Talk:Global Identification Number for Consignment

I'm not directly associated with the GS1 organization, but I am going to assume that the contributors to this article are. If that is so, then to help improve it maybe references should be added to support much of the information contained on the page. It would also be helpful to add some sibling and parent links for the article (to the GS1 main site or internationally associated sites), so that it can be understood in the wider context of the GS1 family of identifiers and all. I'm prepared to do it, but a member might be better placed to access the appropriate sources.

All this said, I must confess that I am struggling to understand this page (and indeed GS1) when it comes to the distinction between shipments and consignments. The GS1 site makes clear that a GINC is for transport pruposes and a GSIN for trade purposes, so this article's linking of the 2 in the form 'shipment/consignment' seems to me to confuse readers: they are not the same, otherwise 2 different identifiers would not be needed. Read the GS1 Sweden site on the GSIN (don't worry, it's in English) and it is immediately clear that GSIN is definitely about a logical grouping of items; yes, it might also be a physical grouping throughout its transportation life, but it doesn't have to be. The GINC is another matter. This deals with logistic units, each with its own SSCC, grouped together for transportation. Well, if they are grouped for transportation in the physical world (ie, real), then this is surely not a logical construct but an actual construct. Again, see GS1 Sweden for a clear articulation of this.

So, what I am suggesting is that the GSIN describes a logical grouping of one or more SSCCs being shipped under one dispatch advice (between a consignor and consignee, for trade purposes) and that a GINC is a physical grouping (or simply grouping, as GS1 India puts it ) of one or more SSCCs (not necessarily of the same shipment or containing all of a shipment) assembled to be transported together under one transport document between one transportation point and the next.

Any takers on discussing or clarifying this? I'll watch for follow up, otherwise I'll do some modifying of the article. The Horst Mann (talk) 16:48, 25 November 2012 (UTC)