In addition to identifying a product, you can use GTIN to communicate details about a product with your trading partners. This can include information such as product description, packaging information, logistical information, order confirmation and invoice.
GS1 Trade Item Information is the GS1 standard for master data management. It consists of a structured set of information about a trade item, such as ingredient information, user instructions, specifications, contents and certifications. For products, this includes information on the label and the packaging, but also relevant information at case and pallet level.
The basic trade item information consists of, among other things:
- Brand, product name and product description.
- Trade item type and variant.
- Net content, weight and dimensions.
- The number of constituent trade items and trade item levels if the item is a case.
- The composition of products if the trade item is a mixed package.
In transactional data and ESAP business processes, GTIN is used to identify trade items in an order, order confirmation, despatch advice and invoice. The GTIN is mandatory but parties can also identify a trade item by the supplier’s item number. Before two parties, for example a buyer and a seller, send and receive EDI messages, the trade item information is synchronized between them. This means that the parties update the trade items in their respective systems with the trade item information linked to the respective GTIN. Therefore, only GTIN is sent to identify the trade item in the message exchange between parties in the ESAP processes.
EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) is a GS1 standard for sharing real-time event information about a product’s physical movement and status throughout the supply chain, from production to the end customer. The standard enables the sharing of information about what is happening or has happened to an item or a shipment and answers the questions:
What? – What is the identity of the subject involved in the event?
Where? – What is the identity of the location where the event occurred?
When? At what time did the event occur?
Why? – Which business steps, such as packing, loading or receiving, does the event refer to? GTINs and other GS1 identifiers are used to answer the question “What”. Event data differs from both master and transaction data in that it occurs in much larger volumes. Unlike master data (but like transactional data), event data is generated continuously as operations are conducted. The high volume is due to the fact that event data often refer to individual objects identified by GTIN and serial number.