The flow of goods from manufacturer to retailing company is flanked by the exchange of a great amount of data. This data serves the purpose of swift identification and supports the efficiency of the process chain. All articles have to be fitted with the so-called Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). This is a bar code which is allocated by the standardization organization Global Standards One – GS1. GS1 is the organization which was founded through the merger of EAN International (Europe) and the Uniform Code Council (North America). GS1’s task is to develop and coordinate harmonized communications standards for manufacturers and retailers globally. The numbering and identification systems developed by GS1 act like a common language between all parties involved in the process chain.

Unique numbering systems are also of great importance for Efficient Unit Loads. It is important to highlight that not only the products have to be labeled, but this also applies to the pallets, boxes or containers which bring the goods into the warehouses or stores. The EUL working group in the GS1 Germany has developed an application recommendation which is based on the so-called GS1-128 bar code symbol structure (formerly EAN-128 or UCC-128). This bar code facilitates the application of all 128 digits of the enhanced ASCII set, which all computers can read regardless of their software systems. Thanks to the ASCII set, complex data and goods information can be stored on a transport label without taking up much space. The automatic readability of the GS1-128-bar code means that shipping and warehouse units can be identified and moved on more quickly in the logistics chain – an undisputed efficiency boost for business processes between manufacturers and retailers.

The 128 bar code consists of so-called data determiners and data fields. Data determiners consist of two to four-digit figures, which define the meaning of the following data field. These data fields hold specific encrypted information about the product or the shipping unit, such as the date of expiry of an item, the batch number, the net weight in kilos, exact packaging dimensions as well as the price. An example:

Three pieces of information are stored in the following bar code number:

(01)97834499613883(11)040622(30)50

The Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC), known in Germany as the Number of the Shipping Unit (NVE), is essential for labeling shipping and warehouse units. It is part of the bar code GS1-128 and allows pallets stacked with different goods to be clearly identified. This number is generally printed on the shipping label. The label itself has the following layout and has to be applied as highlighted here in the EUL system:

Guidelines also stipulate the exact dimensions of the shipping label and where it has to be attached in order to ensure uniformity. The format is to comply with the DIN A5 and DIN A6 norms. Ideally the label is to be placed at a height between 400 mm and 800mm on the head and on the side of the shipping unit.

Efficient Unit Loads are even more effective in the process chain if suppliers and retailers have a working EDI system: this means that they are able to transmit their Master Data and a host of business processes such as delivery notes or invoices electronically. In this case only the Number of the Shipping Unit (NVE) needs to be printed on the shipping label. All further details are transmitted from the manufacturer to the retailer using the electronic dispatch message. The data needed for logistics is already stored in the merchandize management system when the goods arrive in the central warehouse or the store in question. The worker accepting the goods only needs to scan the NVE. Arduous checks and manual data entry of information included in the GS1-128 bar code is no longer necessary. This significantly accelerates the logistics process at the ramp and the goods entry procedure at the store.