GS1 Primer:

GS1 Global Traceability Standards

We have all heard the buzz about support for GS1, but what is GS1?

The GS1 System is an integrated set of global standards that provides for accurate identification and communication of information regarding products, assets, services and locations. This system of traceability was created by the members of GS1, a not-for-profit global standards organization. With more than a million companies doing business across 140 countries, GS1 is the most implemented supply chain standards system in the world.

Standard identifiers are the basis of the GS1 System—they provide the unique product identification that can be printed in a bar code, carried in a RFID tag or communicated electronically. Here is an example of a GS1 DataBar-14 barcode. The (01) identifier indicates that the barcode represents the 14 digit Global Trade Identification Number or GTIN for a product and consists of a unique company prefix assigned by GS1, an item reference assigned by the company and a check digit to validate the barcode integrity.

Application Identifiers define additional data types that can supplement the item identity. Examples include:

• Serial Number
• Batch or Lot Number
• Expiration Date
• Weight

Each data type has a predefined prefix that identifies how to interpret the data. The barcode below is a GS1-128 barcode that includes the GTIN (01), an expiration date (17) and a batch number (10).

This is the same data on a 1" by 1" Data Matrix 2D barcode.

Benefits of GS1

The GS1 System offers benefits to all organizations by reducing costs, saving time, and increasing accuracy and efficiency. It promotes automation, increases control and enables goods to be tracked and traced.

One of the largest benefits of adopting the GS1 standards is the ability to coordinate barcode data between different products, made by different companies, in different locations around the globe. This standardization of data helps companies that speak different languages use the same information in the same way, which increases efficiency and reduces the risks of errors. These standards help to:

• Make traceability more efficient
• Improve the production supply chain management
• Streamline work-in-process
• Simplify packaging and labeling by reducing the number of formats
• Optimization of warehousing and shipping
• Regulatory compliance

To learn more about how Pragmatyxs can deliver standards-based solutions that optimize your compliance labeling and product tracking processes visit www.pragmatyxs.com

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