As of September 22, 2016 the RLA Standards Committee’s Labeling protocols have been incorporated as part of the ANSI standards for product labeling.

They are published as part of the “American National Standard Data Identifier and Application Identifier Standard. “ That document can be found at http://www.mhi.org/downloads/learning/standards/MH10.8.2_CM_20160922.pdf

It is published by the Material Handling Industry for: MH10, Unit-Loads & Transport-Packages. MH10 is an ANSI Accredited Standards Committee Secretariat for the Material Handling Industry. Its designation is MH10.8.2.12N.

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It is defined as: - Data fields related to reverse logistics, which covers returns, repair, refurbishing and recycling. Further, The Data construct is defined and controlled by the RLA, and is comprised of 2 segments: the field identifier code, immediately followed by the data as defined for that element according to the data dictionary of the RLA. It is essentially a catalog of fields with standardized content. The Field Identifiers are posted at http://www.rla.org/12Nformat. The use and structure of these codes are defined at: http://www.rla.org/12Ncodes Additional examples can be found at that site as well. DI “12N” shall never be encoded in a 2D or RFID tag together with any other DI elements

In other words, the RLA is charged with the development and maintenance of this DI (Data Identifier) that is a component of the ANSI product labeling standard. By implementing this standard manufacturers can optimize their product labeling prodedures and improve logistics efficiencies.

Applications of this standard have been designed for the implementations of digital toe tags (optically scan-able) for computer repair and refurbishing records and for product return fraud prevention. Additional applications are in development. The Standards Committee is soliciting ideas and suggestions regarding labeling fields and applications.

As an open standard, there are no fees associated with the adoption of these protocols. Full text of the standard can be found at www.rla.org/sqrl . You may also contact the committee chair person.

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Ron Lembke
Dr. Ron Lembke Associate Professor, Supply Chain Management Marketing Area Coordinator, Managerial Sciences Dept University of Nevada