Mass merchants recognized the need for ensuring Ship-To addresses were always current and in one location for all through Global Location Numbers (GLN). By using GLN, your system receives updates daily and alerts you if an order in fulfillment has a change. For example, a clothing vendor has these customers: Target, Kohl’s, JCPenney, and Wal-Mart. This clothing vendor only needs to look to one point for the customers’ location information.
Global Location Numbers (GLN) are used by companies to identify their locations, giving them complete flexibility to identify any type or level of location required such as a Ship-To location. GLN’s are unique 13 digit numbers registered with the GS1 (formerly the Uniform Code Council).
Key Benefits of the GLN
• The structure of the GLN and its assignment rules are administered by GS1, a not-for-profit standards organization that is supported by implementation guidance, business examples, and maintenance.
• The GLN can be used throughout the world with no need for trading partner(s) to assign proprietary numbers to ensure uniqueness.
• Use of the GLN saves time and money as the number can be moved quickly and confidently through the supply chain.
• Numbers may be assigned to any location to meet the needs/requirements of all businesses anywhere in the world—from loading docks to all buildings on government bases to circuit boards in a router.
Any company using a UPC is a member of GS1. For more information please refer to www.gs1us.org.
To ensure that your Ship-To addresses are always current, you need to connect your system to a data base hosted by GS1. Our DCS EDI Specialists can help you set these daily connections and alerts. E-mail us at info@dcsedi.com or call us at (952) 941-5466.