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X12 transaction guide · Communications

EDI 842 Nonconformance Report

The X12 document used to report products or processes that do not meet specifications and to request or record corrective action.

Sent by
Buyer, receiving plant or quality team
Received by
Supplier
Standard
ANSI ASC X12

What is an EDI 842?

The EDI 842 Nonconformance Report is the ANSI X12 transaction set for reporting products and processes that do not fulfill specifications or requirements. It can describe the nonconformance at whatever level of detail is needed, down to a specific component of an assembly, and can be used to report the problem, initiate or request actions, and carry related cost information.

In manufacturing supply chains the 842 replaces emailed defect reports. A plant that rejects material sends the supplier the part, lot, defect description, quantities affected and the disposition, and the supplier responds with containment and corrective action. Keeping this in EDI ties quality issues to the same part and shipment references used elsewhere.

How the EDI 842 worksDiagram of the EDI 842 Nonconformance Report. Buyer, receiving plant or quality team sends it to supplier. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: BNR (Beginning Segment For Nonconformance Report) and detail: the required HL loop with HL (Hierarchical Level). 8 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 842 worksNonconformance Report: who sends it, where it fits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 842SENDERBuyer, receiving plantor quality teamRECEIVERSupplier997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partners agreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997FunctionalAcknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDsISA … IEAFunctional group, ID code NCGS … GETransaction set 842ST … SEHEADINGBNRBeginning Segment For Nonconformance Report+ 3 optional loops, starting with:MEAPWKN1DETAILRequired loop HL · repeats many timesHLHierarchical Level+ 5 optional loops, starting with:LMMEAFA1SPSNCDBlue box: required loop. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them; when a loop is used, that first segment is required. Optional segmentsoutside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12 008010 listing for the 842. Your trading partner's implementation guide adds its own requirements.
How the EDI 842 worksDiagram of the EDI 842 Nonconformance Report. Buyer, receiving plant or quality team sends it to supplier. It usually starts the exchange. It is usually followed by 997. Inside the ISA, GS and ST envelopes, X12 release 008010 requires, in the heading: BNR (Beginning Segment For Nonconformance Report) and detail: the required HL loop with HL (Hierarchical Level). 8 optional loops are listed by their first segment.How the EDI 842 worksNonconformance Report: who sends it, where itfits and what the standard marks required1 WHERE IT FITSUSUALLY FOLLOWSStarts the exchangeEDI 842SENDERBuyer, receivingplant or qualityteamRECEIVERSupplier997 or 999 acknowledgment back, if the partnersagreeUSUALLY FOLLOWED BY997Functional Acknowledgment2 WHAT X12 RELEASE 008010 REQUIRESInterchange: sender and receiver IDs (ISA… IEA)Functional group, ID code NC (GS … GE)Transaction set 842 (ST … SE)HEADINGBNRBeginning Segment ForNonconformance Report+ 3 optional loops, starting with:MEAPWKN1DETAILRequired loop HL · repeats manytimesHLHierarchical Level+ 5 optional loops, starting with:LMMEAFA1SPSNCDBlue box: required loop. Optional loops are listedby the segment that starts them; when a loop isused, that first segment is required. Optionalsegments outside loops are not drawn.Structure: required segments and loops in the X12008010 listing for the 842. Your trading partner'simplementation guide adds its own requirements.

How to read this diagram: the top row shows who sends the 842, to whom, and which documents usually come before and after it. The lower part shows what X12 release 008010 itself requires: the envelopes around the 842 and the segments and loops the standard marks as required, area by area. Optional loops are listed by the segment that starts them rather than drawn in full. This is the standard's minimum, not a trading partner's requirement: each partner's implementation guide usually makes some optional loops mandatory, restricts the codes and may use a different release.

Expand diagram Download SVG

When it is used

  • Reporting defective or out-of-specification material received from a supplier
  • Requesting containment, sorting or corrective action
  • Communicating the disposition of rejected parts
  • Recording supplier responses to a quality issue

Where it fits in the document flow

This document 842 Nonconformance Report
Usually followed by 997 Functional Acknowledgment

Structure

Mandatory segments in the 842 (X12 release 008010)

The segments X12 release 008010 marks as mandatory at their level, in order. Segments inside optional loops are needed only when the loop is used. This is the standard's requirement, not your trading partner's: each partner's implementation guide names the release it uses, adds the optional segments it requires and restricts the values. The requirement status comes from one published X12 reference listing and has not been checked against a second source.

  • ST
  • BNR
  • MEA
  • PWK
  • N1
  • HL
  • LM
  • LQ
  • FA1
  • FA2
  • SPS
  • STA
  • NCD
  • EFI
  • BIN
  • NCA
  • SE

Practical example

The 842 in practice

Incoming inspection at an appliance plant finds that a lot of 2,000 stamped brackets has holes out of tolerance. The quality system sends the supplier an 842 identifying the part, lot, ship notice, measured values against specification, quantity rejected and a request for an 8D corrective action. The supplier arranges sorting at the plant and returns its containment plan.

Implementation

Implementation considerations for the 842

  • Reference the shipment, lot and part revision so the supplier can trace the material.
  • Agree on defect and disposition codes, because free text alone is hard to report on.
  • Link 842s to any material claim (847) or chargeback that follows from the issue.
  • Route the report to the supplier's quality contact as well as its EDI system.

How ECOM helps

Automate the 842 with ECOM

Industry

Automotive

Schedules, ship notices, labels, self-billing and multi-plant routing for automotive suppliers.

Industry

Manufacturing

Customer schedules, supplier connectivity and shipping integrated with the ERP for manufacturers.

Solution

Supply Chain Visibility

Track orders, shipments and invoices across partners and catch exceptions early.

More general questions about EDI are answered in the EDI FAQ.

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