The VDA 49xx Message Family: An Overview for Suppliers
VDA recommendations in the 49xx range cover the electronic paperwork of the automotive supply chain. New suppliers usually meet them one at a time and never see the full picture - here it is.
The messages you will actually meet
| VDA | EDIFACT base | Direction | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4984 | DELFOR | Customer → supplier | Delivery forecast / call-off schedule |
| 4985 | DELJIT | Customer → supplier | Just-in-time call-off, near-term sequencing |
| 4987 | DESADV | Supplier → customer | Despatch advice (ASN) per shipment |
| 4988 | RECADV | Customer → supplier | Receiving advice - confirmation of goods receipt |
| 4938 | INVOIC | Customer → supplier | Self-billing invoice ("Gutschrift") created by the customer |
| 4906 | INVOIC (classic) | Supplier → customer | Classic invoice (older fixed-length variants exist as 4905/4913) |
| 4915 | ORDERS | Customer → supplier | Purchase order |
The typical flow
- 4984 (DELFOR) arrives daily or weekly: your demand picture.
- 4985 (DELJIT) refines it for sequenced/JIT plants.
- You ship and send 4987 (DESADV) before the truck rolls.
- The plant books the receipt; some send 4988 (RECADV) back.
- Billing runs either as classic invoice (4906) or self-billing credit note (4938) created by the customer.
Which to implement first
Almost every onboarding starts with 4984 inbound and 4987 outbound - without them you cannot deliver at all. Invoicing (4938/4906) follows once the physical flow is stable; DELJIT (4985) only matters if your plant runs sequenced delivery. That is also why this site's first two validators cover 4987 and 4984.
A note on versions
VDA recommendations exist in multiple releases and are profiled again per OEM. "We need VDA 4987" always means "VDA 4987 per our guideline, release X" - get the plant-specific document before you map anything.