Allocating barcode numbers
Location and eCommerce
With the advent of electronic communication, and particularly Electronic Data Interchange* (EDI) the need for the identification of parties and locations has become acute. The use of numeric identification instead of full alpha numeric names and addresses is the key to the successful implementation of an EDI project.
Global Location Numbers (GLNs)
Global Location Numbers (GLNs) offer an internationally recognised standard solution to the identification of parties and locations. Once assigned at the source - generally by the party owning the location - a GLN becomes a unique and universal reference which can be used by all trading partners.
A GLN is a non-significant thirteen-digit number, which is automatically assigned by GS1 Australia to the company when they join as a member. If the member company requires subsequent GLNs then they can create one using their own GS1 Company Prefix and from their pool of numbers in the same way other thirteen digit barcodes (GTINs) are allocated.
Companies that are not members of GS1 Australia, who require a GLN, need to contact us for further information.
This number is simply used to identify:
- Physical locations - A single point of access with a physical address, such as a particular room in a building, warehouse, warehouse gate, loading dock, delivery point, cabinet, cabinet shelf, or a room within a building, as well as operational locations such as EDI mailboxes
- Legal entities - The legal organisation that is subscribed to the GS1 System, such as whole companies or subsidiaries, including suppliers, customers, financial services companies, and freight forwarders
Details associated with a GLN, such as:
- name and address
- location type
- contact person
- communications numbers
- banking information
- delivery condition, etc
are stored in the computer files of system users for later retrieval.
Although a GLN does not carry any information on the location it identifies, its standard format and structure allow each GLN to be unambiguous and unique worldwide.
The format of a GLN is structured in the same way as the GTIN-13 numbering structure. They are mainly used in EDI transactions to identify the sender and recipient of an electronic transmission, as well as any other party involved in the transaction.
They can be used in barcode format to identify a physical location or to encode the identification of relevant parties in logistic applications, such as a 'ship to' number.
For further information on GLN Allocation Rules, please click here
GLN and EDI
In an EDI Message Interchange Header segment, there is a need to identify both sender and receiver and a GLN is ideal for this purpose. At the beginning of a commercial relationship using EDI, trading partners would advise each other of their GLNs. The information could subsequently be used to associate GLNs with location information and related operational, administrative, commercial and financial data of the trading partner.
These details would be stored in each party's computer system, in readiness for exchanging EDI messages.
*EDI: is computer-to-computer data exchange and helps in the electronic creation and maintenance of commercial documents used in the procurement of goods and services)
