Northern Tool + Equipment is a leading omnichannel retailer of power tools, outdoor power, farm equipment, and industrial supplies — with 130+ stores and a high-volume e-commerce operation. SBSA Technology delivers full EDI compliance for all Northern Tool fulfillment channels: Distribution Center, retail store replenishment, and drop ship direct to customer.
Select your channel to see EDI requirements
Northern Tool issues EDI 850 POs for DC replenishment. Review item quantities, ship-to address, and required ship window carefully.
Send an 855 PO Acknowledgment within 24 hours of PO receipt. Late or missing acknowledgments can trigger compliance chargebacks.
Northern Tool expects complete shipments. Communicate any shortfalls via the 855 before shipment — do not short-ship without acknowledgment.
The ASN must reach Northern Tool's system before the physical goods arrive at the DC. Late ASNs trigger refusal and chargebacks.
Submit one 810 invoice per PO. Invoice data must match the 850 and 856 exactly — discrepancies result in payment disputes.
Ship-to address on the PO will be a specific store rather than the distribution center. Requirements mirror DC shipments.
All acknowledgment timing, ASN, and invoice rules identical to DC orders. The 855 must still be sent within 24 hours.
Every carton shipped to a Northern Tool store must carry a compliant GS1-128 label matching the 856 ASN data exactly.
A retailer-branded packing slip generated from the ASN data must accompany all store-bound shipments.
Northern Tool requires item-level ship date confirmations in the 855 — not just at the order header level.
Drop ship POs embed the consumer's delivery address directly in the 850. You ship to the customer, not a Northern Tool location.
All drop ship orders must include a Northern Tool-branded packing slip. Customer must not see your company branding.
Carrier tracking number is mandatory in the ASN for all drop ship orders. BOL or PRO required for freight shipments.
Drop ship orders typically carry aggressive SLAs. SBSA's automation routes drop ship POs to your fulfillment system immediately on receipt.
Consumer-level order volume requires automation. SBSA maps Northern Tool drop ship POs to your warehouse system without manual intervention.
Northern Tool + Equipment is a family-owned specialty retailer founded in 1981, now operating 130+ retail stores across the United States alongside one of the country's most active outdoor power and equipment e-commerce operations. Supplying Northern Tool means meeting strict EDI and fulfillment standards across both the brick-and-mortar and digital channels simultaneously.
Northern Tool stocks a curated range of power tools, generators, air compressors, pressure washers, farm equipment, and material handling products. Its customers are contractors, farmers, small businesses, and serious DIYers — demanding fast fulfillment and accurate order execution.
Northern Tool operates over 130 brick-and-mortar locations primarily in the southern and central United States, supported by a major e-commerce channel at NorthernTool.com. As a supplier, your EDI 850 PO will route to one of three destinations — DC, store, or end customer — each with distinct requirements.
NorthernTool.com runs a dedicated drop ship supplier program separate from store replenishment. If you supply both channels, note they carry distinct EDI configurations. SBSA supports both the retail and dot-com channels simultaneously from a single integrated platform with unified compliance monitoring.
Northern Tool supports three EDI transmission protocols. SBSA Technology handles setup, testing, certification, and ongoing monitoring for all three — you choose the method that fits your infrastructure.
Direct Secure Transmission
AS2 (Applicability Statement 2) is the preferred EDI protocol for Northern Tool. It transmits EDI documents directly over HTTPS with digital signatures and encryption, providing real-time delivery confirmation and the highest level of security.
Secure File Transfer
SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) is a file-based EDI transmission method supported by Northern Tool. EDI files are deposited to and picked up from a secure server. Suitable for suppliers whose internal systems already use file-based EDI workflows.
Value-Added Network
Northern Tool also accepts EDI via a Value-Added Network. VANs provide a mailbox-based interchange model often used by suppliers already enrolled in a VAN for other trading partners. SBSA connects to all major VAN providers on your behalf.
SBSA Technology supports core and supplemental Northern Tool EDI Integration EDI documents. Critical transactions are highlighted because they carry the highest compliance risk when transmitted incorrectly or late.
Northern Tool sends an 850 for every order. Contains item, quantity, price, ship-to destination, and required ship window. For drop ship POs, end customer address is embedded.
InboundSupplier must send an 855 within 24 hours of PO receipt. Confirm quantities, ship dates, and pricing at item level. Late or missing 855s trigger compliance chargebacks.
Outbound 24-hour deadline from PO receiptMust be transmitted before the shipment physically arrives at Northern Tool's DC, store, or reaches the customer for drop ship. Contains carrier, tracking, carton, and item-level detail.
Outbound Must precede physical shipment arrivalOne 810 invoice per PO. Invoice data must exactly match the 850 PO and 856 ASN — any discrepancy triggers a payment dispute. SBSA validates all three documents for consistency before transmission.
OutboundAutomatic system-level acknowledgment confirming successful receipt and parsing of each EDI document. SBSA handles 997 processing and alerts you to any parsing failures immediately.
OutboundNorthern Tool may issue an 860 to modify a PO after initial issue — updating quantities, ship dates, or pricing. SBSA routes 860 change requests to your ERP and triggers re-acknowledgment workflow.
InboundSBSA Technology integrates Northern Tool EDI with your existing ERP, warehouse, and accounting systems — eliminating manual data entry and ensuring every PO, shipment, and invoice flows automatically between systems.
SBSA is an Intuit Silver Partner for QuickBooks Online. We map Northern Tool purchase orders directly into QuickBooks Online as purchase orders or bills, and push outbound invoices back to Northern Tool as EDI 810 — all without manual data entry.
SBSA is an Intuit Silver Partner for QuickBooks Enterprise. For higher-volume suppliers on QBE, we provide direct EDI integration including advanced inventory mapping, multi-location warehouse support, and automated EDI transaction processing from within your Enterprise environment.
Full SAP integration via IDocs or direct API. Maps Northern Tool's EDI segments to SAP order management, warehouse management, and FI invoice processing.
Bidirectional integration: 850 POs create sales orders in NetSuite automatically; ship confirmations and invoices flow back to Northern Tool as EDI 856 and 810.
For suppliers running Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central or Finance & Operations, SBSA provides direct EDI integration via the Dynamics API or file-based connector, mapping all Northern Tool transactions to your D365 purchase order and inventory modules.
Drop ship suppliers on e-commerce platforms or using third-party logistics providers can connect Northern Tool drop ship POs directly to Shopify, WooCommerce, or 3PL warehouse management systems. SBSA handles the EDI-to-platform bridge completely.
If your ERP or WMS isn't listed, SBSA builds a custom integration. We've connected EDI to hundreds of systems — flat-file imports, AS/400 mainframes, proprietary ERPs, and everything in between.
Northern Tool's compliance program includes chargeback penalties for late ASNs, missing acknowledgments, and label errors. SBSA's managed EDI platform prevents these deductions through end-to-end automation and real-time monitoring.
Inbound 850 POs automatically pushed to your ERP or fulfillment system — no manual download or re-keying
855 PO Acknowledgment generated and transmitted within your 24-hour window automatically on PO receipt
856 ASN built from your shipment confirmation data and transmitted before goods leave your dock
GS1-128 carton label generation integrated with ASN data — label and ASN always in sync
810 Invoice triggered automatically from your ERP billing event — one per PO, validated against 850 before send
860 PO Change Requests routed to your ERP with alerts — re-acknowledgment workflow triggered automatically
997 Functional Acknowledgment processing — delivery failures flagged and escalated immediately
Northern Tool-branded packing slip generation for all drop ship and store-direct shipments
Real-time compliance dashboard — track acknowledgment rates, ASN timing, and invoice match rates
Chargeback dispute support — SBSA provides EDI transmission logs and timestamps for all compliance disputes
Common questions from suppliers beginning their Northern Tool EDI compliance journey.
Northern Tool requires four core EDI transactions: the 850 Purchase Order (inbound), the 855 PO Acknowledgment (outbound, required within 24 hours), the 856 Advance Ship Notice (outbound, required before shipment arrives), and the 810 Invoice (outbound, one per PO). The 997 Functional Acknowledgment is handled automatically by SBSA's platform for all documents.
Northern Tool suppliers fulfill orders through three channels specified in the EDI 850: (1) Distribution Center replenishment, where you ship bulk product to a Northern Tool DC; (2) Store Direct, where you ship to a specific Northern Tool retail location; and (3) Drop Ship, where you fulfill directly to Northern Tool's end customer with Northern Tool-branded packing documentation. SBSA handles all three channels with channel-aware automation.
Northern Tool is strict on ASN compliance. Any shipment arriving at a Northern Tool DC or store without a prior EDI 856 ASN — or with an ASN that arrives after the physical goods — can be refused or result in significant compliance chargebacks. A refused shipment means goods are returned to you at your cost. SBSA transmits the 856 ASN automatically the moment your shipment is confirmed to leave your facility, preventing this scenario entirely.
Yes. SBSA Technology is an Intuit Silver Partner for both QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Enterprise. We map Northern Tool purchase orders directly into QuickBooks as bills or purchase orders, and automatically generate EDI 810 invoices from your QuickBooks billing events — eliminating manual data entry entirely. QuickBooks integration is available as part of SBSA's full Northern Tool EDI package.
Yes. NorthernTool.com's drop ship supplier program operates with its own EDI configuration separate from the retail store replenishment channel. If you supply both, they require separate EDI setups and compliance monitoring. SBSA supports both the retail and dot-com channels simultaneously through a unified platform, with distinct compliance tracking for each channel.
With SBSA managing the full integration, Northern Tool EDI certification typically takes 2 to 4 weeks from project kickoff to first live transaction. The timeline depends on your ERP readiness, the complexity of your product data mapping, and Northern Tool's testing schedule. SBSA handles all certification communication directly with Northern Tool's EDI team — you do not need to manage the technical testing process.
Northern Tool expects complete order fulfillment. If you cannot ship all items on a PO, you must communicate this in your 855 PO Acknowledgment — updating the quantity or providing a revised ship date at the item level. Never ship a partial order without prior acknowledgment, and do not submit a zero-quantity line in the 856 ASN for an unfulfillable item — remove the line entirely instead. A zero-quantity ASN line is a compliance error. SBSA's 855 workflow guides you through the correct acknowledgment process for shortfall scenarios.
Yes. Northern Tool requires compliant GS1-128 (UCC-128) carton labels on all inbound shipments to DCs and retail stores. Label content must match the data transmitted in the EDI 856 ASN exactly — any mismatch can result in receiving chargebacks. SBSA's platform generates GS1-128 labels directly from the ASN data, ensuring the label and the EDI document are always in sync.
Tell us your fulfillment channel — DC, store replenishment, or drop ship — and we'll build a complete integration plan for you, including QuickBooks or ERP connectivity.
