The U.P.C. to EAN Bar Code Transition

   Maximizing Book Sales Across the Supply Chain

We are now beyond the deadline of the 2005 Sunrise initiative.

Is your company ready for the next evolution in supply chain technology?

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• Information for BOOK RETAILERS

• Information for GENERAL RETAILERS

• Information for LIBRARIES

• Information for PUBLISHERS

• Information for WHOLESALERS

In an effort to create a global bar code standard, GS1 U.S. set a sunrise date of January 1, 2005, for the implementation of the EAN-13 code on all U.S. products sold, eliminating the 12-digit U.P.C. used in some markets. The Book Industry Study Group (BISG) supported--and still supports--this initiative for a number of reasons.

• BISG considers the 13-digit ISBN, 2005 Sunrise, and the introduction of the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) to be the next step in the evolution of product identification worldwide.

• Eliminating the 12-digit U.P.C. more closely aligns U.S. product identification standards with those of the rest of the world.

• Joining a global family of identifiers helps prepare U.S. industries for participation in the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).

• By eliminating duplication of bar codes on goods traveling both overseas and to local general retail locations, substantial savings could be wrung from the supply chain.

Furthermore, BISG recommends that when retailers upgrade their systems to become EAN-13 bar code compliant, they take the extra step of expanding their database to allow for 14-digit bar code compliance as well. This additional change will allow the identification of the entire family of GTIN bar codes and bring your company in line with RFID and global data synchronization requirements.

The information on this website is developed and maintained by BISG's EAN Transition Task Force. Click here to access a list of participating companies.

Last updated: 10/05/07