4 ms·

Hmm... I’m not sure the article is correct. It seems like the Standard Serialized Container Code (emphasis mine) is meant to track an individual box or palette,

by jt2190 6y ago

Hmm... I’m not sure the article is correct. It seems like the Standard Serialized Container Code (emphasis mine) is meant to track an individual box or palette, not a “type” of box. [1] It seems to be useful for processes that require an item to be FedEx’d from place to place in the same box. [1] https://www.morovia.com/kb/Serial-Shipping-Container-Code-SSCC18-10601.html https://www.morovia.com/kb/Serial-Shipping-Container-Code-SS... (Edit: I’m not sure about my statement of reusing the container. The specifications are at https://www.gs1.org/standards/id-keys/sscc https://www.gs1.org/standards/id-keys/sscc if you want to take a crack at answering that one.)

wolfgang42 6y ago
SSCC does stand for Serial Shipping Container Code, not “Standard Serialized”, per your GS1 link. The rest of your comment is correct, though; they’re for tracking an individual box (the same idea as a postal tracking number), not “a box with the same dimensions” and I have no idea where the artist could have gotten that idea from. They do have a prefix that only the company generating them can use, but that’s just to keep the numbers from each company in a separate namespace to anyone else’s. I also can’t find (with an admittedly cursory search) any evidence that FedEx’s standard boxes even have SSCCs, and it seems like the purpose would be served just as well by a proprietary tracking number on the address label. Regarding your edit, this is covered under §4.4.1.1 of the GS1 spec: > An individual Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC) is a unique number, which remains the same for the life of the logistic unit to which it is assigned. When assigning an SSCC, the rule is that an individual SSCC number must not be reallocated within one year of the shipment date from the SSCC assignor to a trading partner. However, prevailing regulatory or industry organisation specific requirements may extend this period. The definition of “logistic unit” is slightly impenetrable, but AFAIK it’s intended to mean a container with specific item(s) in it, so reusing a box for something else would make it a different logistics unit. If you wanted to track the container itself you’d assign it a Global Individual Asset Identifier. Of course, you can do whatever you like in your own system, and trading partners can make arrangements with each other; but in my experience companies will get pretty annoyed if you send them the same SSCC multiple times since it confuses their system.

by jt2190 6y ago

wolfgang42 6y ago

SSCC does stand for Serial Shipping Container Code, not “Standard Serialized”, per your GS1 link. The rest of your comment is correct, though; they’re for tracking an individual box (the same idea as a postal tracking number), not “a box with the same dimensions” and I have no idea where the artist could have gotten that idea from. They do have a prefix that only the company generating them can use, but that’s just to keep the numbers from each company in a separate namespace to anyone else’s. I also can’t find (with an admittedly cursory search) any evidence that FedEx’s standard boxes even have SSCCs, and it seems like the purpose would be served just as well by a proprietary tracking number on the address label. Regarding your edit, this is covered under §4.4.1.1 of the GS1 spec: > An individual Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC) is a unique number, which remains the same for the life of the logistic unit to which it is assigned. When assigning an SSCC, the rule is that an individual SSCC number must not be reallocated within one year of the shipment date from the SSCC assignor to a trading partner. However, prevailing regulatory or industry organisation specific requirements may extend this period. The definition of “logistic unit” is slightly impenetrable, but AFAIK it’s intended to mean a container with specific item(s) in it, so reusing a box for something else would make it a different logistics unit. If you wanted to track the container itself you’d assign it a Global Individual Asset Identifier. Of course, you can do whatever you like in your own system, and trading partners can make arrangements with each other; but in my experience companies will get pretty annoyed if you send them the same SSCC multiple times since it confuses their system.