GTIN & Sunrise 2005

Sunrise 2005 - Introduction

Sunrise 2005 – An industry initiative established by GS1 US (formerly the Uniform Code Council). As of January 1st 2005 , all North American retailers and trading partners that scan Universal Product Codes ( UPC ) should have expanded the data structures associated with the UPC to a 13-digit field length to process EAN-13 symbols. Additionally, GS1 US is recommending all manufacturers, retailers, and distributors update and expand their databases and applications to accept 14-digit data structures. These data structures will support the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), allowing complete item identification of any EAN.UCC data carrier to support efficient and seamless global trade.

14-digits vs. 13-digits
The Sunrise 2005 initiative is focused on creating a compliant environment for scanning and processing EAN-13 and EAN-8 codes in addition to the 12-digit UPC symbols currently scanned at point-of-sale in North America . While the initiative does not explicitly state inclusion of 14-digit data structures, it is highly recommended that all parties who will be upgrading their systems for Sunrise 2005 compliance take the additional step to make their systems compliant with the GTIN.

In addition, upgrading systems for GTIN compliance will allow scanning of all levels of packaging (ITF-14, or case codes, can be processed) as well as emergent technologies such as RSS (Reduced Space Symbology).

Sunrise 2005 – Where are we now?
With the exception of the United States and Canada , retail products from around the world are marked with EAN-8 and EAN-13 symbols. To sell those products in the U.S. and Canada , manufacturers must re-label their products with a 12-digit UPC symbol. This creates additional expense and time-to-market issues. Expanding system capability to scan and process EAN-8 and EAN-13 symbols as well as UPC symbols will allow companies to handle a greater range of products.

The number of products identified with EAN-8 and EAN-13 symbols will increase quickly after January 1, 2005 because UCC prefixes will no longer be issued to new companies based outside of the U.S. and Canada . These new companies will be using EAN-8 or EAN-13 symbols to mark their products.

Who does Sunrise 2005 impact?
The Sunrise 2005 initiative will impact:

          • Those who assign product numbers:
          Any organization or manufacturer which assigns product numbers
          for trade items or services will need to be aware of the new
          guidelines to ensure compliance with trade partners and suppliers.

          • Those that turn numbers into bar codes:
          Packagers, commercial printers, and graphics and layout specialists
          will need to be aware for the new guidelines to ensure compliance
          for their customers.

          • Those that use bar codes in applications:
          Retailers, distributors, or any receivers of trade items (which may
          also include manufacturers and suppliers) need to be aware of the
          new guidelines to ensure their own systems are compliant.

What kind of impact will Sunrise 2005 have on your organization?
Receivers of trade items will need to be able to scan 12-digit UPC , EAN-13 & EAN-8 symbols. Expect to see 14-digit numbers used to identify all levels of packaging on products as well as emergent codes like RSS (Reduced Space Symbology). All of the above may have manufacturer prefixes that are longer than in the past. If there are any system ‘blocks’ against reading manufacturer numbers longer than six digits these must be removed to accommodate the new standards.

Suppliers or manufacturers who already mark their products with 12-digit UPC codes do not need to change their procedures. However, any trade items you purchase may have longer numbers or manufacturer prefixes. Ensure your database storage systems are capable of storing up to 14-digits and do not have any system blocks on manufacturer prefixes longer than six digits. If your company or organization is multi-national, you may already be using longer company prefixes assigned by one or more EAN member organizations.

Data storage and applications requirements checklist:
- Systems and applications need to expand to accommodate 14-digits

- Data structures that require less than 14-digits should be right justified and left zero filled

-The full 14-digit structure should be transmitted when communicating GTINs electronically

Related Issues
In order to further maximize the possible number combinations for the UPC , GS1 US is opening up three new Number System Characters (the ‘lead digit’ of a UPC ) for use. These are 1, 8, and 9. Any database or system blocks against using these characters must be removed immediately. If there are any internal systems that use these lead digits for proprietary use, these need to be discontinued as well.

Additionally, GS1 US has already begun issuing manufacturer’s prefixes with variable lengths up to 10-digits. If there are applications in use with your system which ‘assume’ that the manufacturer’s prefix is only 6-digits long, then these need to be modified to accept the new lengths.

So what does not change? Lead digits 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are all still in use. Current members of the GS1 who already have and use their prefix can still use it, provided system storage capacity of numbers is updated as briefed above. The numbers and symbols created using a currently assigned GS1 prefix will continue to be unique.

To view a listing of published retailer announcements, click here.