Sunrise 2005 Compatible Bar code Scanners
Symbol Sunrise 2005 Compatible Bar code Scanners
Metrologic Sunrise 2005 Compatible Bar code Scanners
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Sunrise 2005 Information
Sunrise 2005 is an initiative launched by the Uniform Code Council (UCC) as a means for getting retailers in North America to update their databases to allow for the automatic identification of 13-digit barcodes. As of January 1, 2005, the UCC will no longer support the UPC-12 barcode standard. This is because the UCC, which controls company identification numbers that are part of the UPC-12 symbology, is running out of numbers to fit in the 12-digit format. Some retailers have systems and/or databases that allow for the identification of only UCC-12 barcodes (12-digit UPC-A or 6-digit UPC-E). The UCC set forth a voluntary implementation date of January 1, 2005 for retailers to update their systems to allow for the inclusion of UCC-8 and UCC-13 (see below) in identifying products and services.
The UCC is a trade association and has no authority to mandate the change. Existing UPC-12 barcodes will still work with all barcode scanners after the Sunrise Date. However, any company wishing to apply for a new company code will not receive a UPC-12 compliant value.
What is GTIN?
The Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) is the system created by the UCC for uniquely identifying products and services that are sold, delivered, warehoused and billed throughout the retail and commercial distribution channels. These GTIN identifiers are typically found in the form of a barcode that is printed on the product. Presently, there are four barcodes that fall under the GTIN umbrella of barcode symbols. These are as follows:
- UCC-12 (also known as UPC-A or UPC-E)
- UCC-13 (also known as EAN-13)
- EAN/UCC-14
- UCC-8 (also know as EAN-8).
The UCC-13 and the UCC-8 barcodes are at the core of the Sunrise 2005 initiative. Examples of each of the GTIN family of barcodes can be found below.
GTINs are used to track assets throughout a company's value chain. By combining the item number with the time and location of scanning, a complete audit trail is built for the asset from design, ordering, manufacturing, through transport, sale, and service.
The audit trail for each asset can be analyzed for security vulnerabilities, efficiency, and Return on Investment (ROI). The analysis is then translated into effective management action to repair problems and increase benefits.
What is the relationship of the Sunrise Date to CSI?
The Container Security Initiative (CSI) objectives, particularly the ones dealing
with physical security, asset tracking, and cargo reconciliation, will be heavily dependent on accurate tracking of assets. GTINs are the tracking mechanism. The type of GTIN and its capabilities must not only meet the Sunrise recommendations but also the Container Security Initiative objectives.
Why should I change if the Sunrise Date is not mandated?
Companies may assume they can retain their existing barcode formats, but this depends on two very risky premises.
The first risky premise is that a 12-, or even 14-digit (see below) barcode will have sufficient information to meet the CSI regulations. Cargo must be harmonized to a 10-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) code. And future regulations for proving the contents of a container may require more detail at an item level than even a 14-digit barcode can provide.
The second risky premise is that barcodes of any length will meet the CSI objectives. Barcodes have 3 characteristics that prevent the kind of high-throughput inspection and reconciliation that busy ports demand:
- They must be visible to be scanned
- They are scanned sequentially rather than simultaneously
- They contain limited information
When attempting to reconcile 3,000 items in a container to a cargo manifest, with 300 containers to be loaded onto a vessel in 6 hours, cargo relying on barcodes is at much greater risk of missing the sailing since the container must be opened to check the cargo description and each barcode must be scanned one after the other.
Companies should give serious thought to their strategies for asset tracking under CSI regulations.
Sunrise 2005 ‘Recommendation’
The UCC added a statement that recommends that retailers should take the extra step and expand their database to allow 14 digit barcodes. This additional change will allow the identification of the entire family of GTIN barcodes since EAN/UCC-14 was not included as part of the Sunrise 2005 initiative.
Although it is not a requirement, this has caused some confusion because the EAN/UCC-14 barcode is not commonly seen or used at the point-of-sale and it is mistakenly being equated with RSS-14. The EAN/UCC-14 barcode, although uncommon, is frequently used on shipping cartons/containers. If your database can accept up to 14 digit barcodes, then your database is ready for the recommendation. A problem can arise if your database accepts ONLY 14 digit barcodes. In this scenario, smaller GTIN barcodes such as UPC-E, would need to be expanded to 14 digits.
As mentioned above, the RSS-14 barcode (Reduced Space Symbology) is an emerging symbology and is not part of the GTIN family of barcodes and is therefore not part of the Sunrise 2005 initiative.
For more information regarding Sunrise 2005, the UCC web site ( www.uc-council.org) provides a host of information such as, a 2005 Sunrise Preparation Check List, Understanding General Trade Item Numbers and more. If you have any additional questions regarding your barcode scanner, please contact your Bar Code Sales representative.
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