EAN 128

describes the form and content of the standard of the same name. In Germany, EAN 128 is coordinated by GS1 (Global Standards 1) (http://www.gs1.org). This essentially comprises the specification of formats, the exact definition of data elements and the assignment of qualifying data identifiers.
The International Location Number (ILN) is the basis for the unique designation within EAN 128. It is used to designate the physical addresses of companies and parts of companies. It is a system compatible with the Global Location Number (GLN) of the EAN community (European Article Number) and is valid worldwide. An ILN is assigned exactly once and can be clearly traced.
The best-known representative of the EAN 128 standard is the internationally unique EAN 13, which is used in particular to identify items in the retail sector. When applied to items as a barcode, it is the essential basis for the use of scanner technology from production to the point of sale. Every company with an ILN is able to create its own EAN 13. The first seven digits of the ILN, the so-called base number, are used for this purpose.
Subsequently, five digits (corresponding to 100,000 articles) can be freely assigned. The last digit is a check digit. In total, this results in the 13 digits of EAN 13.
The base number of the ILN is also the key for creating the so-called shipping unit number (SSCC). At this point, the term shipping unit is to be understood as a logistical unit, i.e. a physically connected unit, e.g. packages such as pallets or cartons, which cannot be easily separated. The recipient of a package, who can also be the sender (forwarder, carrier), can continue to use the SSCC of the shipping unit it contains as long as he does not break it up. The SSCC is an 18-digit character string.
As EAN 128 also supports the use of data identifiers, it is also possible to encode a wide range of content of dynamic length, e.g. for RFID tags (RFID).

Source: logipedia / Fraunhofer IML