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FAQs

EPCGlobal (RFID) FAQ

Barcode Accreditation FAQ

 

Q: I need to barcode my product and I was told to ring you. What do I have to do?

A. You need to join GS1 New Zealand as a licensee member and acquire a prefix number. This prefix allows you to identify your products with internationally unique numbers represented in barcode form.

 

Q: Why should I join GS1 New Zealand?

A. Any company, organisation or sole trader who wants the benefits of the world's only open, global standards for product identification and barcoding must join the non-profit GS1 organisation.   With the growth of electronic commerce, the GS1 system is growing rapidly beyond its retail base. Virtually everyone in the supply chain, including the likes of transport operators and packaging manufacturers should consider GS1 membership to improve efficiency and to maintain their competitive edge. Where a large organisation has multiple business divisions, each independent business unit should join GS1 and have its own membership number. This ensures that each business unit is uniquely identified when it produces or markets products, issues invoices, and receives payments. To become a member of GS1 New Zealand, please complete online registration.

 

Q: How much does it cost and how long does it take to get a number?

A. There is an Annual Licence fee, which is based on your organisations annual NZ turnover, and you need to buy a block of GTIN's (numbers) depending on how many products you will be bar coding (this is a one off fee). We process new members daily and once entered into our system you will receive a confirmation fax/email and a New Members pack will be sent out to you the same day.

 

Go to: www.gs1nz.org

 

Q: How many numbers do I get?

A. However many you require, they come in blocks of 100, 1000, 10,000 or 100,000. We don't allocate your individual numbers. You allocate your own product numbers and add them to your membership number.

 

Q: Can I have just one barcode number?

A. No, the minimum block of numbers you can buy is 100.

 

Q: Do you provide me with the actual barcodes or how do I go about it?

A. No, we just deal with the numbers, there is a list of Trade Partners on our website and included in your New Members Pack, these companies can help you out with the printing of barcodes.

 

Q: Do you keep a register of the numbers I have assigned to my products?

A. No, you need to keep an up-to-date master record of the numbers you have assigned to your products.

 

Q: What is GS1 Barcode Verification?

A. GS1 barcode verification is an objective testing of barcodes done with a verifier, which meets the ISO standard, followed by additional observations on the physical aspects and measurements of the barcode in relation to the GS1 specifications to ensure that bar codes can be scanned by relevant scanners in different scanning environments and conditions. Verification is relevant to all levels of packaging including retail units, packaging inners or display cartons, shippers, and pallets if GS1 labels are used on the pallet. Verification will determine the barcode's level of compliance with the GS1 specifications. A written report will be issued detailing the results obtained from the verification testing. This report will highlight any inadequacies in the bar code and potential problem areas.

Go to: http://www.gs1.org.nz/Verification.aspx

 

Q: How much does GS1 Verification cost?

A. Members of GS1 are entitled to 10 free verification reports per licence year. Thereafter, reports are charged at $20 + gst each.   Non-members are charged at $75 + gst per verification report and receive no free reports.

 

Q: How long does a verification test take to complete?

A. Once we receive your samples for verification, you should have the reports within 48 hours.

 

Q: What is a check digit and do I have to work it out manually?

A. A check digit is the result of a mathematical calculation performed on the preceding digits. It is used during scanning to verify the barcode was correctly read. You can work them out yourself from our web site or the literature you will receive - it's not hard. If you have lots of numbers we can work them out for you or provide you with PC software to calculate your own.

Go to: http://www.gs1nz.org/CheckDigit.aspx

 

Q: Does the membership number indicate country of origin of the product?

A. No, the two or three digit country prefix at the start of the member number e.g. 940, 941 or 942 for NZ only indicates the country of membership. There is no requirement for an organisation to be a member of GS1 in the country in which the goods are manufactured. Click here to see the GS1 International web site for a full list of International members.

 

Q: How can I find out what company a barcode belongs to?

Just visit www.gepir.org

 

Q: Do barcodes always have to be printed black on white?

A. Scanners read the barcode by recognising the pattern of bars. To do this they must be able to distinguish between the bars and the background colour. Black and white gives the best contrast level, but it is possible to use other colours, which may compliment the package design. Some colours must not be used in certain ways, Red must not be used as a bar colour, and blue, green, brown and gold should not be used as background colours. Black, blue, green and dark brown are recommended for the bars. Recommended background colours are white, yellow, orange and red. Check with GS1 NZ if you wish to use colour combinations other than recommended.

 

Q: What's a DUN or TUN?

A. They're both the same. DUN stands for Dispatch Unit Number, which today is more often referred to as a TUN or Trade Unit Number. This is a carton, outer, shipper etc. that contains standard quantities of retail items. The terms TUN and DUN are obsolete now. The correct term is Global Trade Item Number.

 

Q: I am using GS1-128 and Application Identifiers. Am I supposed to put the brackets that I can see in the examples into the actual barcode?

A. No, the brackets are only inserted around the human readable numbers. AIso for the character string printed below the barcode. This makes it easier to look at the data.

 

Q: What are the supermarket GS1-128 requirements all about, does it include my product and is it the same in Australia etc.?

A. Australasian supermarkets need certain information in the bar codes on trade units and pallets. You can obtain a copy of the requirements from GS1 or by downloading the Australasian Grocery Industry Guidelines from our website, www.gs1nz.org. They are virtually the same in Australia and New Zealand except that they do not apply to chilled and frozen products in Australia but some New Zealand

supermarkets do require them applied to such products. Woolworths Australia have some particular requirements of their own, if you are supplying them check the requirements with their buyer.

 

Q: What is the smallest barcode I can use for retail point of sale items?

A. Larger is always better for good print quality. We suggest 100% magnification, and increasing up to 200% or decreasing to 80% as print quality allows. Many factors influence the size of barcode symbols; the most important of which is the print quality achievable on the label, or packaging material. Some printing methods are not precise enough to produce quality symbols at smaller sizes. Because of this designers should discuss proposed symbol size with printers before making a decision on size.

 

Q: When do I need to change the barcode numbers?

A. The term "product changes" means: any change or improvement during the life of a product, decided by the manufacturer of the product. In the cases described below, the assumption is made that the "new" product replaces the old one. Should the manufacturer

decide to create a variant (e.g. with different ingredient) in parallel with the standard product and then a separate unique number has to be allocated. Minor product changes or improvements do not require the allocation of a different GTIN. Examples: label artwork redesign, minor product description change with contents unchanged, minor ingredients change. When the product changes affect the product quantity, the product dimensions, the packaging type, the product name or brand, the product description, a separate unique number (GTIN) must be allocated.

To see a simple guide for if a new GTIN is required or not with reasons use this link www.gs1.org/gtinrules

 

Q: I am a wine producer, do I need to change the barcode number with the vintage?

A. When a vintage is declared, a separate unique number (GTIN) may be allocated. Some retailers may request no change while others will request the change.   Contact GS1 NZ for details.

 

Q: How do I get a short barcode (EAN8)?

A. An EAN8 is a smaller eight digit bar code number, as opposed to a EAN13 (a thirteen digit number commonly used for products). There are a limited amount of EAN8 numbers worldwide, so to obtain one you will need to provide GS1 New Zealand with label design or artwork with the container for assessment. From there GS1 New Zealand will contact you and advise if your product is eligible or not.

 

Q: What is GS1 DataBar (RSS)?

A. GS1 DataBar (RSS) and Composite Symbology are the latest development in space-constrained identification from GS1 International. See

http://www.gs1.org/productssolutions/barcodes/databar/

 

Q: What is the difference between scanning and verifying a barcode?

A. Scanning is simply the process of 'reading' a bar code with a scanner. It proves nothing about the quality of the bar code, only that it works when scanned with that particular scanner. Verification involves scanning the bar code with special equipment called a verifier to obtain a detailed analysis of the reflective properties of the barcode so that an objective measurement of its quality, and therefore its scanning reliability can be obtained.

 

Q: What is the GS1 accreditation programme?

A. A quality assurance programme that will ensure a company's use of the GS1 System is totally correct and that the barcodes on its products will work every time they are scanned anywhere in the world. It makes the company's products more attractive to prospective trading partners, by assuring the trading partners that the products can be handled smoothly throughout the supply chain without delays and costs, due to scanning failures or incorrect data in barcodes.

 

Q: What's involved in becoming accredited?

A. A GS1 New Zealand consultant will visit you and conduct a one-day training session for the person designated as your barcode coordinator, for that person's reserve and for anyone else who would benefit from this initial phase.  The GS1 New Zealand consultant and your coordinator will then plan how to achieve accreditation in your workplace. To become accredited, your systems must ensure that everyone involved in creating numbers or producing barcode symbols does their job according to the GS1 International Specifications and that verification testing is carried out on all barcodes. Accreditation is granted once those systems and supporting documentation are in place . This should take no more then 3-6 months from the initial training

 

Q: How do I find out more about accreditation?

A. GS1 New Zealand will be happy to provide you with more details. Please call one of our technical consultants.

Go to: http://www.gs1.org.nz/Accreditation.aspx

 

Q: What is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)?

A. RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. It is a technology that has existed for decades. At a simple level, it is a technology that involves tags that emit radio signals and devices called readers that pick up the signal.

RFID technology is a fundamental element of the EPCglobal network.

 

Q: What is the Electronic Product Code (EPC)?

A. The Electronic Product Code (EPC) is the next generation of product identification. The EPC is a unique number, compact license plate that uniquely identifies objects (items, cases, pallets, locations, etc.) in the supply chain. Like many current numbering schemes used in commerce, the EPC is divided into numbers that identify the manufacturer and product type. But, the EPC uses an extra set of digits, a serial number, to identify unique items. The EPC is the key to the information about the product it identifies that exists in the EPCglobal network. An EPC number contains: Header, which identifies the length, type, structure, version and generation

of EPC Manager Number, which identifies the company or company entity Object Class, similar to a stock keeping unit or SKU Serial Number, which is the specific instance of the Object Class being tagged Additional fields may also be used as part of the EPC in order to properly encode and decode information from different numbering systems into their native (human-readable) forms.

 

Q: What is the EPCglobal network and how does it function?

A. The EPCglobal network is a set of technologies that enable immediate, automatic identification and sharing of information on items in the supply chain. In that way, the EPCglobal network will make organisations more effective by enabling true visibility of information about items in the supply chain. The EPCglobal network uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to enable true visibility of information about items in the supply chain. The EPC number sits on a tag comprised of a silicon chip and an antenna, which is attached to an item. Using radio identification technology (RFID), a tag communicates its

number to a reader. The reader then passes the number to a computer or local application system, known as the Object Name Service (ONS). ONS tells the computer systems where to locate information on the network about the object carrying an EPC, such as when the item was produced.

Go to: http://www.epcglobalinc.org/

 

Q: What is GS1net?

A. GS1net is a multi industry data synchronisation and catalogue service, which allows trading partners across all industries to synchronise their master product data and pricing and achieve the level of data integrity that is essential for successful, efficient, and accurate electronic commerce transactions. GS1net enables suppliers, manufacturers or distributors to maintain a single, standardised record of data, including product identifiers, descriptions, dimensions, pricing, trading terms, and logistical information for products and services. Trading partners can also be sent automatic updates of all changes made to a suppliers catalogue.  

The data alignment provided by GS1net is a key foundation for enabling paperless transactions. It will also dramatically improve the effectiveness of e-commerce and supply chain

initiatives, including electronic marketplaces, collaborative planning and forecasting, and continuous replenishment processes.

In addition to relationship dependent data, such as customer specific pricing, promotional information, and trading terms, GS1net stores images and attachments that assist in a range of business procedures, such as shelf space management, online shopping catalogues, warehousing, and distribution. It also allows controlled master data releases to specific trading partners prior to their public release.

Information is provided electronically in a standardised format.

Go to:   www.gs1nz.org

 

Any further questions please contact

Rena Kinney on (04) 494 1050 or info@gs1nz.org

 

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