---
description: >-
  This is the home page of the Smart Connected Supplier Network (SCSN) process
  documentation manual.
---

# Introduction

Smart Connected Supplier Network or SCSN is an open communication standard for exchanging order-related data between organizations (i.e. within the supply chain). The standard focusses mainly on low-volume, high-mix, high-complexity sectors where many organizations work together to create products. An example of such a sector where SCSN is used is the high-tech equipment manufacturing sector within the region of Eindhoven. The main goal of the standard is to make the Dutch and European industries more competitive by providing seamless data exchange within the supply chain.

In order to do so, SCSN defines an universal language across all organizations. This language is to create several messages. Each message is a predefined set of information structured in a certain standardized way and is used to exchange the information between organizations. SCSN currently defined the following messages:

* Order messages
  * Order: Send an order to an organization
  * Order response: Accept or reject (a subset of) the order
  * Order status: Inform the buyer with a changed order status
* Despatch Advice: Inform the buyer with logistical information&#x20;
* Technical Product Data (TDP): Technical information send by the buyer
* Bill of Materials (BoM): Specifications of the material relations
* Forecasting: Predict upcoming orders
* What-If
  * What-if Request: Ask the seller whether it is possible to change the order. Note: this is only a question, not a hard change request.&#x20;
  * What-if Response: Inform the buyer whether it is possible to meet the changed demands.
* Quotation&#x20;
  * Request for Quotation: Ask the seller to create a (non-binding) quotation.&#x20;
  * Quotation Response: Inform the buyer with the quotation. Note: is confirmed by the buyer with a formal Order message
* Measurement: Send measurement data or material certificates about purchased goods to the buyer.

On this site, the process of using and applying SCSN is explained. For more information about SCSN and the messages definitions, the reader is referred to: [https://smartconnected.semantic-treehouse.nl](https://smartconnected.semantic-treehouse.nl). This manual is still work in progress and is structured as follows. The main part of the manual is a set of use cases. Each use case describes a possibility of how SCSN can be used in a certain scenario. Each use case should contain at least the following data:

* A textual description of the use-case .
* A process diagram explaining the use-case including all relevant actors and process steps.
* Detailed descriptions of how to apply which message at which time.&#x20;
* Detailed descriptions of how exceptions are handled.&#x20;
* At least one example of how the SCSN messages are applied in this use case.&#x20;
