Gtin

A Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) is the GS1 identification key assigned to a uniquely defined trade item, meaning any product or service that can be priced, ordered, or invoiced. It is the master product identifier used across barcodes, ERP, WMS, purchasing, receiving, and EDI, ensuring trading partners consistently reference the same item.

On the shop floor and in the warehouse, the GTIN acts as the product-level key that links physical movement to system transactions. When a delivery arrives, scanning the barcode reads the GTIN and lets the WMS match the receipt against the purchase order, supplier master, and item master before putaway. During production, operators see the GTIN distinguish a retail pack from a case pack of the same part, preventing the wrong unit-of-measure from being issued to work orders. In raw material storage, GTIN identifies the material type and packaging level at the transaction layer, while lot and serial numbers carry instance traceability. For procurement, EDI documents such as purchase orders, ASNs, and invoices reference GTIN so supplier and buyer systems reconcile without relying on internal SKU names. GS1's non-reusable assignment means master data governance must be exact; changing a product definition requires a new GTIN.