Updated: Feb/07 - Correction Table 8

Transport labels are a vital part of the supply chain management and build-to-order processes. By introducing a single global labelling standard, such as the GTL, all parties in the supply chain can enjoy substantial benefits by communicating in a common language, cutting shipping errors, delays and losses.

The new label has been developed by Odette International in conjunction with the US Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG), the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) and the Japan Auto Parts Industries Association (JAPIA), together representing over 80% of world-wide automotive production. Their recommendations are published in Odette’s latest document, “Global Transport Label Standard for the Automotive Industry”.

The standardised format of the global transport label template will help to cut costs by reducing errors in shipments and by reducing the vast number of different labels in the global supply chain. Recent studies show that unnecessary variations in this basic business process, multiplied by the millions of parts transported every day, can cost millions of Euros in added supply chain costs every year.

Among the new features are the ISO “Licence plate” which uniquely identifies a transport unit by a combination of company ID plus Issuing Agency and the Serial number. The introduction of the Code 128 linear bar codes and the two dimensional PDF 417 symbol removes the need for any data input by hand, better component tracking in the supply chain and traceability in service, for example in the event of a product recall. The GTL also carries a ‘Supplier area’. These features will support current and future needs of OEM’s, suppliers and third parties such as logistic service providers, warehouses and supplier business parks. The template structure ensures the grouping of information in a standardised layout on the label.

This new label template has been developed from experiences with existing label standards, the Odette Transport Label, the AIAG’s B-10 Trading Partners Labels Implementation Guideline and the input from JAMA and JAPIA.