Mike Mowad, GS1 Global Office

Global Product Classification (GPC)Overview

© GS1 2018

• A system that gives buyers and sellers a common language for grouping (or categorising) products in the same way, everywhere in the world

• Improves the GDSN data accuracy and integrity, speeds up the supply chain's ability to react to consumer needs, and contributes to breaking down language barriers.

• Since 2007, GPC adoption has grown in coverage and in implementation (in parallel with the use of GTINs) in GDS

What is GPC?

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GPC – Part of the GS1 System of Standards

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GS1 Identification NumbersIdentify Companies, Products, Locations,

Logistics, Assets and Services

GS1 Data CarriersBarcodes and EPC-enabled RFID

GS1 Data ExchangeShare Classification, Master Data,

Transactional Data and Physical Event Data

Capture

© GS1 2018

How does GPC Work?

• GPC is a rules-based, four-tier classification system for grouping products

• The four tiers are Segment, Family, Class, and Brick (with attributes and attribute values)

• A Brick identifies a category incorporating products (Global Trade Item Numbers - GTINs) that serve a common purpose,are of a similar form and material, and share the same set of category attributes

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• 1999: Voluntary Inter-industry Commerce Solutions (VICS) Board authorises Product Classification Standards (spearheaded by GS1 Canada)

• 2000: 1st Segment developed: Food & Beverage

• 2001: EAN /UCC accepts governance role for GPC

• 2002: AC Nielsen appointed to manage GPC

• 2007: GS1 France appointed to manage GPC

• 2008: Expansion of Meat & Poultry classification working with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

• 2009: GS1 Healthcare approved the addition of two bricks, Medical Devices and Drugs, for GDSN

• 2010: GS1 GO takes over management and retains GS1 France for support and publication

• 2013: Expansion to the Horticultural sector

• 2016: Expansion to Crops/Farming Products to support GS1’s sustainability efforts

• 2017: GS1 GO takes over support and publication (cost savings of $100,000)

GPC History /Milestones

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GPC Brick Example: Milk

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Milk/Butter/Cream/Yogurts/Cheese/Eggs/Substitutes

Food/Beverage/Tobacco

Segment

Family

Class

Milk and Milk Substitutes

Brick Brick Attribute ValuesBrick AttributesNOUNIDENTIFIEDYES

NOUNIDENTIFIEDYES

CONDENSEDDEHYDRATEDEXTENDED SHELF LIFE (ESL) MILK TREATMENTNO HEAT TREATMENTPASTEURIZEDUNCLASSIFIED

If Organic

If With Probiotic Claim

Cooking Process

Level of Fat Claim

Source

FULL FATHALF FATLOW FATNON FATREDUCED FATUNCLASSIFIEDUNIDENTIFIED

BUFFALOCAMELCOMBINATIONCOWDONKEYGOATHORSEMOOSEPIGSHEEPYAKUNCLASSIFIEDUNIDENTIFIED

Milk(Perishable)

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• GPC standards are developed by the community through the GPC SMG, consistent with the Global Standards Management Process (GSMP).

GPC Development and Maintenance

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Step 1Business Need

Step 2Requirements

Step 4Deployment

Step 3Development

GPC SMG (or Sub-Team)

Requirements & Proposal

Public Review

Motion to Next

Publication

Holding

GPC Publication 2x per Year

Draft Standard

Standard Publish

Motion to eBallot

eBallot Ratify

Maintenance WR

© GS1 2018

GPC Releases

• GPC uses a “Consolidated Release” strategy to publish twice per year, (every June and December)

• Approximately 5 months after a new GPC is publishedit is incorporated into the latest GDS release

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© GS1 2018

GPC deployment into GDS

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May/Jun2017

Nov/Dec2017

May/Jun2018

Nov/Dec2018

May/Jun2019

Nov/Dec2019

GPC Jun-2017 Publication

GPC Dec-2017 Publication

GPC Jun-2018 Publication GPC Dec-2018

Publication

GPC Dec 2016 Deployed into GDSN GPC Jun 2017

Deployed into GDSN GPC Dec 2017

Deployed into GDSN

GPC Jun 2018 Deployed into GDSN

GPC Jun-2019 Publication

GPC Dec 2018 Deployed into GDSN

GPC Dec-2019 Publication

GPC Jun 2019 Deployed into GDSN

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GPC Brick Code Adoption in GDSN

The use of GPC is increasing, with our brick count now over 3,700 along with over 25 million GTIN alignments to GPC brick codes in GDSN.

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GPC Brick Adoption by Target Market (Top 20)

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GPC Brick Adoption By Segment (Top 10)

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GPC Brick Adoption By Segment (Complete)

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% of Temporary GPC Brick Codes Passed through GDSN

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The temporary “99999999” brick code is used for products that have not yet been classified within GPC. As the GPC system has expanded and improved, the use of the temporary brick code has decreased.

© GS1 2018

GPC Updates/Maintenance

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Individual WR’s have varying levels of effort (total changes).

Addition of a new Segment:

Horticulture

Complete reclassification of

all Baby Care related bricks

Addition of a new

Segment:Crops

© GS1 2018

GPC Updates/MaintenancePublication Classification Changes/Additions WRs

DeliveredNew Bricks

Total Changes

Jun-2014 Dairy Products, Sushi, Electronic Cigarettes, Fertiliser – New “Horticulture” Segment 8 282 11,353

Dec-2014 Cosmetics, Cooking Oils, Sugar, Snacks, Ready-Made Meals, Meat & Poultry, Lottery Scratch Cards, Children’s Books, Sweet Curd Cheese, Fresh Fruits/Vegetables 10 9 1,265

Jun-2015 DIY Products, Seedlings, Toy Balls, Avocados, Diet Supplements, Books & Periodicals, Computer Games, Bouquets, Sauce Paste Products, ATVs & UTVs 10 32 364

Dec-2015 Alcoholic Beverages, Wine, Paint Additives, Fruit/Vegetables, Stationary, Moisture Absorbers, Energy/Stimulants, and - Reclassification of all “Baby Care” related products 12 31 15,048

Jun-2016 Fruits/Vegetables, Meat, Alcoholic Beverages, Condiments, Agriculture Products, Clothing. 43 10 3,421

Dec-2016 Fruits/Vegetables, Travel Cases, Books, Textiles, and Cosmetics – New “Crops” Segment 47 51 5,988

Jun-2017 Cosmetics, Photography, Hormonal Contraception, DIY Products, Crops 26 46 3,023

Dec-2017 Dairy Products, Grapes, Racing Drones, Crops 13 50 4,395

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GPC is Published in Two Formats

GPC Schema (XML/XLS Schemas)

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GPC Browser (includes translations)

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GPC Translations

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Arabic French Macedonian Serbian

Bulgarian German Norwegian Spanish

Chinese Greek Persian Swedish

Czech Hungarian Polish Turkish

Danish Italian Portuguese

Dutch Japanese Russian

Finnish Latvian Romanian

GPC is officially published in Oxford English and is translated to 25 other languages

* Languages in Orange are coming soon

© GS1 2018

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) integrates GPC into their GlobalRecalls portal:

• Online tool that contains regularly updated information on consumer product recalls issued by jurisdictions around the world.

• The search features and multi-lingual capability uses GTIN and GPC to gather information on recalled productsfrom jurisdictions in real-time

GPC Implementations (Outside of GDSN)

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© GS1 2018

• Allows users manufacturers to register the technical information of their products

• GPC is fully integrated into the platform to support the search for products by classification

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The Cadastro Nacional De Produtos (CNP) integrates GPC into their Brazilian National Product Registration system

GPC Implementations (Outside of GDSN)

© GS1 2018

• Washington State’s Legislature passed the Children's Safe Products Act to limit the use of lead, cadmium, five flame-retardants, and six phthalates in children's products sold.

• All CSPA reporting is processed through the Department of Ecology’s online database. Manufacturers must report four pieces of information, one of them being the GPC “Brick” classification.

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Washington State Department of Ecology – Children’s Safe Product Reporting Program

GPC Implementations (Outside of GDSN)

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Attributes Check View Explore

1. GTIN

2. Brand

3. Label Description

4. Medium Resolution Image

5. Target Market

6. Company Name

7. Product Classification

Required for service Service enhanced as a result

Core Attribute in the GS1 Cloud

GPC

© GS1 2018

Contact Information

www.gs1.org

Mike MowadDirector, Program Managementmichael.mowad@gs1.org