GTIN Use Guidelines for the Irish Construction Industry

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Background

Regulators and industry participants are making ever greater demands for documentation of products for Construction and Facility Management (FM). The information must be detailed and correct, and be available throughout the building’s life cycle, from design to decommissioning.

This presupposes that the products have a unique common identification that is understood by everyone and is interoperable, working across functions and systems over time. The GTIN meets these requirements and is therefore chosen as the identifier.

Many products already have a GTIN, but some product categories are particularly challenging. This applies to products that are produced based on specifications for the individual project, often referred to as one-of-a-kind products. The Guideline has chosen to describe ready-mixed concrete, precast concrete elements, doors, and windows as representatives of these.

In addition, the project has chosen to describe the identification of products mentioned as Made to Stock (MtS).

The GTIN will help make it easier to collect and retrieve Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) documentation and other information about products that are part of a construction project.

In addition, the GTIN can be used in the supply chain for orders, deliveries, and settlement, and to be able to track the product from raw materials to assembly, decommissioning, and recycling. Here we would especially encourage the use of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) for the exchange of information where possible.

The use of the GTIN can also form the basis for data collection for analysis and reporting at product level.

Download the Guidelines