Logistic Unit
A logistic unit is an item of any composition established for transport and/or storage
which needs to be managed through the supply chain.
Logistic units are handled by a number of partners along the supply chain and may
cross industry and national boundaries. Efficient supply chains therefore require
a label (and associated EDI messages) that follows international and multi-industry
standards.
GS1 provides a standard for the numbering and bar coding of logistic units : the
UCC/EAN Logistics Label.
The UCC/EAN Logistics Label combines a world-wide unique reference number, the Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC)
with a secure bar code symbology, UCC/EAN-128. This combination allows all participants in the supply chain to use a common, standard solution for their individual tracking
and tracing needs.
Logistic Units: Logistics
Label
The purpose of the EAN.UCC Logistics Label is to provide clear and concise information
about the unit to which it is affixed. It uniquely identifies the logistic unit
for administration and logistics purposes and provides an article identification
for the unit, or its contents, together with additional manufacturer and customer
information in machine readable form.
Benefits
A multi-industry and international standard :
the non-significance of the
SSCC or Serial Shipping Container Code allows any logistic unit (anything
that need to be tracked and traced) to be identified by any business and provides
partners with an international solution. The UCC/EAN Logistics Label is fully compatible with internationally recognised standards (ISO, CEN/MITL - Multi Industry Transport
Label).
A secure solution : The use of UCC/EAN-128 symbology
on the label allows one of the most accurate forms of data capture. The structure
of the bar code is standardised and has two independent self-checking features.
Time and cost reduction :
The EAN.UCC Logistics Label reduces errors by helping the integration of logistic
operations internally and externally. The partners only need one label for all parties
in the supply chain, and it may include a wide range of information through the
use of AIs (Application Identifiers). The label originally
applied by the manufacturer is re-used by all parties to the final customer.
Links the physical and electronic information flows : The EAN.UCC Logistics Label provides a link between
the physical flow of
goods (using bar codes) and the electronic information flow
(using EDI). EANCOM® is the international EDI messaging standard provided by GS1.
It is an implementation guideline of UN/EDIFACT (United Nations, Electronic Data Interchange for Administration Commerce and Transport) standard messages.
Information available on a EAN.UCC Logistics Label
100% availability of networks and EDI servers cannot be guaranteed and it
is recommended to provide the logistic unit with the minimum information necessary
to allow a simple and quick reception in the absence of an electronic despatch advice.
The EAN.UCC Logistics Label provides a standard way to indicate various fields
of relevant information in order to
help interpretation and processing by all trading
partners involved.
Label Structure
The EAN.UCC Logistics Label is structured in three parts
Label size guidelines
The recommended size for the label is the A6 format (105 mm x 148 mm).
If other dimensions are required, the width is best constant held at 105 mm while
the height of the label can vary and depends on the amount of information required.
Label location and orientation
The bar codes represented on the EAN.UCC Logistics Label should be "picked-fence"
oriented and far enough from any verticle edge to avoid damage.
Examples of application identifiers (AI) used on the EAN.UCC
Logistics Labels:
|
AI
|
Full Title
|
|
00
|
Serial Shipping Container Code
|
|
01
|
Identification of a trade item (EAN-14)
|
|
02 with 37
|
Identification of trade items contained + count of trade items contained
|
|
10
|
Batch or Lot Number
|
|
11
|
Production Date
|
|
13
|
Packaging Date
|
|
15
|
Minimum Durability Date
|
|
17
|
Maximum Durability Date
|
|
410
|
Ship to - Deliver to UCC/EAN International Location Number
|
|
422
|
Country of Origin of a Trade Item
|
|
The trade unit is identified with a UCC/EAN-128 barcode. In this example it contains
the article number (AI 01), the minimum durability date (AI 15) and the batch number
(AI 10) |
|
The pallet is identified with a EAN.UCC Logistics Label |
Serial Shipping Container Code-SSCC
Tracking and tracing of logistic units in the supply chain is a major application
of the EAN·UCC system. For this purpose, a standard EAN Identification number known
as the Serial Shipping Container Code - SSCC - identifies logistic units.
The SSCC provides an unambiguous identification for logistic units and is the only
mandatory field on the
UCC/EAN Logistics Label. The SSCC can be used by all parties in the
supply chain as a reference number to the relevant information held in computer
files.
The SSCC is an entity identifier
The SSCC is a non-significant, fixed-length, 18-digit number which does not contain
any classifying elements.
|
Extension Digit |
EAN/UCC Company prefix & Serial
reference number
|
Check digit |
|
N |
N1 N2 N3 N4
N5 N6 N7 N8
N9 N10 N11 N12
N13 N14 N15 N16
|
C |
| 
