PRODUCT SERIALIZATION

Product numbering is common for batch or lot distinction, internal logistics, reordering, point-of-sale transactions, promotions and more. In most cases, these numbering schemes do not dedicate a unique number to each unit of sale or subsequent packaging levels, e.g. case or pallet or they are inherently unsecure. What is important about unique product identification and integration of this capability into brand owners and government printing operations?

• Serialization should be viewed as a strategic and a fundamental component of product management because it can provide new and substantive financial benefits.
• The serialization process and related data management system must be secure from end-to-end.
• Access to and use of enabling software, related hardware and resulting data in a central data repository should be secure throughout.

• Enabling software should be comprehensive and address every aspect of customer operations that serialization impacts; from production, to distribution facilities, throughout the supply chain to consumption.
• Product serialization is preferably flexible to type and length of UID, e.g. sequential, random, numeric, alphanumeric, GS1 or other standard format, the manner in which the UID is carried on the product, e.g. text, machine-readable, covert marking, etc. where and how it is printed, and on what material. No single approach can work for most companies.

• UID structure and carriage should take into consideration the methods for its use, when on a product and still in the control of the brand owner, and then once in the supply chain, e.g. who will authenticate the UID, how will they "read" the UID, etc.
• The system should be relatively easy to integrate with existing systems and processes and easy to use.
• If industry standards, state or government regulations exist or are emerging, e.g. FDA, cGMP, GS1, US and other country regulations, etc., the system must be capable of compliance and integrating, or evolving to integrate with these elements. Additionally, as in the pharmaceutical industry, the system must be able to create and export any data necessary to further other initiatives, such as the construction of electronic pedigree documents.
• UID's may be carried on products in any form (human-readable, bar UID, RFID), at any level of packaging and using parent-child relationships. VB Enterprise UID Procurement supports the use of other forms of unique product identification, e.g. GS1 GTIN numbers or UID's embedded in RFID chips.

The following graphics represent examples of security labeling and excise stamps inclusive of serialization and 3 predominant forms of carriage, human readable, barcode and RFID, product information and security material.

• Secure serialization software and systems architecture should be built and deployed using mainstream and standardized software development tools and architecture.