Automotive Logistics · Labeling
Automotive Supplier Labels
ESS Hub supports automotive supplier labeling as part of the shipping and ASN process. Suppliers can work with shipment, packaging and handling-unit information in the portal and generate the labels required by the implemented customer process.
Automotive labels can therefore remain connected with the underlying ASN and packaging information instead of being created as a separate manual process.
ESS Hub supports VDA 4994 / Global Transport Label (GTL) and AIAG B-10-based automotive labeling processes where configured for the customer implementation: it generates GTL master and GTL single labels and an AIAG B-10 label type as PDF and ZPL from the packed shipment.
Process
From ASN to automotive label
The label reflects the underlying shipment and packaging information. In ESS Hub the label is generated from the packed shipment in the supplier portal — the ERP does not generate the supplier's label in this process — while the electronic shipment information continues through the customer's integration.
Data
Why automotive labels are connected to ASN data
A label is only correct if it carries the same information as the shipment it travels with: which shipment, which handling unit, which part, how many pieces, from which supplier to which plant. Using the same structured information for ASN creation and label generation keeps the electronic notification and the physical shipping documentation consistent.
Standard
VDA 4994 and the Global Transport Label
VDA 4994 is the recommendation of the German automotive industry association (VDA) for transport and parts labelling in automotive supply chains: the Global Transport Label (GTL). It defines how a handling unit is labelled so that the receiving process can identify the shipment, the packaging unit and its content, with a master label for the transport unit (for example the pallet) and single labels for the inner packaging.
For authoritative requirements and the current specification, refer to the applicable official VDA documentation and customer-specific implementation requirements. This page explains the concepts in its own words and does not reproduce label templates or layouts.
ESS Hub generates GTL master and GTL single labels based on VDA 4994 for the handling units of a shipment, as PDF and ZPL, once the shipment is packed.
Formats
GTL and AIAG labeling
Automotive supply chains may use labelling requirements based on VDA/GTL, on AIAG recommendations or on customer-specific standards, depending on the region and the customer. ESS Hub can support the label formats implemented for the customer's supplier process: in the product today these are the GTL master and single labels and an AIAG B-10 label type. ESS Hub does not claim to support every AIAG format or every OEM-specific label; additional formats are implemented per customer requirement.
Supplier experience
What the supplier does in ESS Hub
The supplier works in the ESS Hub web portal. After packing is saved, the handling-unit labels are available in the shipment's Labels step and later in the Labels & Documents area for recent shipments: print all labels, download the PDF, copy or download the ZPL source, with a Zebra printer preview (4×6 in, 300 dpi). Printing is done by the supplier from the PDF or by sending the ZPL to its own label printer; ESS Hub does not control printers directly.
Packaging
Packaging and handling units
Label generation follows the packaging structure of the shipment. What ESS Hub manages today:
- Packaging data sheets (PDS) per part and plant — version, specification and status (Active, Pending confirmation, Superseded) — reviewed and confirmed by the supplier (Packaging Data Sheet)
- Pallets and boxes: the packing step builds pallets with boxes; quantities per box follow the packaging data sheet, and ESS Hub checks that all quantities are packed
- Parent and child handling units: the pallet is the master handling unit, the boxes its inner packaging — the basis for master and single labels
- Handling-unit identifiers: each handling unit receives an SSCC when the shipment is created
- Returnable packaging: empties accounts per plant with balances and postings
Serial numbers per part, mixed-load handling units and package types beyond pallet and box are not part of the current product, and ESS Hub does not claim SAP Handling Unit Management functionality.
WebEDI
Labels for non-EDI suppliers
A supplier does not need its own EDI infrastructure to work with the automotive labeling process in ESS Hub. The supplier uses the web portal to create the ASN, maintain the required packaging information and generate the applicable shipping label. Structured ASN information can continue through the customer's integration landscape while the physical shipment carries the corresponding supplier label. Automotive WebEDI · Non-EDI Suppliers & SAP · ASN & DESADV
Standards
VDA 4987 and VDA 4994
VDA 4987 concerns structured shipping and despatch information — the message. VDA 4994 concerns automotive transport and parts labelling — the physical label. They are not interchangeable; the same underlying shipment and packaging information can support both processes where implemented. VDA 4987 · ASN & DESADV
Implementation
Customer-specific label requirements
Automotive label requirements frequently include customer-specific rules: additional data elements, plant-specific references, particular barcode content or layout variants. ESS Hub implements the applicable label process according to the agreed customer requirements; the label types in the product today are GTL master, GTL single and AIAG B-10, generated per handling unit from the shipment data.
One label does not work for every OEM: label formats and the required information must be validated against the applicable customer requirement during implementation.
Checks
Validation before printing
Labels are generated from a packed shipment, so the checks of the packing process apply before a label exists:
- a shipment covers one plant, with lines from confirmed call-offs
- the packing step checks that all quantities are packed and shows any unpacked remainder
- labels are available only after packing is saved
- handling-unit identifiers (SSCC) are assigned by ESS Hub when the shipment is created
ESS Hub does not run a separate label-validation engine; customer-specific checks on label content are part of the implementation.
Architecture
SAP and ERP context
ESS Hub is the supplier-facing collaboration layer and can use information originating from or destined for the customer's existing SAP/ERP landscape: the call-offs come from the ERP through the integration layer, the shipment information returns the same way, and the label is generated in ESS Hub from that shipment. Label generation does not require replacing the customer's existing ERP or EDI landscape. SAP Integration · EDI & B2B Integration · ESS Hub technical architecture
Product evidence
Automotive labels in ESS Hub
Concept
One dataset, digital and physical shipment information
Digital shipping information and physical labelling originate from the same structured supplier process in ESS Hub. Where the customer's integration applies transformations or customer-specific rules, the message and the label are derived from the same shipment data rather than being identical documents.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does ESS Hub support automotive shipping labels?
Yes. ESS Hub generates handling-unit labels from the packed shipment as part of the ASN process, as PDF and ZPL.
Does ESS Hub support VDA 4994?
Yes, based on the implemented ESS Hub capability: ESS Hub generates GTL master and GTL single labels — the Global Transport Label defined by VDA 4994 — for the handling units of a shipment. Customer-specific variants are implemented per customer.
What is the Global Transport Label (GTL)?
The Global Transport Label is the automotive transport label described by VDA 4994: a standardized label on the handling unit that identifies the shipment, the packaging unit and its content for the receiving process. Master labels identify the pallet; single labels identify the inner packaging.
Does ESS Hub support AIAG-based labels?
ESS Hub provides an AIAG B-10 label type in addition to the GTL labels. Other AIAG formats and customer-specific label layouts are implemented per customer requirement; ESS Hub does not claim to support every AIAG or OEM label.
Can non-EDI suppliers generate automotive labels in ESS Hub?
Yes, for the supported and configured supplier processes: the supplier creates the ASN in the web portal, packs the shipment and generates the handling-unit labels there, without EDI infrastructure.
Are labels connected to ASN information?
Yes. Labels are generated from the packed shipment — its handling units, boxes, parts and quantities — so the label on the pallet carries the same data as the ASN.
Can ESS Hub manage packaging and handling-unit information?
Yes. Packaging data sheets per part and plant define how parts are packed; in the ASN the supplier builds pallets with boxes, quantities per box follow the packaging data sheet, and each handling unit receives an SSCC when the shipment is created.
What is the difference between VDA 4987 and VDA 4994?
VDA 4987 concerns the electronic despatch advice — the shipping information sent as a message. VDA 4994 concerns transport and parts labelling — the physical label on the handling unit. They are different but related parts of the same shipping process.
Can label formats be adapted to customer-specific requirements?
Label formats and the required information are implemented according to the agreed customer requirements and validated against them; GTL master, GTL single and AIAG B-10 are the label types in the product today.
Does ESS Hub replace SAP or EDI for label generation?
No. ESS Hub generates the supplier's handling-unit labels from the shipment data in the portal; the electronic shipment information continues through the customer's existing integration and ERP landscape.