What is the SyncForce Golden Hierarchy?

In short: The Golden Hierarchy is the information model behind SyncForce Circular PIM, built for the packaged goods industry. It manages Products, Trade Items, Packaging, Masters and Variants, Markets, Channels and Customers as separate but connected objects. Each piece of data is maintained once, at the level where it belongs, and then assembled for wherever it is needed: ERP, GS1 GDSN, retailers, e-commerce, and PPWR and EPR compliance.

Why packaged goods need more than a product record

A packaged product is not a single record.

One product can exist in several pack sizes and market variants. Packaging components are reused across many sales units. Individual Sales Units are grouped into multipacks, cases and other logistics structures. And customers, markets, channels and regulations each need a different combination of that information.

A flat "golden record" forces all of this into one row per product, which leads to duplicated data, inconsistencies and a lot of manual maintenance. SyncForce Circular PIM models these relationships explicitly, through the Golden Hierarchy.

What is the Golden Hierarchy?

The Golden Hierarchy is SyncForce's structured information model for connecting Products, Trade Items, Packaging, commercial configurations, Markets and Channels, while keeping data at the level where it naturally belongs.

Instead of copying the same information into every product record, SyncForce uses reusable objects and Master-Variant structures so that information is maintained once and used throughout the portfolio.

This reflects a core principle of SyncForce Circular PIM:

Manage data where it belongs, then assemble it where it is needed.

The sections below define the main concepts in the Golden Hierarchy.

Core data model: Item and Trade Item

Item

The overarching SyncForce business class for identifiable items managed in the portfolio. An Item has an internal business or ERP identifier, such as a SAP Material ID, and can carry attributes that apply across Item types. Trade Items and Packaging Components are both Items.

Trade Item

A specialization of Item that represents a physical item traded at a defined level of the supply chain. In SyncForce, a Trade Item has its own GTIN and can carry attributes such as dimensions, weight, hierarchy relationships and logistics information. Sales Units and Transport Units are Trade Items.

The distinction matters: every Trade Item is an Item, but not every Item is a Trade Item. This lets SyncForce manage objects such as Packaging Components and Sales Kits without wrongly treating them as GTIN-identified Trade Items.

Master-Variant

Master-Variant

A generic SyncForce modelling concept for managing related Items that share common characteristics. Shared attributes are maintained once at Master level; attributes that distinguish individual Items are maintained at Variant level. Which attributes sit at which level is configurable per product category and business context.

Master

A shared data layer for one or more related Variants. The Master stores the attributes common to all its Variants, which reduces duplicate maintenance and improves consistency. A Master is not a separate physical Item and cannot exist without at least one Variant: creating the first Variant also creates its Master.

Variant

An individual Item within a Master-Variant structure. A Variant inherits the shared attributes of its Master and stores the attributes that make it different from other Variants. The Variant is the actual Item managed in the portfolio.

Variant Dimension

The characteristic, or combination of characteristics, that distinguishes Variants within a Master. Variant Dimensions are configurable per product category or business context and can include market, language, artwork, net content, pack size, length, colour, flavour or any other relevant characteristic.

One concept, many product categories

Master-Variant is deliberately not tied to one type of product. For example:

• Packaged consumer goods: the same formulation and net content form the Master; localized packs are the Variants.
• Another packaged goods category: the formulation forms the Master; the different pack sizes are the Variants.
• Installation materials: a pipe with a given diameter and connector type forms the Master; the different pipe lengths are the Variants.

This flexibility lets the Golden Hierarchy reflect how each product category is actually managed.

Product and Trade Item hierarchy

Product (Naked Product)

The core business product, independent of packaging and trade configuration. It holds the inherent product characteristics, such as formulation, composition, model or technical properties, that can be shared across one or more Sales Units.

Separating the Product from the Sales Unit is essential, because the same Product is typically commercialized through multiple packs, markets and trade configurations.

Sales Unit

The overarching SyncForce term for Trade Items offered for sale. It covers both Individual Sales Units and Grouped Sales Units. Use "Sales Unit" when an attribute, relationship or business rule applies to both. A Sales Unit has its own GTIN and commercial identity.

Individual Sales Unit (ISU)

A Sales Unit sold as a single physical unit. It combines a Product with its packaging and has its own GTIN. It carries commercial and consumer-facing information such as product name, description, brand and net content. For PPWR purposes, its Packaging Unit is sales packaging.

Grouped Sales Unit (GSU)

A Sales Unit made up of two or more Sales Units that are physically combined into a separately identifiable Trade Item, typically by adding an extra layer of packaging. It has its own GTIN, physical characteristics and hierarchy information, and defines the quantity and composition of the Sales Units it contains. For PPWR purposes, its Packaging Unit is grouped packaging.

Transport Unit

A Trade Item created mainly for handling, storage and distribution, containing one or more Individual or Grouped Sales Units. It has its own GTIN and logistics characteristics such as dimensions, weight and contained quantities. Its Packaging Unit can include cases, trays, tape, dividers, protective materials, stretch wrap and other transport packaging. For PPWR purposes, its Packaging Unit is transport packaging.

The physical Trade Item hierarchy

Together, these objects form the physical Trade Item hierarchy, one of the foundations of the Golden Hierarchy:

• Trade Item
  • Sales Unit
    • Individual Sales Unit
    • Grouped Sales Unit
  • Transport Unit

How these levels typically relate to GS1 and PPWR terminology:

SyncForce object	Own GTIN	Typical GS1 hierarchy level	PPWR packaging category
Individual Sales Unit	Yes	Base unit / consumer unit	Sales packaging
Grouped Sales Unit	Yes	Multipack / inner pack	Grouped packaging
Transport Unit	Yes	Case, display/shipper, pallet	Transport packaging
Sales Kit	No (components keep their own GTINs)	Not a hierarchy level	Determined by the component Sales Units

Commercial combinations: Sales Kits

Not every commercial combination is a physical hierarchy.

Sales Kit / Virtual Bundle

An Item that represents a commercially orderable combination of two or more Trade Items that are sold together but not physically combined into a new Trade Item. A Sales Kit can have its own ERP Material ID or article number, name, price and component structure, but it does not have its own GTIN. The component Trade Items keep their own GTINs and are picked individually during order fulfilment.

Example: a smart-home starter offer contains one hub, two light bulbs and one smart plug.

• If the warehouse picks those four existing Sales Units when the order is fulfilled, the combination is a Sales Kit.
• If the same products are physically packed together in an extra layer of packaging, and that package has its own GTIN, the result is a Grouped Sales Unit.

This keeps commercial composition separate from the physical Trade Item hierarchy.

Packaging structure

In the Golden Hierarchy, packaging is a reusable structure in its own right, not a set of attributes attached to a product record.

This is especially important for packaged goods manufacturers: the same packaging components are reused across many Sales Units, and packaging has its own specifications, variants, suppliers and lifecycle.

Packaging Component

A specific physical packaging SKU that is procured or produced and used in the packaging of a Trade Item. It has its own ERP Material ID, supplier and stock identity, and consists of one or more Packaging Elements. Examples: a particular bottle, printed label, closure, carton, tray or film SKU.

Packaging Element

A distinct physical part of a Packaging Component, classified by a generic packaging type such as bottle, cap, label, carton, tray, film or tape. Packaging Elements provide a standardized structural representation that is independent of the specific SKU. They are used for packaging composition, compliance, sustainability reporting and downstream data exchange such as GS1 GDSN.

Packaging Material

A material from which a Packaging Element is made, such as glass, PET, PP, aluminium, paperboard, ink or adhesive. Packaging Material stores material-specific characteristics such as material type, weight, recycled content, bio-based content and other sustainability or compliance attributes.

Example: Packaging Component "Green Glass X15 Bottle Screwcap"

• Packaging Element: Bottle
  • Packaging Material: green glass

This lets SyncForce manage the actual packaging SKU that manufacturing uses, while also providing the normalized packaging structure needed for data exchange, sustainability and compliance.

Packaging Master-Variant

The generic Master-Variant concept also applies to Packaging Components.

Packaging Master / Technical Template

The Master level of a Packaging Component Master-Variant structure. It stores the technical attributes shared by its Packaging Component Variants, such as dieline, geometry, material composition, ink system and printing technology. It is a data layer, not a separate physical packaging item, and is created together with its first Packaging Component Variant. For printed packaging, the Packaging Master is often called the Technical Template.

Packaging Component Variant

The actual physical Packaging Component SKU that belongs to a Packaging Master. It inherits the shared technical information from the Master and stores SKU-specific information such as ERP Material ID, print-ready artwork, language, product-specific print and supplier.

Example: Packaging Master "95 × 180 mm PP label"

• Shared at Master level: dieline, material composition, ink system, printing technology
• Variants:
  • Label A for Sales Unit X – Netherlands (print-ready artwork A)
  • Label B for Sales Unit Y – Netherlands (print-ready artwork B)
  • Label C for Sales Unit Z - Germany (print-ready artwork C)

The technical definition is maintained once, while each physical label remains an independently managed Packaging Component SKU.

Packaging Unit & System

Packaging Unit

The complete physical packaging composition of one Trade Item. It is a bill of materials listing the exact Packaging Component Variants used for that Trade Item, and so represents packaging that physically exists in the supply chain.

Each relevant Trade Item level can have its own Packaging Unit:

• Individual Sales Unit → Packaging Unit → sales packaging (for example: bottle, closure and label)
• Grouped Sales Unit → Packaging Unit → grouped packaging (for example: shrink film or multipack carton)
• Transport Unit → Packaging Unit → transport packaging (for example: corrugated case, tape, divider and protective material)

The Packaging Unit answers one concrete question: which exact packaging SKUs are physically used for this Trade Item?

Packaging System

Physical packaging SKUs are needed for manufacturing and operations, but compliance needs a more reusable representation. That is the role of the Packaging System.

The SyncForce PPWR and EPR compliance object that represents a unique packaging configuration. It is defined by the combination of Packaging Masters behind the Packaging Component Variants in a Packaging Unit. Several Packaging Units can therefore share one Packaging System when their Packaging Component Variants resolve to the same combination of Packaging Masters.

The Packaging System is where applicable compliance assessments, supporting evidence and conformity documentation are consolidated.

Example: two localized Sales Units use different printed label SKUs:

• Sales Unit NL uses Label Variant NL
• Sales Unit DE uses Label Variant DE

Their Packaging Units differ, because different packaging SKUs are used. But if both label Variants belong to the same Packaging Master (Technical Template), and all other Packaging Masters are identical, both Packaging Units resolve to the same Packaging System. The compliance work is done once, not once per market or artwork.

Object	Question it answers
Packaging Unit	Which exact packaging SKUs are physically used?
Packaging System	Which reusable compliance configuration do those SKUs represent?

This Master-Variant reuse avoids repeating the same technical and compliance information for every product, artwork or market variant.

Product composition

Bill of Materials (BOM) for Assemblies

A structured list of Items, materials, components or subassemblies, and their quantities, required to manufacture or assemble the nake product assembly. A BOM defines the physical or manufacturing composition and the relationships between its components.

List of Ingredients for Formulation based products

The structured set of ingredients used in a formulated Product, including applicable information such as quantities, allergens, origin, provenance and health or safety declarations.

Digital Assets

A managed digital file linked to one or more objects in the Golden Hierarchy, such as a product image, artwork, print-ready artwork, document, certificate, video or technical drawing. A Digital Asset can carry metadata, versions, usage information and publication information.

Because Digital Assets are linked to the relevant object, rather than stored against one flat product record, the same asset can be managed once and reused at the right level.

Customers and Assortments

Customer

A business trading partner such as a retailer, wholesaler, distributor, foodservice operator or marketplace. Customer records hold the identification and master data needed to manage commercial and data-exchange relationships.

Customer Assortment

The subset of Sales Units and other commercial offerings listed or sold by a specific Customer. It can hold customer-specific information such as customer article numbers, ERP identifiers, pricing, discount structures and customer-specific content.

This keeps customer-specific information separate from the underlying Sales Unit, instead of duplicating the full product record for every customer.

Countries and Markets

Country / Market

A geographic market in which products are marketed or sold, and to which specific commercial, regulatory, language or compliance requirements may apply.

Business Region

A grouping of Countries or Markets for organizational or commercial purposes, such as EMEA, North America or APAC. A Business Region is distinct from an individual regulatory market.

Market Coverage / Country of Sale

The relationship between a Sales Unit and a Country or Market where it is offered for sale. It stores information that varies by market, such as regulatory information, commercial information, tax classifications or local content requirements.

Channels

Channel

A sales, distribution or publication route through which products or product information are made available. A Channel can define requirements that apply across multiple Customers, such as data requirements, publication rules, commercial information or content requirements.

Channel Coverage

The relationship between a Sales Unit and a Channel. It stores channel-specific availability, commercial information and business rules that can differ between Channels.

Localization & Translation

A language- or locale-specific version of free-text product content. A Translation can be reused across all Markets that share a language, or localized for a specific Country or Market where required.

How the Golden Hierarchy comes together

The value of the Golden Hierarchy is not in any single object. It is in the relationships between them. Conceptually:

• Product is commercialized as one or more Sales Units (Individual or Grouped), which are packed into Transport Units.
• Each Trade Item has a Packaging Unit, made up of:
  • Packaging Component Variants, each belonging to a Packaging Master
  • and Packaging Components consisting of Packaging Elements, each made of one or more Packaging Materials
• The combination of Packaging Masters in a Packaging Unit resolves to a Packaging System, used for PPWR and EPR compliance.
• Sales Units are linked to Markets, Channels, Customer Assortments and Translations.

Master-Variant structures can be applied throughout this hierarchy wherever related Items share data but still need to exist as separate Variants.

Where data is maintained:

Information	Maintained on
Formulation, composition, technical product properties	Product
Name, brand, net content, consumer-facing content, GTIN	Sales Unit
Logistics dimensions, weights, contained quantities	Trade Item (Sales Unit or Transport Unit)
Shared packaging specifications (dieline, material composition, printing)	Packaging Master
Packaging SKU, artwork, supplier	Packaging Component Variant
Exact packaging used per Trade Item	Packaging Unit
PPWR/EPR assessments, evidence, conformity documentation	Packaging System
Market-specific regulatory, tax and commercial data	Market Coverage
Channel-specific availability and rules	Channel Coverage
Customer article numbers, pricing, customer-specific content	Customer Assortment

The result is a model that reflects how packaged goods actually exist and change, instead of forcing product, packaging, logistics and market information into one flat record. Reusable information is created and maintained where it belongs, then assembled into the complete information needed for operations, commerce, compliance and go-to-market.

Key Golden Hierarchy principles

• Model the real world, not a flat product record. Products, packaging, Trade Items, logistics structures and commercial relationships have different lifecycles and are managed as connected objects.
• Maintain data where it naturally belongs. Formulation belongs with the Product, physical packaging composition with the Packaging Unit, market data with Market Coverage and customer-specific data with the Customer Assortment.
• Reuse instead of duplicate. Products, Packaging Components, Masters, Translations and other objects are reused across multiple Sales Units and configurations.
• Separate physical and commercial structures. A Grouped Sales Unit is a physical combination of Sales Units. A Sales Kit is a commercial combination that does not create a new physical Trade Item.
• Separate physical packaging from compliance configuration. A Packaging Unit is the exact set of packaging SKUs used for one Trade Item. A Packaging System is the reusable PPWR and EPR compliance configuration behind those SKUs.
• Use Master-Variant where Items share data. Masters reduce duplicated administration, while Variants keep the identity and information that make each Item different.
• Assemble data for its destination. SyncForce combines information from different levels into the structure required by customers, channels, GS1, regulatory processes and other destinations.

Why SyncForce uses a Golden Hierarchy

Traditional PIM thinking starts with a product record and asks which attributes to add to it.

SyncForce starts with a different question: what does this information describe, where is it created, what can reuse it, and where does it ultimately need to go?

For packaged goods manufacturers, that difference matters. Products, formulations, packaging, artwork, logistics structures, markets and compliance requirements change independently and at different rhythms. SyncForce Circular PIM uses the Golden Hierarchy to keep them connected while avoiding unnecessary duplication.

The Golden Hierarchy is therefore more than a hierarchy of GTINs. It is the structural foundation of the SyncForce data supply chain for bringing packaged goods to market.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SyncForce Golden Hierarchy?

The Golden Hierarchy is the data and entity model of SyncForce Circular PIM. It connects Products, Sales Units, Transport Units, Packaging Components, Packaging Units, Packaging Systems, Markets, Channels and Customers as related objects, so packaged goods data is maintained once and reused across the portfolio.

How is a Golden Hierarchy different from a golden record?

A golden record is a single, consolidated version of one product's data. A Golden Hierarchy models the relationships between the objects that make up a packaged product: the product itself, its packaging, its sales and logistics units, and its market, channel and customer context. Shared data is maintained once and inherited, instead of being copied into every record.

What is the difference between a Trade Item and a Sales Unit?

A Trade Item is any physical item with its own GTIN that is traded at a defined level of the supply chain. A Sales Unit is a Trade Item that is offered for sale, either as an Individual Sales Unit or a Grouped Sales Unit. Transport Units are Trade Items but not Sales Units.

What is the difference between a Grouped Sales Unit and a Sales Kit?

A Grouped Sales Unit is physically packed together and has its own GTIN. A Sales Kit is a commercial combination of existing Trade Items that are picked separately at order fulfilment. It can have its own article number and price, but no GTIN of its own.

What is the difference between a Packaging Unit and a Packaging System?

A Packaging Unit lists the exact packaging SKUs physically used for one Trade Item. A Packaging System is the reusable compliance configuration defined by the Packaging Masters behind those SKUs. Many Packaging Units, for example localized versions with different artwork, can share one Packaging System.

How does the Golden Hierarchy support PPWR compliance?

Each Trade Item level has its own Packaging Unit, which maps directly to the PPWR categories of sales, grouped and transport packaging. Packaging is broken down into Packaging Components, Elements and Materials, including weights and recycled content. Compliance assessments and evidence are consolidated on the Packaging System, so they are maintained once instead of per SKU or market.

Who is the Golden Hierarchy designed for?

The Golden Hierarchy is designed for brand owners and manufacturers in the packaged goods industry who manage large portfolios of products, pack sizes, market variants and packaging, and who need to supply consistent data to ERP, retailers, GS1 GDSN, e-commerce channels and regulatory processes.