About EDI4STEEL

EDI4STEEL is a standard for secure data sharing between suppliers and customers in the steel industry. Organisations that meet the technical requirements of EDI4STEEL can share data seamlessly. With only one EDI connection. Irrespective of their ERP system. In an easy and secure manner.

EDI4STEEL is an initiative of a group of Dutch steel producers who want to cut costs of registering dispatch advices, certificates, and invoices in their ERP systems. The European Union has subsidised this venture, because it is based on the EU eDelivery standard. 

EDI4Steel is facilitating the creation of an independent European Data Spaces for the steel industry, in which steel producers, steel distributors and steel end users can share data seamlessly. So that they are able to work more efficiently, save time and money.

Standardised messages 

The messages use the standards of the Smart Connected Supplier Network co-developed with TNO. EDI4STEEL also makes recommendations for a standardised workflow of data exchange between the various ERP systems.

EDI4STEEL, in cooperation with TNO, developed standard messages for, among other things, purchase orders, notes of lading, invoices and certificates to support the steel industry. These messages were compiled on the basis of the world standard Universal Business Language (UBL), which in turn is based on XML internet technology.

The EDI4STEEL standard has recently been approved by ISO.

A secure network

EDI4STEEL uses the European Commission’s eDelivery Building Block solution for secure and reliable electronic document exchange. Messages can be sent and received from the participants’ ERP systems via an Access Point (AP) over the EDI4STEEL network.

EDI4STEEL uses the Service Metadata Publisher (SMP) and the Service Metadata Locator (SML) of the European Commission as the address book of the participants. These enable the APs to dynamically identify the IP addresses of the APs where the messages are to be delivered.