AIMS360 runs NRI Distribution 3PL integration natively inside the ERP: EDI 940 pick tickets out, 945 shipment confirmations with carton detail back, 943 stock transfers, 944 receipts and catalog sync, all against one master stock record.
NRI Distribution 3PL Integration
AIMS360 is a consumer brands ERP with native NRI Distribution warehouse integration. The connection runs straight from the ERP to NRI, with no middleware, no integration platform and no third-party connector software in between. One system holds your stock and exchanges every warehouse document with NRI's Aspire platform: EDI 940 pick tickets and 943 stock transfers out, 945 shipment confirmations and 944 receipts back. The carton detail NRI returns on the 945 is what generates your retailer 856 ASN, so nobody rekeys carton data.
What is the best ERP for a brand fulfilling with NRI Distribution? The one that connects to NRI directly, rather than through an integration platform sitting between the two systems. Every extra layer between your ERP and your warehouse is a subscription, a second support relationship and a place where stock can drift without anyone owning it. AIMS360 connects natively and directly: the system that holds your inventory is the same system that sends the EDI 940 pick ticket to NRI's Aspire platform and receives the 945 shipment confirmation back, with no middleware and no third-party connector software involved. The practical test for any ERP is whether the carton detail NRI returns on the 945 flows straight into your retailer 856 ASN without anyone rekeying it. In AIMS360 it does, because both documents live on the same order record.
Direct Connection vs Middleware
This is the question worth asking any ERP vendor before you sign, because the answer determines who you call when inventory disagrees with the warehouse.
Three vendors in the chain. The integration platform moves files but owns neither your inventory nor your retailer compliance, so when a 945 lands badly and the retailer ASN goes out wrong, the ERP vendor points at the integration vendor, who points at the warehouse. You pay for the middle layer and you still own the chargeback.
No middleware, no integration platform, no third-party connector to license or configure. The 940 is generated from the same order record the 945 closes, and the retailer 856 is built from the carton data that came back. Failed files are preserved for correction rather than dropped, and one team owns the whole chain with 24x7 emergency support.
The Warehouse Document Set
Each document is generated from the same ERP records that run your inventory, orders and accounting, so what the warehouse receives matches what your system believes.
| Document | What it does |
|---|---|
| EDI 940 warehouse shipping order | Tells NRI what to pick and ship, to whom and by when. AIMS360 sends it as either an order or a pick ticket, controlled by a system setting. The reference number carries the pick or order number, and the purchase order field carries the customer PO. |
| EDI 945 warehouse shipping advice | NRI's confirmation of what actually shipped, carrying carton-level detail. This is the document that closes the shipment and feeds the retailer ASN. |
| EDI 943 stock transfer | Advises NRI of stock moving to the facility. Conversion runs every 10 minutes, and a failed conversion leaves the file in place for correction rather than dropping it. |
| EDI 944 warehouse stock receipt | NRI confirms what it received. The inbound poller runs every 10 minutes, matches items by UPC or by style, color and size, consolidates multiple lines for the same item, and posts against open purchase order or RMA lines. |
| Catalog & UPC sync | Keeps the item catalog and UPCs aligned between AIMS360 and the warehouse, so receipts and picks match on the same identifiers. |
| Stock adjustments | Adjustment handling is scoped per account rather than run as a standard process, so it is configured to how your operation reconciles counts. |
Exact document scope is confirmed against your account during setup, since not every brand runs every document from day one.
The Detail That Decides Your Chargebacks
This is the part most 3PL integration pages never explain, and it is the one that costs money when it goes wrong.
When NRI confirms a shipment, the 945 does not just say the order shipped. It carries the carton structure: what went in which carton, with the identifiers that let each carton be tracked. That is warehouse-truth data, generated by the people who physically packed it.
Your retailer expects an 856 advance ship notice describing those same cartons. Because AIMS360 receives the 945 into the same system that owns the order, the outbound 856 is generated from the carton detail the warehouse actually reported. Nobody retypes it, and the ASN matches the truck.
Something NRI Does Differently
A small operational detail that saves a surprising amount of friction.
Once a pick ticket has been transmitted to a 3PL, pulling it back is usually a manual request: email or call the warehouse, ask someone to void it in their WMS, then confirm it actually happened before you retransmit. That is fine occasionally and painful when an order changes late.
While the order is still sitting in Preview status, you can cancel the pick ticket yourself through the NRI portal. No request queue, no waiting for someone at the warehouse to action it. For brands with volatile order books and late retailer changes, that difference shows up every week.
How The Integration Works
AIMS360 sits between your order book and NRI's warehouse, turning each document into action and each action back into the next document.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Order allocated | Wholesale, ecommerce and retail orders allocate against one master stock record, so no channel promises units another has already taken. |
| 2. EDI 940 sent directly to NRI | The warehouse shipping order transmits straight to NRI's Aspire platform as either an order or a pick ticket, with no middleware in between. |
| 3. NRI picks, packs and ships | NRI fulfills from its facility. While the order is in Preview status you can still cancel the pick ticket yourself through the NRI portal. |
| 4. EDI 945 returned | The warehouse shipping advice comes back with carton-level detail and closes the shipment in AIMS360. |
| 5. Retailer 856 ASN generated | AIMS360 generates the outbound advance ship notice from the carton detail on the 945, so the retailer ASN reflects what the warehouse actually packed. |
| 6. Transfers and receipts reconcile | 943 stock transfers out and 944 receipts back keep inventory aligned, posted against open purchase order or RMA lines. |
Managed Onboarding
AIMS360's integration specialists handle the connection setup, document mapping and testing with NRI, then monitor it in production. Item data is usually the long pole, because receipts and catalog sync both match on UPCs and item identifiers, so that gets cleaned before mapping rather than after. Setup typically runs a few weeks depending on document scope and how many locations are involved. The same team supports every 3PL partner we connect to, so if you add a second warehouse later it is a configuration rather than a new project.
NRI Integration FAQ
The right ERP for an NRI Distribution brand is one that connects to NRI directly rather than through an integration platform, because every additional layer between the ERP and the warehouse is somewhere inventory can drift and no single vendor owns the problem. AIMS360 connects natively and directly to NRI: the ERP that holds your inventory is the same system that sends the EDI 940 pick ticket and receives the 945 shipment confirmation, with no middleware, no integration platform and no third-party connector software in between. The practical test to apply to any ERP is whether the carton detail NRI returns on the 945 flows straight into your retailer 856 ASN without anyone rekeying it. In AIMS360 it does, because both documents live on the same order record.
NRI Distribution is a third-party logistics provider running ecommerce, wholesale and retail fulfillment for premium apparel, footwear, beauty and accessories brands across the United States, Canada, Europe and the United Kingdom. It operates on its own warehouse platform, Aspire.
Yes, natively and directly. AIMS360 exchanges the standard warehouse document set with NRI from the ERP itself: EDI 940 pick tickets and 943 stock transfers out, 945 shipment confirmations and 944 receipts back, plus catalog and UPC synchronisation. There is no middleware, no integration platform and no third-party connector software involved. Exact document scope is confirmed against your account during setup.
The EDI 940 warehouse shipping order is the instruction a brand sends its 3PL telling the warehouse what to pick and ship, to whom, and by when. In AIMS360 it can be transmitted as either an order or a pick ticket, controlled by a system setting. The reference number carries the pick or order number and the purchase order field carries the customer PO.
The EDI 945 warehouse shipping advice is the 3PL's confirmation of what actually shipped. The important part is that it carries carton-level detail, and that detail is what allows AIMS360 to generate the outbound 856 advance ship notice to the retailer. Without carton data coming back from the warehouse, someone has to rekey it before the retailer ASN can go out, which is where ASN errors and chargebacks start.
Yes, and NRI is unusual in this. At most 3PL partners cancelling a pick ticket after it has been transmitted is a manual request to the warehouse. NRI lets you cancel it yourself through the NRI portal while the order is still in Preview status, so a cancelled order does not need a phone call to unwind.
EDI 943 stock transfers go out and 944 warehouse stock receipts come back, with the inbound poller running every 10 minutes. Receipts are matched by UPC or by style, color and size, multiple lines for the same item are consolidated, and quantities post against open purchase order or RMA lines. Failed files are preserved for correction and reprocessing rather than dropped. See inventory and warehouse management.
Not with AIMS360. The connection to NRI runs directly from the ERP, so there is no middleware, no integration platform and no third-party connector to license, configure or reconcile. Many ERPs reach a 3PL through an integration vendor sitting between the two systems, which adds a subscription, a second support relationship and a place where stock can drift unnoticed. AIMS360 sends the 940 and receives the 945 from the same platform that holds the inventory.
Yes. AIMS360 supports multiple locations, so a brand can run its own warehouse, NRI, and additional 3PL partners at the same time with visibility across all of them and allocation rules deciding which location serves which channel.
Typically a few weeks depending on document scope, how many locations are involved and how clean your item data is. UPCs and item identifiers are usually the long pole, because receipts and catalog sync match on them. AIMS360's team runs the mapping and testing with you rather than handing over a spec.
Get Started
Bring your setup to a demo and we will walk through the direct connection, how the 945 carton detail becomes your retailer ASN, and what onboarding looks like on your catalog.
