[Info-vax] OT: Automating shipments

[Jeffrey H. Coffield]

On 12/01/2011 09:32 AM, JF Mezei wrote:
> Does anyone know how large shippers automate shipping with FedEx, USPS,
> UPS etc ? (or whatever you have in your country) ?
>
> These shippers provide web interfaces for individuals to generate
> waybills, but large shippers can't possibly be doing that.
>
> How is this done ?
>
> Does FedEx just give them standards for labels, and the shippers simply
> send some HTTP transaction to FedEx and get a waybill number and they
> they create the waybill and print it themselves ?
>
> Or do they submit the information and FedEx responds with a .pdf that
> contains the printable waybill ?
>
>
> Since these shippers have well integrated systems, I doubt they run some
> PC software that handles printing of waybills since this would need to
> integrated with their ordering system (to get the address), shipping (to
> get weight/size of package and then report back with wayboll number so
> the buyer can get their email advising the shipment has been made and
> provide him with the tracking number.

We wrote an OpenVMS interface to UPS for one of our customers a few 
years back. It connects to a web service and returns a image file (GIF I 
think) which is printed on a label printer and updates an RMS indexed 
file with the tracking number. It has been one of those write and forget 
about projects as no one ever asks any question but the customer ships 
about 100 or so packages a day so I know it works well.

Jeff Coffield
www.digitalsynergyinc.com