Transport
Today
no transport organisation can envisage operations without the development
of information technology tools. Information technology has become
critical to monitor the flow of goods through the supply chain and
to provide quick and reliable information.
A strategy based on intelligent and transparent logistics provides
the customer with continuous and dependable services, and freight
forwarders and logistics service providers with a competitive advantage.
The use of freight tracking technology minimises the time customers
spend monitoring the progress of their shipments across the transport
network. In particular, bar code "license plates" help keep track
of individual consignments and automatically capture product movement
data at dispatch points, on packing lines, in warehouses, and at
delivery points. These coupled with electronic data interchange
- EDI - allow transport providers to know precisely when goods are
shipped, where they are in the transport pipeline and where they
get delivered, in other words all the needed information from order
to delivery and payment.
Transport organisations can effectively support efficient handling,
inventory management, product movement, shipping and delivery using
the EAN·UCC System.
The technologies used in these processes include Bar Coding and
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems as well as electronic
tracking systems operated via the Internet. These Internet-based
tracking systems connected to the transportation provider's centralised
database, have become essential tools for customers to get status
updates on their shipments.
Publications
:
E-commerce
tools for the Transport Industry, Maximising Logistics Performance
using the EAN·UCC System, EAN International, 1999
Contact
Person :
Ms.
Paola Carpentiere
EAN International
Rue Royale 145
B-1000 Brussels
E-mail: mailto:carpentiere@ean.be
Transport
project: TRANS-CORE
Currently
the EAN·UCC System recognises three identification schemes for logistic
or transport units:
- Unique
world-wide identification of a logistic unit - SSCC (Application
Identifier (AI 00))
- Consignment
number, intended to reference all logistic units which are part
of one consignment assigned by a carrier or forwarder and using
the carrier's or forwarder's data structure (AI 401).
- Shipment
identification number, intended to reference all logistic units
which are part of one shipment assigned by a shipper and using
the shipper's data structure (AI 402).
In
addition, the following element strings support logistical processes:
- Logistic
weights and measures related to a particular logistic unit (AI
3100 to 3600)
- "Ship
to" location numbers (AI 410).
- "Ship
for" location numbers indicates the final destination of a shipment
(AI 413).
- "Routing
Code" assigned by a carrier indicates the transport route for
the shipment (AI 403).
The
Trans-core Project analyses the current business practices for each
transport mode (rail, road, air, sea) considering the following:
- Can
transport units and consignments be identified using existing
data structures?
- What
location identification systems are currently being used?
- What
data is being bar coded and in what symbology?
- Where
and for what purpose is bar coded data scanned?
- What
data is printed on transport goods?
- What
data is printed on accompanying documents (and bar-coded)?
- What
type of information is communicated via EDI and by which standards?
Objectives:
- To
establish the minimum common data components required for all
transport modes
- To
determine the function of the current EAN·UCC element strings
within the transport information process and establish a standard
solution indicating:
- the
data that must be bar coded on transport goods
- the
place and purpose of scanning of bar coded data
- the
data that must be available on accompanying documents
- the
data that may be transmitted via EDI
- the
data structure required for multi-mode transport
- the
flexibility of the standard regarding re-routing of goods
- To
propose a solution for the unique identification (as well as the
possibility to encode additional information like serialisation
date, ownership etc.) of transport devices like containers using
the EAN·UCC System.
Clear
distinction must be made between the identification of a logistic
item and the data required for transport purposes only.
The
Trans-core Project utilises the Business Process Modelling
Technique.
Click
here to see an example of Multi-modal Business
Model
Contact
Person:
Mr
George Merguerian
EAN International
Rue Royale 145
B-1000 Brussels
E-mail: mailto:carpentiere@ean.be
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