Manual purchasing processes can create unnecessary work for procurement teams, from looking up supplier part numbers and entering purchase orders to resolving invoice discrepancies. JD Edwards Direct Connect offers a way to simplify these activities by integrating supplier shopping experiences with JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, reducing duplicate entry while maintaining purchasing controls.

At INFOCUS 2026, Jennifer Goihl, Project Manager at Cardinal Glass, shared how her organization implemented JD Edwards Direct Connect and punchout purchasing to improve order accuracy, streamline procurement, and automate invoice processing. Her session, Vendor Purchasing using JDE Direct Connect / Punchout Features, explored the implementation process, technical configurations, customizations, and lessons learned from bringing the solution into production.

Why Cardinal Glass Needed a Better Purchasing Process

Cardinal Glass operates 47 locations across the United States, with approximately 10,000 employees. The manufacturer uses JD Edwards EnterpriseOne for purchasing, inventory management, order entry, shipping, and finance. Before implementing Direct Connect, plant purchasers followed a largely manual process: visiting supplier websites to identify products, looking up part numbers, creating purchase orders in EnterpriseOne, and emailing those orders to suppliers. Suppliers then entered the same information into their own systems, creating multiple opportunities for errors.

Purchasers frequently spent time determining whether items already existed in EnterpriseOne, checking supplier cross-references, and resolving pricing discrepancies. Accounts payable encountered additional challenges when invoice amounts differed from purchase orders or when taxable items were incorrectly identified. A particular concern involved supplier discounts. Some vendors provided discounts only at the total invoice level, making it difficult to determine the discount associated with individual purchase order lines. When one supplier explained that EDI invoicing could provide line-level discount information, Cardinal began exploring a more integrated purchasing approach.

How JD Edwards Direct Connect Changes the Purchasing Workflow

JD Edwards Direct Connect uses the Business Services Server (BSSV) and cXML to connect EnterpriseOne users directly to participating suppliers’ online catalogs. Rather than visiting a supplier website separately and reentering product information, purchasers launch the supplier’s shopping environment from EnterpriseOne, select products, and transfer their shopping cart back into JD Edwards.

Importantly, submitting the shopping cart does not immediately place an order with the supplier. Instead, the selected items return to EnterpriseOne, where they become a requisition. Purchasers review the information, make permitted adjustments, and generate a purchase order. Cardinal’s workflow then uses EDI to transmit the purchase order to the supplier. After shipment, the plant receives the goods in EnterpriseOne, the supplier sends its invoice electronically, and Cardinal uses Voucher Match Automation to complete processing after approval. This approach eliminates much of the duplicate entry while preserving opportunities to validate purchasing information before an order is transmitted.

A Real-World Punchout Demonstration with Grainger

During her INFOCUS demonstration, Goihl walked attendees through Cardinal’s integration with Grainger, its first Direct Connect supplier. Starting from a customized EnterpriseOne page, she selected an eligible supplier and launched Grainger’s shopping website. She added several everyday plant supplies, including toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products, and glove holder clips. Once she submitted the shopping cart, its contents transferred back to EnterpriseOne for review.

Cardinal customized the requisition review screen to accommodate its existing purchasing practices. One important enhancement automatically searches supplier cross-references for matching EnterpriseOne item numbers, allowing purchases to remain associated with existing item history. The system also populates general ledger accounts based on commodity codes and business units, while permitting authorized adjustments for account-based purchases. Users can modify quantities, buyer assignments, taxable flags, and tax rates before generating a purchase order. Supplier-provided prices, however, cannot be changed because preserving those amounts helps prevent discrepancies during invoice matching.

Another customization addresses supplier address book assignments. Some Cardinal plants historically purchased from regional supplier locations, and the company wanted to preserve those purchasing relationships and reporting history rather than split transactions across new supplier records. Once the requisition becomes a purchase order, purchasers can review a PDF directly through a CafeOne layout. Cardinal also configured order statuses to require purchase order review before EDI transmission, with vendor acknowledgments and email notifications providing additional visibility into order processing.

Automating Invoice Matching and Voucher Processing

One of the most significant improvements came after the purchase order was transmitted. Previously, Cardinal’s accounts payable process involved manually reviewing invoices, investigating discrepancies, and creating vouchers through its integrated ScanMan system. With EDI invoicing and Voucher Match Automation, much of that work can be eliminated.

Cardinal developed a customized batch voucher review screen that displays invoice details alongside purchase order receipt information. Instead of reviewing only an invoice total, users can compare individual invoice lines against received quantities and amounts, including associated charges such as freight and tax. Once the reviewer confirms that the invoice matches the receipt within established tolerances, the invoice is approved. A nightly Voucher Match Automation process then generates and posts the voucher for payment.

Goihl explained that Cardinal configured automation to match individual lines rather than relying on the overall invoice total. The company also adjusted data selection to process only approved invoices. These changes allow accounts payable to focus on validating transactions and resolving exceptions rather than repeatedly entering information already available electronically.

Technical Configuration and Implementation Considerations

Implementing JD Edwards Direct Connect requires coordination between business users, CNC administrators, and supplier integration teams. Cardinal’s initial setup included configuring the Business Services Server, defining cXML-related user-defined codes, establishing Direct Connect file locations, and setting up cross-reference information. Each supplier also requires connection credentials, including authentication details and the appropriate punchout website address.

Additional configurations map supplier commodity codes to general ledger accounts and determine which suppliers are available to individual plants. Rather than importing an extensive commodity classification directory, Cardinal chose broader categories such as supplies and repairs. This simplified account mapping while supporting the company’s purchasing requirements.

Goihl emphasized that supplier integration is not necessarily identical across vendors. Grainger followed the expected cXML standards relatively closely, but subsequent suppliers introduced additional authentication requirements. Cardinal also required substantial EDI development and testing because its supplier’s invoicing requirements meant purchase orders needed to be transmitted through EDI rather than through the Direct Connect purchase order service. While much of the initial BSSV configuration is a one-time effort, each new supplier can introduce additional mapping, testing, and authentication work.

Lessons Learned: Adoption, Tax Handling, and Upgrades

Although the technical solution streamlined purchasing, Goihl acknowledged that user adoption presented challenges. Some plants questioned whether corporate supplier pricing accurately reflected locally negotiated discounts, making confidence in the pricing information essential to encouraging wider use. Cardinal also encountered complications with tax handling. The company initially did not transmit its taxable flag through EDI, potentially resulting in differences between purchase orders and supplier invoices. Future integrations will address that gap by communicating tax information more consistently.

Another challenge emerged during Cardinal’s upgrade to JD Edwards Release 26. Changes involving certificate-based authentication and Java package builds complicated the process of onboarding additional suppliers. Vendors requiring nonstandard authentication attributes could also necessitate Java modifications and recompilation, potentially requiring outside development assistance. These experiences reinforced the importance of validating supplier requirements early, involving technical resources throughout implementation, and accounting for upgrade-related changes when planning integrations.

What’s Next for Cardinal Glass?

Cardinal’s immediate priorities include resolving its Release 26 Business Services Server issues, expanding Direct Connect to additional suppliers, and introducing the purchasing process at more plants. The company is also evaluating additional purchasing approval workflows. While Cardinal historically relied on budget controls rather than formal purchase order approvals, its growing operations have prompted discussions about incorporating requisition approvals and potentially leveraging existing ScanMan approval routing.

Ultimately, Cardinal’s experience demonstrates that JD Edwards Direct Connect can do more than simplify online purchasing. Combined with EDI, targeted customizations, and Voucher Match Automation, it can connect procurement and accounts payable in a more efficient, integrated process. For JD Edwards customers considering punchout purchasing, the key is to look beyond the initial supplier connection and consider how pricing, purchasing history, tax handling, invoice matching, and approvals will work together. Thoughtful configuration and early attention to supplier-specific requirements can help organizations reduce manual work while maintaining the controls their business needs.

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