Few would consider standards exciting, but everyone should consider them a necessity. In the world of tires — everything from manufacturers to retail on the floor to ensuring rule compliance in motor sports, uniquely identifying every tire of every sort is an important tactic that saves resources by reducing workloads and improving processes.

Download the free RAIN Guidelines for Tire Identification

Then

RAIN technology’s singular capabilities proved ideal to represent the only way to standardized the method in which to uniquely identify tires. An effort originally initiated by tire manufacturers via a dedicated work group, four international standards – ISO 20909 thru 20912 – were published between 2019 and 2020.

As defined in ISO 20910, a 96-bit long Serialized Global Trade Item Number (SGTIN-96) is the unique identifier to be encoded in RAIN-enabled tires. SGTIN-96 is one of the most used Electronic Product Code (EPC) schemes, as defined by GS1. Well-suited for RAIN tags, it doesn’t require the use of high-capacity memory tags. However, creating such unique identifiers requires compliance with a set of GS1 rules and standards. Furthermore, SGTIN-96 are usually built out from existing Global Trade Item Numbers (GTIN). Used primarily by the retail sector and encoded in EAN or U.P.C. barcodes, implementing SGTIN-96 in RAIN tags without this barcode-oriented GTIN “history” is cumbersome and can create confusion and misinterpretations.

Now

Wanting to aid the industry in implementing and adhering to existing and future useful standards, a core group of approximately 30 individuals brought about the creation of a new RAIN Alliance work group. Centered on bringing together GS1 experts, ISO work group members, and motivated RAIN Alliance Members, the Tyre Work Group has produced the first RAIN Guidelines for Tire Identification. Although developed for the tyre industry, this guide can be translated to endless other sectors seeking to leverage RAIN technology alongside the GS1 SGTIN-96 identification key.

The Guide

Ensuring uniqueness is key to global tire identification and because some components have fixed values, others must be meticulously managed by tire manufacturers to retain individuality. The RAIN Guidelines for Tire Identification provides guidance on how to create these unique identifiers and beyond.

Starting from the allocation by a GS1 Member Organization of a GS1 Company prefix, it explains the role and format of the different components of the SGTIN-96:

  • Item reference
  • Partition
  • Filter value
  • EPC header
  • Serial number

Not stopping at the creation of SGTINs, tire manufacturers and other stakeholders will reduce workloads by learning how to encode the 96-bit long binary strings into the EPC/UII memory bank of a RAIN tag. Further set yourself up for success by discovering how to commission tags, such as disabling the Kill function and permalocking the EPC memory so tire manufacturers comply with ISO TC31 standards and RAIN implementation best practices. Add in tips regarding serialization processes to avoid duplicating SGTIN-96’s even when tires are manufactured in different factories around the world, and you’ve got all you need to easily adhere to the latest international standards for tire identification.

Download the RAIN Guidelines for Tire Identification.

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