? At the end of the day, you have given the control to someone else, however, do you know if they are the ones who have full authority across their whole offering?

To reduce your third-party risk, you will need to ‘vet’ your potential VAN provider to ensure they are in control. Here are some questions to consider asking:

  • Is the VAN they are offering you their own? If not, whose?
  • Is the support they offer run by them? If not, who?
  • What is their company structure, in terms of; have they acquired any other businesses recently? Or in the past? If so, how do they work together? (This can mean clunky processes or gaps, which means things can get missed, lost, or take longer to sort.)

The VAN provider consolidation process

Now we have looked at some of the associated risks, what, then, to make of companies who have a raft of different VAN providers? A competent VAN provider can transfer all your existing links, protocols, and formats without any discernible disruption to service and the benefits are great! But first, let’s see what the VAN consolidation process looks like:

Benefits of 1 VAN provider

Greater control

You do not get the support run-around; you have one contact point.

Risk mitigation

Fewer service providers reduce the complexity of the set up and therefore minimises the risk of issues occurring.

One stop shop

One provider can deliver the whole service needed which enables the business to focus on other activities.

Problem Attribution

It will be easier to isolate problems if you do have one, and therefore be resolved faster.

Improved provider relations

You will only need to manage one supplier which means you can build a stronger relationship with them, which in turn makes business in general a lot smoother. The VAN provider will become an extension of your business.

Cost Savings

Having all your files/documents set through one VAN will be valuable to your VAN provider, therefore you will have more leverage to negotiate a good deal on your service.

Improved Reporting

One familiar interface for your team to use which contains all the information you need for reporting, saving you time and allowing you to make faster business decisions.

Time savings

Overall, a lot of time is saved by your team by improving the above. Less time is spent on issues if there are any. Reporting is quicker, accessing the correct support team is faster and less time is spent liaising with externals.

What to look for in your VAN provider

A Value Added Network service provider should be willing to be upfront about performance and reliability issues, sadly, too many hide behind the technological mystique. There is indeed a lot of arcane knowledge involved, but that should not prevent a competent VAN provider from giving its customers true and understandable reports on service, cost, volumes, and reliability.

Pro tip: Check out the Top ten things to look for in your EDI managed service provider to help you choose the right VAN provider who can future-proof your business.

Remember that all your data will be running through your chosen, single VAN provider. Thus, leaving your company only to decide on a solution that is better value, more reliable, future-proof, less risky and easier to manage.

Whether you proudly run your own EDI, or are submerged in a morass of competing contracts, we suggest building a long-term relationship with a single VAN provider. Not just any provider, of course, but one that can offer clarity of pricing across all EDI services, high levels of technical support and genuine experience, not just in your industry, but in the various functions of your business that use EDI.

Transform your approach to supply chain management

Talk to an Expert








    Epicor values your privacy. Website terms and conditions.

    RELATED ARTICLES

    The EDIFACT DELJIT T-Set: Structure, Benefits & Use Cases

    The EDIFACT DELFOR T-Set: Structure, Benefits & Use Cases

    The VDA 4915 Message Explained

    The VDA 4905 Message Explained

    T-Sets | ANSI X12 810

    How to optimise your EDI and ERP system integration

    T-Sets | ANSI X12 997

    T-Set | EDIFACT INVOIC

    T-Set | EDIFACT DESADV

    Exploring Cloud EDI Services in ERP: Architecture, Security, and Scalability

    VDA Explained: Message Standards and Transaction Sets

    ANSI X12 Explained: Message Standards and Transaction Sets

    EDIFACT Explained: Message Standards and Transaction Sets

    The Power of Web EDI for Global Supply Chains

    How to Get the Most Out of AS2

    How EDI Simplifies Transactions in the Manufacturing Sector

    Why Your Automotive Supply Chain Needs an OFTP2 Connection

    Digital Supply Chain Trends Impacting 2023 and Beyond

    How to Manage Global Supply Chain Complexities

    How to Overcome Supply Chain Risk

    What is the Future of Supply Chain Management in 2023?

    How to Improve your Supply Chain Strategy

    Why Scalable EDI is Integral to Rapid Business Growth

    How to Pick the Right EDI File Transfer Protocol

    An Introduction to OFTP2 (Odette File Transfer Protocol)

    What are the Costs of EDI Implementation?

    What is PEPPOL?

    A Guide to EDI Protocols

    EDI VAN Costs: Get the Right Solution for your Business

    How Much Does EDI Cost?

    How Do On-Premise EDI Solutions Work?

    Our Plan at Data Interchange to Change EDI and Supply Chain Management

    Integrating EDI with your ERP

    In-house vs Managed Service EDI

    What is an API Integration? And how does it affect EDI?

    Epicor Acquires EDI Provider Data Interchange

    6 Benefits of EDI in the Logistics Industry

    4 Challenges Facing the Logistics Industry and How to Overcome Them

    Top EDI Solution Providers in 2023

    Solving Supply Chain Problems in the Logistics Industry

    B2B EDI Integration Best Practices in 2023

    How to Choose The Right EDI Provider in 2022

    Supply Chain Analytics Trends in 2022

    Future-proof your business: Take Advantage of Market Growth

    Announcement: Andrew Filby becomes CEO of Data Interchange

    7 Advantages of EDI in The Automotive Industry

    Consumer Expectations cause Demand for Integrated Data

    How to Optimise Your Automotive Supply Chain Processes

    Post-Pandemic Supply Chain Challenges Increase the Pressure

    EDI Made Simple for the Automotive Industry

    Overcoming Supply Chain Visibility Issues in the Automotive Industry

    Complex Supply Chain Problems and Simple Solutions

    Supply Chain Flexibility: Why your customers need it

    5 Automotive Supply Chain Challenges Facing the Industry

    Supplier Performance Management Reimagined in 2023

    How to Unite Emerging Supply Chain Management Technology Trends

    Meet the Team: Marketing

    Supplier Management Best Practices after COVID-19

    The Future of EDI: Looking Beyond 2025

    The top three supply chain data exchange requirements

    The Advantages of EDI in E-Commerce: How to Gain a Competitive Advantage Online in 2021

    A Crash Course on EDI Industry Standards: ANSI x12 vs EDIFACT vs OFTP and more

    What is EDI Mapping?

    What is EDI: The History and Future of Electronic Data Interchange

    The Future of the Automotive Supply Chain

    Supplier Relationship Management: How to reduce risk and improve performance

    How EDI-as-a-Service Changes Supply Chain Best Practices in 2021

    Agile Supplier Onboarding: Supply Chain Security in Uncertain Times

    The impact of failed EDI on Supply Chain

    Cloud-Based EDI Solutions vs On-Premise

    Different Types of EDI Compared

    5 Most Common EDI Implementation Issues and How to Solve Them

    Are your EDI documents ready for the new EU/UK customs border?

    B2B Integration Challenges

    EDI vs API: Bridge the B2B connectivity gap

    Ten things to look for in an EDI Managed Service Provider

    World Mental Health Day 2020

    Logicalis & Data Interchange – partnering for success

    EDI – A data integration service critical to business success

    Joining forces with SnapLogic: bringing together market leading iPaaS and EDI solutions

    Joining Data Interchange: My lockdown experience

    Data Interchange announces strategic partnership with SmarterPay

    Access new trading partners quickly for COVID-19 support

    Keeping supply chains moving

    Our Web EDI solution gets a makeover

    Coronavirus: Our Business Continuity Plan

    With love from Data Interchange ♥

    A new decade, renewed ambition and the next generation

    Brexit and EDI

    Data Interchange transform their Support service for an improved customer experience

    Interview: An update on Data Interchange’s new CEO, Robert Steiner

    Data Interchange appoints Robert Steiner as new CEO

    MQ messages over ENX – Renault

    Five key questions for your EDI provider

    Data Interchange at the Odette Conference 2018

    How to select the right EDI provider

    Future proof your EDI and unleash growth

    EDI: the Supply chain performance enhancer

    Taking cost out of the chain

    Non-EDI users held up in the mail

    Over 41% of companies at risk without EDI

    Increase visibility and productivity of supply chain logistics with Data Interchange’s B2B integration solutions

    Data Interchange wins large business of the year award

    Data Interchange launch new Support Portal

    Data Interchange will be showcasing our EDI solution offerings and promoting the benefits of MMOG/LE

    Metaldyne receive special recognition from Ford for 11th consecutive year

    Making the move to cloud based EDI Solutions

    Top 5 reasons to switch to EDI Managed Services

    Data Interchange to power QAD Managed EDI On Demand