Using data to help build consumer trust in products

From construction and heavy engineering to consumer goods and healthcare, there is an ever-growing demand for product data from businesses and end users.

Like never before, trust in manufacturers and brand-owners will be driven by their ability to answer questions such as: “What product is this? Where did it come from? What is it made of? Can I repurpose or recycle it?” Questions which can be answered with the support of GS1 standards for product identification, attribute management and data sharing.

Product identification and traceability

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the original GS1 identification standard; the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). It has become a cornerstone for product identification and traceability in over 20 sectors and its continuing use is testament to the longevity of GS1 standards as interoperable, globally unique, persistent identifiers. Today, GS1 standards provide the identification of “things” for the digital factory. As component parts and raw materials are transformed into finished goods, the standards support machine-to-machine communication for automating cross-company and intralogistics processes.

The GS1 system of standards is designed to overcome the limitations of using a company, organisation or sector-specific interface and are designed for use in any industry or trade sector. Assigned at point of origin, they uniquely identify all aspects of the manufacturing process, including upstream materials, products, or their individual parts as they are transported and transformed along the supply chain. This is especially critical as factories transform from manual to digitally driven processes with the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

Many industries, including Construction Home Improvement and DIY are adopting global terms such as Digital Twins or Industry 4.0 – these are adding new dimensions to how data is collected, managed, and optimised. New business models, improved processes, and more efficient ways of working are an expected outcome of these developments. These terms are driving a new generation of thinking – providing new opportunities to boost productivity, reduce waste and add new layers of transparency through entire digital supply chains. The global industry for DIY home improvement retailing has also experienced notable growth during the COVID-19  pandemic.

Such growth highlights the critical importance of digitisation of logistics in the sector and the need for the connected supply chain to better define terms and types related to products and materials.

Industry applications
In construction, the unique identification of objects and locations as part of Building Information Modelling (BIM), provides for efficiency both in the build phase and in facilities management. Inventory management is significantly enhanced since products and parts can be easily identified, especially for Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO). By encoding a GS1 Serialised GTIN into a barcode on a label or RFID tag, all trading partners can verify the authenticity of the part and exchange data on its attributes and MRO performance.

As part of a global standards organisation, GS1 Ireland is here to help businesses extract value from the use of standards, to drive greater efficiency, cost effectiveness and digital transformation within their organisations. Adopting GS1 standards provides many ways for manufacturers and brand-owners to achieve their business priorities while laying the foundation for digital processes today and in the future.

For further information visit www.gs1ie.org.

Sean Dennison, GS1 Ireland

This Business Support article featured in the January/February 2022 issue of The Hardware Journal.