In the previous article of the series on effective electronic economy tools that improve company operations, we discussed the purpose of implementing logistics labels and possible ways of creating barcode markings. In this article, we present the benefits of using such labels and the expectations of companies regarding the implementation of logistics labels.
Benefits of using the GS1 label
The benefits of using a standard label are manifold and stem mainly from the fact that such a label:
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serves producers, traders, and freight forwarders simultaneously at all stages of trade
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enables unambiguous identification of shipping units, regardless of their contents (standard and non-standard, with homogeneous or diverse contents) for administrative, record-keeping, logistics, and control purposes, including, for example, traceability
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data placed on the label in a standardized format is understood by all trading partners – participants in the supply chain
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presenting data on the label in a barcode enables, in addition to visual inspection, automatic reading, which results in error-free and instantaneous identification and registration
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data on the label can be used in electronic data interchange (EDI), in electronic transaction documents such as: orders, invoices, delivery notices
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using the label streamlines and reduces the costs of record-keeping and control activities in every warehouse and in distribution
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the GS1 label, as an international standard, replaces various local solutions, thereby reducing implementation costs.
It is therefore no surprise that more and more companies are demanding deliveries marked with GS1 labels.
Company expectations regarding the implementation of logistics labels
The logistics label is an information link in the entire supply chain, in which all participants (producer, freight forwarder, wholesaler, retailer) communicate using a common logistics language. Communicating means the necessity of applying standards in the identification of both the entities and the objects of this chain (goods and companies), which is possible thanks to the use of the global GS1 system.
Currently, the requirements of contractors and the need to meet the requirements of EU food law regarding the principles of monitoring the movement and origin of products (Regulation No 178/2002 of the European Parliament) oblige many participants in economic life to use labels on created product packaging, enabling the use of automatic data capture technology. This applies both to logistics labels placed on logistics units (most often these are pallets with contents) and labels intended for collective packaging, containing data necessary to identify the packaging with the product, including the production batch symbol, for example on pallets containing packaging for food goods.
For these reasons, more and more companies are being forced by their business partners – especially recipients – to properly label not only products in retail or intermediate collective packaging, but also logistics units/packaging, also known as shipping or transport units, which in practice are most often: goods or packaging on a pallet. Such labeling requires printing GS1 logistics labels with the GS1-128 barcode, reflecting many variable pieces of information; therefore, they are printed on an ongoing basis directly at the company creating the given logistics unit.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 1/2009.