Global Trade Item Numbers (GTIN)

As businesses become interconnected using various technology options such as EDI and XML, there is a need for global product identification standards that are usable by all trading partners in the extended supply chain. A major goal of these standards is to guarantee unique and unambiguous identification of products and services across the supply chain. Regional and trade standard associations such as ISBN, NDC, EAN, and Uniform Code Council (UCC) govern the policies and standards for product identification. The following list shows some industries and the common product identification standards used:

Automotive Aftermarket (GTIN) Books (International Standard Book Number - ISBN) MRO - Industrial Supply (GTIN) Paper (GTIN) Healthcare (GTIN) Periodicals (International Standard Serial Number - ISSN) Pharmaceutical (National Drug Code - NDC) Grocery (GTIN) General Merchandise (GTIN)

The widely used EAN.UCC product identification standards are industry neutral and global in scope. One of the main concepts of the EAN.UCC product identification standard is that any item used at any point in any supply chain can be allocated a unique identification number - the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). GTIN is an umbrella term used to describe the family of EAN.UCC data structures for trade item identification. The four data structures in the GTIN family are:

EAN.UCC-13 EAN.UCC-12 EAN.UCC-14 EAN.UCC-8

EAN.UCC-13
EAN.UCC-13 is a superset of UPC-A. Any software or hardware capable of reading an EAN.UCC13 symbol will automatically be able to read an UPC-A symbol. The only difference between the two is that the number system code in UPC-A is a single digit from 0 through 9 and the EAN.UCC-13 number system code consists of two digits ranging from 00 through 99. The two digits are essentially a country code. Each country has a numbering authority that assigns manufacturer codes to companies within its jurisdiction. The EAN.UCC-13 number consists of the manufacturer code, which is five digits long, as is the product code, and a check digit.

EAN.UCC-12
The EAN.UCC-12 symbol is a twelve-digit number that identifies trade items. It is commonly known as UPC. The EAN.UCC-12 number consists of a one-digit UCC prefix, a company number, an item reference, and a check digit. The EAN.UCC-12 number is represented using UPC-A (12 digit) or UPC-E (8 digit) barcode symbology. The UPC-A barcode shows all 12 digits in the EAN.UCC-12 number whereas the UPC-E symbol carries 8 digits of the EAN.UCC-12 number using zero suppression techniques. Since the resulting UPC-E barcode is about half the size of an UPC-A barcode, UPC-E is generally used on products with very small packaging where a full UPC-A barcode couldn't fit. Additionally, UPC-E may only be used if the number system is 0 or 1.

EAN.UCC-14
EAN.UCC-14 is used when identical consumer units are packaged into standard quantities of intermediate packs or shipping containers. The general EAN.UCC standards specify that these packing configurations should be assigned new, 14 digit numbers. Cartons containing ten units would be assigned a different 14-digit number than cartons containing twenty units of the same product. Prefixing 2 digits of package level information to the base UPC number and recalculating the check digit generates the EAN.UCC-14 number. This 14-digit code identifies intermediate packs and shipping containers holding standard configurations of consumer units.

EAN.UCC-8
An EAN.UCC-8 barcode is a 2 or 3-digit number system code followed by a 4 or 5-digit product code. The EAN.UCC-8 product codes are assigned directly by the numbering authority. This has the advantage that any company can request an EAN.UCC-8 code regardless of its EAN.UCC-13 manufacturer or product code. It has the disadvantage that the EAN.UCC-8 codes must be stored in each database as a separate product since there is not a way to translate an EAN.UCC8 code to an EAN.UCC-13 equivalent.

UPC-E
UPC-E is an 8-digit number that is barcoded on small items where a 12-digit UPC-A code will not fit on the item packaging. UPC-E code uses the same data structure as EAN.UCC-12. A zerosuppression algorithm is used to convert the 12 digit EAN.UCC-12 to an 8 digit UPC-E barcode. Many barcode scanners automatically convert UPC-E to UPC-A and pass the scanned data.

Oracle Warehouse Management and GTIN's

The Oracle Warehouse Management and Inventory Mobile Supply Chain Applications are capable of resolving items defined in the system using GTIN. You can scan a GTIN barcode and the system will translate the scanned value to an internal item.

Cross Referencing GTIN's to Item Information

GTIN numbers translate to internal item references within an organization. You need to reference the GTIN family of numbers to items used in Oracle Applications. To conform to EANUCC standards, GTIN's are stored as 14-digit numbers. Data structures that require less than 14 digits are right justified and zero padded.

Translating GTINs to Transaction Data

Since GTIN's are a globally accepted EAN.UCC standard, they are widely used as barcodes in label formats and often pre-printed on item packaging. You can carry out transactions by making use of the GTIN barcodes available on the product or the packaging. Oracle Warehouse Management and Oracle Mobile Supply Chain Applications are capable of resolving the GTIN's based on the cross-reference information and defaulting the appropriate transaction data.

Maintaining GTIN-Transaction Information Cross-References

Create a cross-reference type for GTIN. This cross-reference type will reference an item to a 14 character GTIN. Sample cross-reference data: Item GTIN Description

ABCD10 00000012345678 EAN.UCC-8 Cross Reference ABCD11 00223212345678 EAN.UCC-12 Cross Reference ABCD12 04223212345678 EAN.UCC-13 Cross Reference ABCD12 34223212345678 EAN-UCC-14 Cross Reference ABCD12 54223212345678 EAN-UCC-14 Cross Reference

How to Set Up and Use GTINs

1. Define an item cross-reference type in the Cross Reference Types window. The crossreference type can be named anything meaningful to the user, but the same crossreference type has to be specified in profile value INV: GTIN Cross Reference Type. 2. Specify profile value INV: GTIN Cross Reference Type. This is a site level profile. Specify this profile value as the GTIN cross-reference type defined in the previous step. 3. Set up mapping between the internal item and the GTIN code. Underneath the GTIN cross reference type, set up mapping between internal item numbers and their

corresponding GTIN codes in the Assign Cross References window. One item may have more than one GTIN code, each maps to a different EAN.UCC structure. A structure that is less than 14 digits has to be right justified to 14 digits and padded by leading zeros. 4. Perform a mobile transaction with a GTIN code. In the Item field in any Oracle Mobile Supply Chain or Oracle Warehouse Management mobile page, you can scan in either an internal item number or a GTIN code. If a GTIN code is scanned the system will translate it to its internal item counterpart according to the cross-reference definition and display the internal item number in the field. If a GTIN code is exactly the same as an internal item number, both records will display in the LOV to enable you to select which item is to be transacted. For more information on implementing Global Trade Item Numbers (GTIN), please see the Oracle Warehouse Management Implementation Guide.

Quality Integration
You can scan an LPN number to trigger collection plans, based upon a combination of Item, Customer, and Ship-To Location. You can use this feature for special testing on Ship-To sites and packing verification. For information and procedures on this feature, see: Integration With Oracle Mobile Warehouse Management, Oracle Quality User's Guide