For many mid-market manufacturers and distributors, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is both essential and exasperating. It's the backbone of order fulfillment, invoicing, and shipment coordination, yet it often operates like a black box. Outdated VANs, manual routing, and limited visibility leave teams chasing acknowledgments, troubleshooting errors, and reacting to problems after they've already disrupted production.
The result? Slower order cycles, strained partner relationships, and mounting operational costs—at a time when supply chain agility has never been more critical.
Entrust+, developed by Encompass Solutions and powered by the ECGrid network, was built to change that. It's built for speed, scalability, and reliability, enabling manufacturers, distributors, and 3PLs to move data faster, with greater accuracy and control.
Key advantages include:
- Centralized visibility: Real-time dashboards and alerts provide instant insight into every transaction.
- Faster trading partner connectivity: Rapid onboarding and flexible routing reduce delays and manual effort.
- Automation intelligence: Entrust+ replaces manual routing and error resolution with scalable smart workflows.
- Enterprise-grade infrastructure: Powered by the ECGrid network for secure, high-performance EDI exchange.
"Entrust+ gives your business the power to connect and control EDI communications in real-time—without the complexity of traditional systems."
Why EDI Needs to Evolve
Executives in manufacturing and automation face a common set of challenges:
- Rising complexity: More trading partners, more document types, more compliance requirements.
- Costly inefficiencies: Manual routing and error resolution drain IT and operations teams.
- Limited visibility: Traditional VANs provide logs, not insights, leaving leaders in the dark.
These pain points aren't just operational headaches—they directly impact margins, customer satisfaction, and the ability to scale.
Market Forces Driving Change
The urgency to modernize EDI isn't just internal; it's shaped by external pressures:
- Supply chain volatility: Disruptions have become the norm, not the exception. From raw material shortages to transportation bottlenecks, the ability to pivot quickly is now a competitive advantage. Recent research shows supply chains remain vulnerable, pushing leaders to double down on digitization and risk maturity to improve service continuity and cost resilience.
- Labor and skills shortages: IT and operations teams are stretched thin. Manual routing and error resolution aren't just inefficient; they're unsustainable. Automation is no longer optional.
- Customer expectations: In an era of robotics‑driven production and real‑time logistics, customers expect instant updates and error‑free transactions. A missed acknowledgment or delayed invoice isn't just an inconvenience; it's a reputational risk.
Modern EDI platforms must deliver speed, visibility, and automation, capabilities that legacy VANs struggle to match. Entrust+ was designed with these requirements in mind.
Why Entrust+ Stands Apart
Traditional EDI/VAN setups often:
- Operate like black boxes, offering limited visibility into what's really happening
- Deliver updates in batches, slowing down acknowledgments and delaying decisions
- Provide only basic logs, leaving leaders without actionable insight
- Require custom workarounds for SaaS or ERP integrations
Entrust+ changes that dynamic by:
- Delivering real‑time communication and proactive routing analytics
- Providing insight into delivery confirmations, acknowledgments, and connection statuses, not just logs
- Offering a modern API‑first design for SaaS and developer integrations
- Backed by automation intelligence that eliminates manual routing and error resolution
"Entrust+ gives your business the power to connect and control EDI communications in real‑time, without the complexity of traditional systems."
Core Capabilities
Entrust+ delivers the features modern manufacturers and distributors need to simplify EDI and strengthen supply chain performance:
- API‑Driven EDI: Operational in days, not weeks, accelerating time to value.
- Secure & Compliant: Enterprise‑grade encryption, validation, and audit tools safeguard sensitive data and ensure compliance.
Who Benefits Most
Entrust+ is built for organizations where transaction volume and partner complexity demand more than legacy systems can deliver.
- Ideal for manufacturers with steady but not overwhelming EDI traffic.
- Distributors are balancing multiple trading partners and compliance requirements.
- 3PL providers are coordinating complex shipment data across networks.
Picture a robotics manufacturer reducing chargebacks from a major retailer by gaining real‑time visibility into acknowledgments. Or a 3PL provider onboarding a new partner in days instead of weeks, accelerating revenue capture. For distributors, the ability to track every transaction in real time means fewer disputes, stronger compliance, and healthier partner relationships.
ROI and Business Impact
Whether you're processing thousands of 850s or managing complex shipment data, Entrust+ helps you move information faster and with greater accuracy. The value of modern EDI isn't just in smoother operations—it's in measurable business outcomes.
- Reduced manual effort and chargebacks: Automation minimizes costly errors.
- Faster order and shipment processing: Real‑time routing accelerates fulfillment.
- Improved compliance and partner relationships: Transparency builds trust.
- Real‑time visibility: Fewer delays, fewer disputes, and fewer surprises.
Deloitte's 2024 research highlights that ongoing disruptions have materially eroded margins, forcing manufacturers to reevaluate supply chain resilience and prioritize digitization. Entrust+ directly addresses this risk by reducing errors, delays, and chargebacks.
Visibility isn't just an IT metric—it's a boardroom metric.
Partner Highlight: Powered by ECGrid
Entrust+ is powered by the ECGrid network, a trusted name in EDI communication infrastructure. ECGrid ensures the performance, reliability, and scalability you expect from enterprise‑level data exchange, while Entrust layers on automation intelligence and visibility.
This partnership means you get the best of both worlds: a secure, high‑performance VAN backbone and a modern automation‑driven EDI engine.
How to Get Started
Modernizing EDI doesn't have to mean disruption. Entrust+ is designed for rapid onboarding and seamless integration with your existing ERP environment.
Organizations exploring EDI modernization can start by assessing their current environment. Encompass Solutions offers resources and guidance to help leaders evaluate readiness and identify quick wins.
The Future of EDI Is Here
For manufacturers and distributors in the $10M–$70M revenue range, the stakes are high. Margins are tight, customer expectations are rising, and automation is reshaping the competitive landscape. Entrust+ helps you move beyond outdated VANs and manual processes to a future where EDI is not just a necessity, but a strategic advantage.
As digital supply chains evolve, flexibility and automation are no longer optional—they're essential. Entrust+ positions your business to thrive in this new era, giving you control, visibility, and confidence in every transaction.
The future of supply chain connectivity won't be defined by compliance, but by intelligence, speed, and resilience. Entrust+ is how forward‑thinking manufacturers lead that shift. Start your journey today with a Discovery Call or product overview.
