What is a GLN?

Powered by GS1 Standards, the Global Location Number (GLN) is best described as a “location barcode.” It helps you track your products’ location throughout the supply chain and uniquely identify the locations involved in its business transactions. These locations can include legal entities, functional groups, digital parties, and physical locations such as a warehouse.

Get a Global Location Number (GLN)

 
 

Why use a Global Location Number (GLN)?

There is a continued need for greater accountability, efficiency, and visibility along the supply chain. GLNs help take the confusion out of identifying locations and organizations.

The GLN can also help brands and organizations:

 
  • Use a more standardized way to identify locations or parties
  • Avoid duplicate or confusing variations in location names
  • Better communicate with other trading partners
  • Efficiently ensure the unique, concise, and accurate exchange of location data
  • Ensure consistently identified locations across channels to avoid process failures
  • Avoid having to develop and translate different, individual company identification systems
 
 

Common Terms

Party: Who/what needs to be identified, whether physical or digital (example: legal entity, functional group, physical location)

Legal Entity: Any business, government body, department, charity, individual, or institution (example: corporation, holding company, or individual acting as business entity)

Functional Group: A subdivision or department, as defined by the organization (example: accounting department)

GLNs are globally unique and interoperable. They use a common language that can be shared across trading partners to accurately and uniquely identify company or specific locations. Using GLNs will help improve visibility into your products’ location at any point in the supply chain.

Get a Global Location Number (GLN)

 
 

Increasing Traceability Using GLNs

Improving visibility to enable track and trace within the supply chain

 

When you combine the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) with the Global Location Number (GLN), you get a clear window into where and how your products are moving along the supply chain globally.

With GLNs, you can promote a more efficient exchange of location information. As a result, you can save time and minimize errors that can negatively impact your business or your customer.

 

The Global Location Number (GLN) enhances traceability throughout the supply chain by:

  • Ensuring that important location information is uniquely identified
  • Promoting accuracy when capturing key traceability or visibility activities
  • Easily exchanging information
  • Simplifying the capture of location data, trading partner onboarding, and supplier records

Better track your location data to minimize the costs associated with missing or inaccurate data. Unique identification will help make everything possible. Learn how to get a GLN today!

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