Previous blogs in this series have looked at product identifiers (GTINs) and how they can be used on the product and on your shipment packaging.
Now we move away slightly to the world of logistics (shipping!) where we meet the SSCC (Serial Shipment Container Code). Simply put, an SSCC is a unique identifier for a logistic unit. Usually these are applied to pallets and shipping containers, but they can be used on boxes, crates etc.
Why do we need this?
The main reason is that these identify and track the logistics unit uniquely throughout the world (but do not necessarily identify the contents).
How do we get an SSCC?
SSCCs are 18 digits long and include a prefix (0-9), your GS1 vendor ID and a consecutive number.
| Start with your GS1 Vendor ID | 506038993 |
| Add your current prefix digit we are using 3 |
3 506038993 |
| Add the next number in your sequence | 3 506038993 3245723 |
| Add the check digit to the end | 3 506038993 3245723 4 |
You must retain a note of the sequence your are using so your next number is always unused. By definition you should not reuse an SSCC within 12 months of its use, but the range of numbers available means this is very unlikely anyway.
How can NotaZone help?
NotaZone's labelling module can maintain the sequence generate each SSCC for you, so you do not need to do anything to use SSCCs successfully.
How do we put this in a barcode?
The most commonly used barcode for showing a SSCC is the GS1 code 128 extended barcode, which uses little numeric markers to identify what information they contain. These are called Application Identified (AIs) and are defined by GS1. an AI can be 2-4 numbers long and is shown in human readable for with brackets around it.
The AI for a SSCC is (00), so the correct content for a SSCC barcode will be (00)350603899332457234.
NotaZone knows all about GS1 AI's and will include them automatically when you use a GS1-128 barcode type on your label templates.