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Executive Summary
Since the introduction of the 12-digit Universal Product Code (U.P.C.) more than 30 years ago, the use of the GS1 System has expanded rapidly to facilitate global commerce. To meet the need for improving commerce efficiency, GS1 US and GS1 Canada announced an important initiative, requiring that by January 1, 2005 all U.S. and Canadian companies must be capable of scanning and processing EAN-8 and EAN-13 symbols, in addition to 12-digit U.P.C. symbols, at point-of-sale. GS1 US and GS1 Canada announced this initiative, named “2005 Sunrise,” in 1997 to allow U.S. and Canadian companies ample time to address all conversion issues.
We are now beyond the deadline of the 2005 Sunrise initiative, and to be compliant, systems and applications within your company should include the capability of receiving and processing EAN-8 and EAN-13 symbols and numbers in addition to the U.P.C. at point-of-sale.
If your company has met the 2005 Sunrise requirements, please click here:
If your company has not yet met these requirements, there are competitive disadvantages. Non-compliance consequences might include:
 Customer service delays at point-of-sale
The inability to order and process products from off-shore suppliers
The additional time and expense of remarking products
The risk of sharing inaccurate data with your trading partner
The good news is that it is not too late. Your company can still become 2005 Sunrise compliant.
Summary of requirements for 2005 Sunrise
Implementation Checklist
Register for our 2005 Sunrise Web Seminar
Congratulations! You are now prepared for true global commerce. Share your good news by following these recommendations from GS1 US:
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Communicate the changes to your entire organization with particular emphasis on Buyers and Category Managers, who are in direct contact with your suppliers. They need to be aware that your company can handle EAN-8 and EAN-13 in addition to the U.P.C. |
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If you have a vendor/supplier website, use it to communicate the information to your suppliers. |
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If you upgraded your systems to be fully GTIN® compliant, communicate your EDI requirements to your trading partners. |
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P) |