GS1 Application Identifiers enable a set of attribute:value pairs of data to be encoded in a data carrier. Each attribute within a pair is a GS1 Application Identifier (AI) expressed as a numeric string, e.g., ‘00’ is the AI corresponding to the SSCC, ‘420’ is the AI for the ship-to / deliver-to postal code. The value is the corresponding value for each GS1 Application Identifier. For example, ‘106141412345678908’ is an example value for the SSCC where the attribute / AI is ‘00’.

A critical principle to ensure many stakeholders will implement the standardised 2D barcode is to keep the content of the barcode simple, meaning limiting the number of data elements included in it.

At the same time, the information in the barcode must be sufficient for an operator to handle the transport unit accurately. The full content of the 2D barcode is intended to be used only in cases when there is no access to information from an IT system or business process demands immediate action based on local information.

Note that the preferred way to handle the transport unit is to use the SSCC of the transport unit to access the latest available information for that transport unit and then decide what to do with the transport unit. Traditionally, the transport unit handler retrieves this information from his own IT system, which received the information via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

The vision outlined above clearly requires at least one of two main conditions to be met:

■ Parties have somehow exchanged relevant data for the Transport Unit in advance;

■ Party handling the Transport Unit has access to the relevant data in an Information System at the moment they handle the transport unit.

In transport and logistics, a transport label with an SSCC for the transport unit is required.

The seller assigns an SSCC, a globally unique ID Key, to each Transport Unit.
(Serial Shipping Container Code; compliant with ISO 15459-1 Licence Plate)

The seller attaches a standardised Transport Unit Label to each Transport Unit that all Parties may use.

In the delivery journey for a transport unit, there are three main stages:

1. Pre-carriage/First mile;
collecting the transport units from source and moving it to a (first) depot where it may be consolidated with other transport units to achieve efficiencies in the logistics network.

2. Main carriage;
transporting consolidated transport units usually over longer distances to a deconsolidation centre near the final delivery location.

Transport & Logistics networks have always been complex generally involving numerous stakeholders with different roles, who at times are not known to each other. The complexity of T&L networks is increasing, and the complexity is showing an accelerated pace.