Difference Between Construct 1 and 2 Simplified

OK, so you have a customer who needs UID tags. One of the first things they will need to decide is what Construct to use - Construct 1 or Construct 2. The differences between these two are pretty easy to identify. It all has to do with the elements used to construct the UID and how they are serialized within that construct.

Let's start with the similarities first. Both Constructs contain the EID (aka Enterprise Identifier). Common EIDs are Cage Code and Duns Number. Both Constructs also contain a serial number. For Construct 1 that's it - Enterprise Identifier and serial number.

For Construct 2 there is an additional element - the original part number. Basically it just adds an additional level of serialization. Instead of being serialized within the Enterprise ID (like Construct 1), UIDs using Construct 2 are serialized within the original part number. That's it - pretty simple, right? Opinions differ as to what Construct is better so it is best to let the customer determine which one they should use.