GS1 Standards in T & L sector
The GS1 System of standards is well known and widely used in the Transport and Logistics sector, which include the following:
GS1 identification keys
The GS1 System of standards includes a range of GS1 Identification Keys, including the GTIN, GLN, SSCC, GRAI, GIAI, GSIN and GINC:
- The Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), is used to uniquely identify trade items (products or services) that may be priced, or ordered, or invoiced at any point in any supply chain. Each trade item that is different from another is allocated its own separate GTIN. Their main function is to provide a way to uniquely identify any item so it can be looked up in a database – for example to get its price, record its sale, confirm its delivery or identify its order – and this, at any point during the supply chain and from any place in the world.
- The Global Location Number (GLN) is the GS1 ID Key used to identify locations and legal entities. Being able to identify locations with a unique number is vital to many business processes; GLNs are also the essential building block for a variety of EPC/RFID applications built around location. Using a GLN rather than a proprietary internal numbering system for locations gives a company significant advantages, because it provides a standardized way to uniquely identify entities and locations throughout the supply chain.
- The Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC) is the GS1 ID Key used to identify individual logistic units. A logistic unit can be any combination of units put together in a carton, in a case, on a pallet or on a truck, where the specific unit load needs to be managed through the supply chain. The SSCC enables a unit to be tracked individually, providing benefits for order and delivery tracking and automated goods-receiving. The serial reference component of the SSCC provides virtually unlimited number capacity, simplifying number allocation and guaranteeing unique identification.
- The Global Returnable Asset Identifier (GRAI) is used to identify returnable assets such as re-usable transport equipment like trays, crates, pallets or beer kegs that are used and then returned to be used again. The GRAI can be used simply for asset identification and tracking purposes, or it can be as part of a hiring or rental system where two or more companies collaborate, as it allows enterprises to scan assets into and out of their businesses.
- The Global Individual Asset Identifier (GIAI) is used to identify fixed assets of any value within a company that need to be identified uniquely, for the transportation purposes this can include a truck, a trailer, a Unit Load Device (ULD), a container, a rail car, and so forth.
- The Global Shipment Identification Number (GSIN) is a number assigned by a seller (sender) of the goods. It provides a globally unique number that identifies a logical grouping of physical units travelling under one dispatch advice and/or one bill of lading as part of a specific seller/buyer relationship: from the consignor (seller) to the consignee (buyer). The GSIN fulfils the requirements of the Unique Consignment Reference (UCR) of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), which can be used by Customs authorities to identify shipments subject to import or export processes.
- The Global Identification Number for Consignment (GINC) identifies a logical grouping of goods (one or more physical entities) that has been consigned to a freight forwarder or carrier and is intended to be transported as a whole. The GS1 ID Keys are complemented by GS1 Application Identifiers (GS1 AIs). GS1 AIs act like a code list of generic and simple data fields for use in multi-sector and international supply chain applications. Each GS1 AI consists of two or more digits and provides the definition, format and structure of the data field encoded in a GS1Data Carrier. For example, a GS1 AI exists for each GS1 ID Key, allowing them to be encoded in GS1 BarCodes or EPC/RFID tags. Supplementary data is always associated with a GS1 ID Key and, while the intention is that the GS1ID Key is used to find information about the identified object in a database, GS1 AIs exist for supplementary data that cannot be looked up in a database by reference to the GS1 ID key.
GS1 Data carriers
The GS1 System of standards also includes an entire portfolio of data carriers: different kinds of media that can hold GS1 ID Keys and application identifiers. The same content can, in fact, be encoded into different kinds of carriers, depending on what use will be made of it. GS1 Data Carriers include:
- GS1 BarCodes, data carriers which enable the rapid and unambiguous encoding of GTIN, GLN, SSCC and other GS1 Identification Keys and GS1 Application Identifiers (AIs). Using bar codes can greatly reduce human errors in data entry and processing.
- EPC/RFID tags, which use Radio-Frequency Identification technology to encode GS1 ID Keys in the GS1 Electronic Product Code (EPC). The GS1 Identification Key of the item (e.g. SSCC, GRAI, etc) is stored on a tag that is attached to the item and carries data programmed into a small computer chip and operates at a wide range of radio frequencies. The data relating to the item can then be used within and between organizations and trading partners in a secure manner via the EPCglobal Network.
GS1 communication Standards
Finally, the GS1 System of standards also comprises a set of communication standards:
- GS1 eCom Communication Standards, for example, uses GS1 Identification Keys such as GTIN, GLN and SSCC to unambiguously identify the products, services and parties involved in any electronic business transaction, enabling these exchanges to be smoothly compatible, between companies, and also across borders and across industries. GS1 eCom provides two complementary standards: GS1 EANCOM® and GS1 XML. They both allow a direct link between the physical flow of goods or services, and information related to them.
- The GS1 Global Data Synchronisation Network, or GDSN®, is another GS1 Communication Standard. The GDSN is built around the GS1 Global Registry®, GDSNcertified data pools, the GS1 Data Quality Framework and GS1 Global Product Classification, which when combined provide a powerful environment for secure and continuous synchronisation of accurate data.
How GS1 standards are made?
The Global Standards Management Process, or GSMP, is the pre-eminent worldwide collaborative forum where all GS1 standards are built and maintained by a community of our users. In 2008, the GSMP combined with the EPCglobal Joint Action Group (JAG) to become the single standards development forum for all of GS1 Standards, Solutions and Guidelines. This new GSMP is the engine that powers the entire GS1 System of Standards.
It is an open and transparent process that brings together volunteers from all industries and from everywhere in the world to identify needs for standards, gather business requirements, document best practices, obtain consensus on solutions, and then develop and implement the resulting supply chain standards.