Use the existing ERP
SAP or another ERP remains the system of record.
System of recordArchitecture · SAP · EDI · Integration
ESS Hub Technical Architecture
How ESS Hub sits between supplier channels (web portal, EDI, API, SFTP) and enterprise systems such as SAP ECC, SAP S/4HANA and other ERP systems.
Suppliers can interact through the ESS Hub web portal or through supported machine-to-machine channels, while the customer's SAP, ERP and integration systems can remain responsible for the underlying enterprise processes and systems of record.
This architecture allows companies to extend structured supplier collaboration without requiring a wholesale replacement of existing SAP or EDI infrastructure.
Overview
Architecture at a glance
A conceptual architecture: suppliers connect to ESS Hub, ESS Hub exchanges structured business data with the enterprise systems through the integration layer, and the enterprise processes run in the systems of record. Not every deployment uses every channel, and ESS Hub does not communicate directly with every backend system; the exact architecture depends on the implementation.
Web portalEDIAPI — where implementedSFTP — where implemented
ProcurementLogisticsSupplier qualityFinance
EDIStructured messagesIntegration middleware
SAP ECCSAP S/4HANAOther ERP systems
Enterprise processesPurchasingInbound logisticsQualityFinance
Conceptual view · exact architecture per implementationESS Hub in navy
Responsibilities
Supplier-facing layer
ESS Hub is responsible for the supplier-facing side. Suppliers interact with business processes — a purchase order, a delivery schedule, an ASN, a PPAP, an invoice status — not with backend technical objects: no SAP technical objects, EDI syntax or integration mappings are exposed to the supplier. Which modules a supplier sees depends on the enabled modules and the supplier's process scope; not all suppliers have access to all modules. Supplier Portal
- Supplier portal experience
- The supplier workspace with its modules, dashboards and documents.
- Supplier collaboration
- Shared records between supplier and enterprise: call-offs, shipments, quality notifications, invoices, letters and documents.
- Procurement processes
- Purchase-order collaboration, RFQs and supplier quotations. Procurement in ESS Hub
- Logistics processes
- Scheduling agreements and call-offs, ASN with packaging and handling units, labels, returnable packaging. Logistics in ESS Hub
- Supplier quality
- APQP, PPAP, complaints and 8D, certificates, audits, supplier scorecards. Supplier Quality in ESS Hub
- Finance visibility
- Invoices created from shipments, invoice status and payment status. Invoicing in ESS Hub
- User interaction and status
- Confirmations, submissions, read-and-confirm, workflow states and status visibility where implemented.
Integration
Integration layer
The integration layer connects ESS Hub business processes with the customer's existing enterprise systems and B2B landscape. Its architectural responsibilities — routing, transformation, mapping, protocol handling, structured message exchange — belong to the implemented integration layer, which is typically the customer's existing integration architecture. ESS Hub itself does not perform every integration function: in the standard process it generates structured messages such as the DESADV from its business records; transmission and customer-specific conversion take place in the integration layer.
01ESS HubBusiness information: shipment, lines, packaging, status
02Business informationStructured business data
03Integration layerTransformation and routing
04Transformation / routingMapping, protocol handling, structured message exchange
05SAP / ERP
ESS Hub · integration layer · ERP are distinct rolesESS Hub in navy
ERP
SAP and ERP
ESS Hub can integrate with SAP and other ERP environments while allowing the ERP to remain the system of record for the relevant enterprise process. Business data flows in both directions through the integration layer. No IDoc type, RFC, BAPI, OData service, SAP module, table or event is specified here; the interfaces are defined per implementation. SAP Integration
ERP to supplier
01SAP / ERPSystem of record
02Business dataDemand, orders, master data, status
03Integration layerPer implementation
04ESS HubSupplier workspace
05Supplier
Supplier to ERP
01SupplierPortal action
02ESS HubSupplier-facing layer
03Structured business dataShipment, invoice, confirmation
04Integration layerPer implementation
05SAP / ERP
Bidirectional · interfaces defined per implementationESS Hub in navy
WebEDI
WebEDI and portal suppliers
Suppliers without traditional EDI capability can use the ESS Hub web portal to participate in structured supplier processes. For portal use the supplier does not need to operate an EDI translator or maintain EDI mappings. Automotive WebEDI · Non-EDI suppliers in SAP processes
01Non-EDI supplierWeb portal
02ESS HubBusiness process, structured records
03Integration layerCustomer's architecture
04SAP / ERP
Portal suppliers work with business informationESS Hub in navy
Coexistence
Existing EDI suppliers
ESS Hub does not require functioning EDI connections to be replaced. Different supplier communication channels can coexist around the same enterprise backend landscape. EDI & B2B Integration
EDI supplier
01EDI supplierOwn EDI system
02Existing EDI channelUnchanged
03Integration layerCustomer's architecture
04SAP / ERP
Portal supplier
01Portal supplierWeb portal
02ESS HubSupplier-facing layer
03Integration layerCustomer's architecture
04SAP / ERP
Same backend, two channelsESS Hub in navy
Channels
Supported connectivity
The high-level channels through which suppliers and systems connect. API standards, endpoint structures, authentication methods, file formats and real-time behaviour are defined per implementation and not asserted here.
- Web portal
- Human supplier interaction through ESS Hub: sign-in, supplier workspace, business processes.
- EDI
- Structured B2B communication for EDI-capable trading partners; in the product today EDIFACT DESADV (VDA 4987) and INVOIC (VDA 4938) are generated from the shipment, ANSI X12 856 is offered as a format choice, and AS2 / OFTP2 test parameters are provided to suppliers during EDI onboarding.
- API
- System-to-system integration where implemented for the customer.
- SFTP
- File-based exchange where implemented for the customer.
Processes
Business process architecture
The same platform supports the different supplier domains. Examples of what each area covers in ESS Hub today: procurement — purchase orders and RFQs; logistics — schedules, call-offs, ASN, packaging and labels; quality — APQP, PPAP, 8D, supplier scorecards; finance — invoicing with invoice and payment status.
ESS Hub
ProcurementPurchase orders, RFQs
LogisticsSchedules, call-offs, ASN, labels
QualityAPQP, PPAP, 8D, scorecards
FinanceInvoice and payment status
SupplierOne workspace, one sign-in, one supplier record
Product context · modules enabled per implementation
Example
Example automotive data flow
One concrete conceptual example from demand to despatch advice. Exact message formats, mappings and backend objects depend on the implemented customer integration. Scheduling Agreements & Call-Offs · ASN & DESADV · VDA 4987
01SAP / ERPScheduling agreement
02Scheduling / supplier requirementCall-off
03Integration layerInbound to ESS Hub
04ESS HubDemands: supplier confirms
05SupplierPrepares the shipment
06ASNFour-step shipment wizard
07ESS HubShipment record with handling units
08Integration layerDESADV transmitted
09VDA 4987 / DESADV processCustomer's inbound process
10SAP / ERP
Conceptual example · not one automatic workflowESS Hub in navy
Environments
Application environments
ESS Hub distinguishes environments per customer: a production environment and a quality environment used for integration and process testing before production, provisioned as part of the implementation by ESS operations. Demo environments exist for product demonstrations and are reset independently of customer environments.
The exact environment setup — separation, data, access and refresh — is defined per implementation and described in the vendor assessment; no statement about physical infrastructure isolation is made here.
Hosting
Hosting and data location
ESS Hub is developed and operated by EDI & SAP Solutions SRL, Brașov, Romania, a company in the European Union. The production application uses two established platform providers in verified roles: Vercel hosts and serves the ESS Hub web application (app.esshub.ai); Supabase provides the application's authentication service, database, serverless functions and file storage.
Hosting regions, data location for application, database, storage, backups and logs, encryption at rest, retention and subprocessors are documented in the enterprise vendor assessment and are deliberately not asserted on this page; provider certifications are provider-level assurance, not ESS Hub certifications. Security & Trust
Security
Security boundaries
Architecture-level controls that are in the platform today:
- Authenticated supplier access: users sign in with e-mail and password at app.esshub.ai; supplier and enterprise workspaces are assigned by role.
- Role-based access control: business roles for supplier users and enterprise users; a data-driven permission matrix defines what each role can see and do.
- Supplier separation: each supplier works in its own workspace and sees only its own documents; the enterprise workspace sees all suppliers.
- Encryption in transit: the application is served over HTTPS.
- Audit trail: an audit trail module for enterprise administrators; approval-controlled changes to supplier bank details.
- Backend separation: suppliers connect to the collaboration layer, never to the enterprise systems.
Multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, encryption at rest, secrets management, production access controls and infrastructure logging are answered in the vendor assessment, not asserted here. No security certification is claimed on this page. Security & Architecture
Access
Customer and supplier access model
The role model as published on the Security page: business roles, a permission matrix and supplier-level separation. Plant-level permissions are not a separate control in the current product; plants appear as attributes of demands and shipments.
- Customer users
- Enterprise roles for procurement, logistics, quality and finance; the enterprise workspace sees all suppliers; enterprise administrators use Portal Administration (invitations, roles, bank approvals, audit trail).
- Supplier users
- Supplier roles within one supplier organization; supplier administrators manage their colleagues and roles; supplier users see only the data associated with their organization.
- Administrative roles
- Enterprise administrators on the customer side; an ESS operator role for platform operation.
- Scopes
- Suppliers are invited into defined process scopes (for example shipments, call-offs, packaging, returnables, EDI); invitations can be revoked.
Ownership
Data ownership and system of record
ESS Hub is not necessarily the system of record for every enterprise object. Depending on the process, SAP or the ERP remains the system of record — for purchasing documents, demand, master data, goods receipt and finance — while ESS Hub provides supplier interaction, collaboration, process visibility and supplier-facing workflow on top of that data. The integration layer synchronizes the relevant business information according to the implemented architecture: which objects, in which direction and how often is defined per implementation.
Due diligence
Configuration vs custom development
ESS Hub is a product platform that is configured and integrated for the customer's supplier processes. It is not intended to require a new supplier portal to be developed from scratch for every implementation. The answer to “configurable product or bespoke development project?” is: a product, configured and integrated.
- Product core
- The ESS Hub platform: supplier and enterprise workspaces, the modules for procurement, logistics, quality and finance, the supplier experience and the standard capabilities described on this site.
- Configuration
- Customer-specific process setup within the product: enabled modules and supplier process scopes; roles and the permission matrix; business rules in Portal Administration — for example the call-off confirmation lead time, whether suppliers may propose alternatives, whether partial deliveries are allowed, the window in which a shipment may be cancelled, whether DESADV generation waits for a confirmed transport order, automatic acknowledgement of ASNs on APERAK, whether the electronic invoice is mandatory before a PDF copy; notifications and e-mail templates with reminders, digest and quiet hours; packaging data sheets, label templates and documents requiring confirmation.
- Integration
- Connection to enterprise systems through the integration layer: message formats, mappings and interfaces implemented for the customer's SAP/ERP and EDI landscape.
- Custom development
- Only where a requirement genuinely falls outside the standard and configurable functionality of the product.
Implementation
Deployment approach
The sequence ESS follows for an ESS Hub implementation, as described on the About page: scope, interfaces and pace are defined with the customer's teams. No durations are published and no zero-downtime claim is made. About ESS Hub
01DiscoveryProcesses, suppliers, landscape
02Process & integration designScope, interfaces, rules
03Configuration & integrationESS Hub set-up, ERP / integration connection
04PilotTesting with selected suppliers
05Supplier onboarding & rolloutInvitations, scopes, roles
06ProductionGo-live
07Support & continuous operationOperation, changes, further modules
Sequence only · durations defined per project
Sizing
Scalability
Capacity and sizing are evaluated according to the supplier population, transaction profile, enabled modules and integration architecture. No transaction volumes, user counts or availability figures are published on this page; where sizing figures are relevant to a specific deployment, they are part of the implementation planning and the vendor assessment.
Operations
Monitoring and operations
What the product provides for operations today:
- Business-level monitoring on the enterprise side: the Control Tower (inbound shipments, unconfirmed and overdue call-offs, open tickets, read-and-confirm tracking) and logistics and financial monitoring views
- Document status on both sides: packed, dispatched, acknowledged; EDI sent; received, posted, paid — the same status for supplier and enterprise
- Message view per document: the EDI message behind an ASN or an invoice can be opened from the document; sample messages are structurally validated during supplier onboarding
- Audit trail for enterprise administrators
- Support tickets raised by suppliers from the portal, including from an invoice
Operational monitoring of interfaces runs in the integration layer and the middleware the enterprise already operates. Infrastructure and security monitoring practices, alerting and incident handling are described in the vendor assessment; no 24/7 monitoring or support commitment is claimed on this page.
Reference
ESS Hub reference architecture
The reference architecture in one picture: channels, platform, integration layer and systems of record, with the cross-cutting controls that are in the platform today. No vendor names, no customer names.
Web portalEDIAPISFTP
ProcurementLogisticsQualityFinance
Structured messagesIntegration middleware
SAP ECCSAP S/4HANAOther ERP systems
Cross-cuttingAuthenticated accessRole-based permissionsSupplier separationAudit trail
Reference architecture · logical viewESS Hub in navy
Product evidence
ESS Hub platform
Summary
Architecture principles
Keep existing EDI where it works
EDI-capable suppliers stay on their channel.
CoexistenceAdd WebEDI for portal suppliers
Suppliers without EDI join through the web portal.
WebEDIUse structured integration
Business data crosses the integration layer as structured messages.
IntegrationSeparate supplier experience from backend complexity
Suppliers see business processes, not technical objects.
SeparationConfigure the product around the supplier process
Modules, scopes, roles, rules and notifications are configured; custom development only where necessary.
ConfigurationFAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is ESS Hub?
ESS Hub is an automotive supplier collaboration and WebEDI platform developed by EDI & SAP Solutions SRL. It is the supplier-facing layer around a customer's existing SAP, ERP and EDI landscape, covering procurement, logistics, supplier quality and finance processes.
Is ESS Hub a supplier portal or an integration platform?
It is the supplier-facing collaboration platform. Suppliers work in its web portal or connect through supported machine-to-machine channels; the integration with the customer's backend is handled by the implemented integration layer, which can be the customer's existing EDI and integration architecture.
Does ESS Hub integrate with SAP?
Yes. ESS Hub integrates with SAP and other ERP environments through the implemented integration architecture; SAP remains the system of record for the relevant enterprise process.
Does ESS Hub replace SAP?
No. SAP — or another ERP — remains the system of record for purchasing, demand, inbound logistics and finance. ESS Hub provides supplier interaction, collaboration and process visibility in front of it.
Does ESS Hub replace existing EDI middleware?
No, not necessarily. ESS Hub is designed to work with an existing integration and EDI landscape; the customer's integration layer continues to transmit and, where required, convert the messages.
Can EDI and non-EDI suppliers coexist?
Yes. EDI-capable suppliers keep their existing EDI channel; suppliers without EDI use the ESS Hub web portal; both end in the same integration layer and backend process.
What connectivity methods does ESS Hub support?
The web portal for human supplier interaction, EDI for EDI-capable trading partners, and API and SFTP where implemented for the customer. Which channels a deployment uses is defined in the implementation.
Can ESS Hub work with an existing integration landscape?
Yes. That is the intended architecture: ESS Hub is added as the supplier-facing layer; the customer's existing integration architecture stays in place and connects ESS Hub to the backend systems.
Is ESS Hub a configurable product or custom-developed for every customer?
ESS Hub is a product platform. It is configured and integrated for the customer's supplier processes — enabled modules and process scopes, roles and permissions, business rules, notifications, packaging and label requirements, connections to the integration layer. Custom development is used only where a requirement falls outside the standard and configurable functionality.
Where is ESS Hub hosted?
ESS Hub is operated by EDI & SAP Solutions SRL, a company in the European Union. The web application is hosted and served by Vercel; authentication, database, serverless functions and file storage are provided by Supabase. Regions, data location and provider assurance documentation are part of the enterprise vendor assessment and are not asserted on this page.
How does ESS Hub handle supplier access?
Supplier users sign in with their accounts and work in a supplier workspace that shows only their own organization's documents; business roles with a permission matrix define what each role can see and do; the enterprise workspace sees all suppliers. Single sign-on and multi-factor authentication are answered in the vendor assessment.
Does ESS Hub support separate test and production environments?
ESS Hub distinguishes environments per customer: a production environment and a quality environment used for integration and process testing, provisioned as part of the implementation. Their exact setup and isolation are described in the vendor assessment.
Can ESS Hub integrate with ERP systems other than SAP?
Yes. SAP ECC and SAP S/4HANA are the most common landscapes; other ERP systems are connected through the same architectural role — supplier-facing layer in front, integration layer in between, system of record behind — with the integration implemented per landscape.