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THE SUPPLY CHAINLINKISSUE NO. 09 // MARCH/APRIL 2006
Now circulated to over 25,000 people
Discover, Learn, Connect at Impetus 2006
GS1’s CMT to be the backbone of Woolworths’ electronic trade
Australian Healthcare adopts EANnet®
03
No guessing games
CEO Insights
CEO, GS1 Australia,Maria Palazzolo
With every new year comes
a flurry of so-called ‘expert’
predictions for the year ahead. Not
here at GS1 Australia.
Instead, the new year signals a
time to re-evaluate our strategy by
garnering the views of the people
who really count – our members
and staff – on how we might
better meet their needs as we
head into another exciting year.
The feedback from these talks
has been instrumental in helping
us focus on our priorities as we
develop our ambitious business
plan for 2006 to 2008, which will
be announced in April/May this
year in time for the new fiscal year.
As always, GS1 Australia remains
committed to providing
members with real-world advice
on best practice supply chain
management and making the
implementation of the GS1 System
a reality in all Australian industries.
And while our specific business
plans are still being developed
and aligned with GS1 global office,
planning is already underway for
a constellation of major events
which will provide members with
face-to-face interactions with GS1
staff and the ability to learn more
about the GS1 System.
In March, the Transport and
Logistics Road Show takes
place, the Sydney Supply Chain
Knowledge Centre will be
launched in April, and EANnet
workshops will be held along with
Education & Training Open Days in
Sydney and Melbourne.
In May, CeBIT embraces Sydney,
and on July 25th and 26th,, the
annual GS1 Australia Impetus
conference and expo will be held
in Melbourne.
All this adds up to what’s already
an exciting year but there’s more
to come. GS1 Australia is always
open to your feedback on what
we can do to serve you better
and I look forward to updating
you on all our plans for the next
two years in the June edition of
Supply Chain LINK.
02 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
Contents02 Chairman’s message
03 CEO insights
04 Your guide to new GS1 terminology
06 Read all about it: GS1 Australia annual report released
Nominate now for GS1 Awards
07 ‘Power to the people’: ads reflect the human face of GS1 Australia
08 GS1 opens door to small business savings
09 Learn about GS1 anywhere, anytime
10 GS1’s Community Management Tool (CMT) to be the backbone of Woolworth’s electronic trade
11 Lessons from the RFID National Demonstrator
ALLIANCE PARTNER EDITORIAL:
GS1 Australia working together with CeBit
12 GS1 for the Foodservice industry explained on CD
13 Discover, Learn, Connect at Impetus 2006
14 Connecting EANnet® with the world
15 Patties EPC trial results to be released at Impetus
16 Valvoline oils their supply chain with EANnet®
18 Employment Opportunities
GS1 Australia off ering you help online!
19 Frequently asked questions
20 INDUSTRY UPDATE:
Australian Healthcare adopts EANnet®
21 New EANnet Data Manager TM tool launched
22 Sweet success with pick and scan system
23 Transport & Logistics Roadshow Event
24 ALLIANCE PARTNER EDITORIAL:
Oracle hosts RFID thought leadership seminar at GS1 Supply Chain Knowledge Centre
Winners of the 2006 GS1 Australia Half Scholarships
25 Four fundamental demand driven steps to supply chain excellence
26 91,000 bar codes tested in 2005
Applie-com refocuses
27 Spotlight on GS1 people, Elsa Lai
27 GS1 Australia Events Diary
Some things should never change
Chairman’s Message
Chairman, GS1 Australia,Russell Stucki
Tell us what you think
We are interested in your feedback. The newsletter’s primary role is to keep GS1
Australia members informed and updated on the latest developments in supply
chain management and eCommerce. If you have any ideas, comments, points-
of-view or criticisms, please forward to gs1aust@gs1au.org
Thank you for the honour of
chairing GS1 Australia for the
third consecutive year, for it’s the
readers of Supply Chain LINK who
make it all so worthwhile.
Fostering trading relations
across 18 different industries,
representing dynamic young
companies to multinational
corporations – our membership
is incredibly diverse and growing
increasingly so every year.
As our membership grows, so
too does GS1 Australia’s service
offering, in scale, scope and
quality. This year, we’re investing
in an array of training, new
programs and powerful customer
relationship technology to
underpin the support we offer
members. It will be easier than
ever before to reach the right
expert at the right time and
our new systems will help us
understand your needs better.
There are some things about the
way we work with you, that will
never change and represent the
heart of GS1 Australia – our six
core beliefs:
1. GS1 Australia is a not-for-profit
organisation
2. GS1 Australia is neutral with
respect to our business partners
3. GS1 Australia is user-driven
and governed
4. GS1 Australia serves all
companies, no matter what
their size
5. GS1 Australia is a platform
for collaborative agreements
between businesses
6. GS1 Australia believes our
people – both employees and
members – are our most
important asset
It is this set of unwavering
principles that will steady GS1
Australia’s course this year towards
our vision, as we evolve to adapt
to a changing world. The vision
itself is surprisingly simple: to
implement the GS1 System across
all Australian industries for the
benefit of all users.
03
No guessing games
CEO Insights
CEO, GS1 Australia,Maria Palazzolo
With every new year comes
a flurry of so-called ‘expert’
predictions for the year ahead. Not
here at GS1 Australia.
Instead, the new year signals a
time to re-evaluate our strategy by
garnering the views of the people
who really count – our members
and staff – on how we might
better meet their needs as we
head into another exciting year.
The feedback from these talks
has been instrumental in helping
us focus on our priorities as we
develop our ambitious business
plan for 2006 to 2008, which will
be announced in April/May this
year in time for the new fiscal year.
As always, GS1 Australia remains
committed to providing
members with real-world advice
on best practice supply chain
management and making the
implementation of the GS1 System
a reality in all Australian industries.
And while our specific business
plans are still being developed
and aligned with GS1 global office,
planning is already underway for
a constellation of major events
which will provide members with
face-to-face interactions with GS1
staff and the ability to learn more
about the GS1 System.
In March, the Transport and
Logistics Road Show takes
place, the Sydney Supply Chain
Knowledge Centre will be
launched in April, and EANnet
workshops will be held along with
Education & Training Open Days in
Sydney and Melbourne.
In May, CeBIT embraces Sydney,
and on July 25th and 26th,, the
annual GS1 Australia Impetus
conference and expo will be held
in Melbourne.
All this adds up to what’s already
an exciting year but there’s more
to come. GS1 Australia is always
open to your feedback on what
we can do to serve you better
and I look forward to updating
you on all our plans for the next
two years in the June edition of
Supply Chain LINK.
02 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
Contents02 Chairman’s message
03 CEO insights
04 Your guide to new GS1 terminology
06 Read all about it: GS1 Australia annual report released
Nominate now for GS1 Awards
07 ‘Power to the people’: ads reflect the human face of GS1 Australia
08 GS1 opens door to small business savings
09 Learn about GS1 anywhere, anytime
10 GS1’s Community Management Tool (CMT) to be the backbone of Woolworth’s electronic trade
11 Lessons from the RFID National Demonstrator
ALLIANCE PARTNER EDITORIAL:
GS1 Australia working together with CeBit
12 GS1 for the Foodservice industry explained on CD
13 Discover, Learn, Connect at Impetus 2006
14 Connecting EANnet® with the world
15 Patties EPC trial results to be released at Impetus
16 Valvoline oils their supply chain with EANnet®
18 Employment Opportunities
GS1 Australia off ering you help online!
19 Frequently asked questions
20 INDUSTRY UPDATE:
Australian Healthcare adopts EANnet®
21 New EANnet Data Manager TM tool launched
22 Sweet success with pick and scan system
23 Transport & Logistics Roadshow Event
24 ALLIANCE PARTNER EDITORIAL:
Oracle hosts RFID thought leadership seminar at GS1 Supply Chain Knowledge Centre
Winners of the 2006 GS1 Australia Half Scholarships
25 Four fundamental demand driven steps to supply chain excellence
26 91,000 bar codes tested in 2005
Applie-com refocuses
27 Spotlight on GS1 people, Elsa Lai
27 GS1 Australia Events Diary
Some things should never change
Chairman’s Message
Chairman, GS1 Australia,Russell Stucki
Tell us what you think
We are interested in your feedback. The newsletter’s primary role is to keep GS1
Australia members informed and updated on the latest developments in supply
chain management and eCommerce. If you have any ideas, comments, points-
of-view or criticisms, please forward to gs1aust@gs1au.org
Thank you for the honour of
chairing GS1 Australia for the
third consecutive year, for it’s the
readers of Supply Chain LINK who
make it all so worthwhile.
Fostering trading relations
across 18 different industries,
representing dynamic young
companies to multinational
corporations – our membership
is incredibly diverse and growing
increasingly so every year.
As our membership grows, so
too does GS1 Australia’s service
offering, in scale, scope and
quality. This year, we’re investing
in an array of training, new
programs and powerful customer
relationship technology to
underpin the support we offer
members. It will be easier than
ever before to reach the right
expert at the right time and
our new systems will help us
understand your needs better.
There are some things about the
way we work with you, that will
never change and represent the
heart of GS1 Australia – our six
core beliefs:
1. GS1 Australia is a not-for-profit
organisation
2. GS1 Australia is neutral with
respect to our business partners
3. GS1 Australia is user-driven
and governed
4. GS1 Australia serves all
companies, no matter what
their size
5. GS1 Australia is a platform
for collaborative agreements
between businesses
6. GS1 Australia believes our
people – both employees and
members – are our most
important asset
It is this set of unwavering
principles that will steady GS1
Australia’s course this year towards
our vision, as we evolve to adapt
to a changing world. The vision
itself is surprisingly simple: to
implement the GS1 System across
all Australian industries for the
benefit of all users.
05
GS1 GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Old term New term Explanation
EAN/UPC Symbology EAN/UPC Symbology A family of bar code symbols including EAN-8, EAN-13, UPC-A, and UPC-E
Bar Code Symbols.A family of bar code symbols including EAN-8, EAN-13,
UPC-A, and UPC-E Bar Code Symbols.
EAN-13 Bar Code Symbol EAN-13 Bar Code Symbol A bar code symbol of the EAN/UPC Symbology that encodes a GTIN-13 or
data for special applications (e.g., coupons).
EAN-8 Bar Code Symbol EAN-8 Bar Code Symbol A bar code symbol of the EAN/UPC Symbology that encodes a GTIN-8.
EAN•UCC Check Digit GS1 Check Digit A GS1 System algorithm for the calculation of a Check Digit to verify
Calculation Calculation accuracy of data.
EAN•UCC Company Prefix / GS1 Company Prefix A 6 to 12 digit number assigned to a given user company by a GS1 Member
UCC Company Prefix Organisation that shall entitle that user company to create any of the GS1
Identification Keys, namely GTIN, GLN, SSCC, GRAI, GIAI, GSRN, GDTI or
any other GS1 data element, for example consignment number, that derives
from a GS1 Company Prefix. It is constructed from a GS1 Prefix and a GS1
Company Number to ensure global uniqueness.
none GS1 data structure A piece of GS1 data defined in structure and meaning.
none GS1 Global Office GS1 Global Office, based in Brussels, Belgium, and Princeton, USA, is an
organisation of GS1 Member Organisations that manages the GS1 System.
none GS1 Identification Keys Globally unique numbers that are used to access database information
related whatever they identify (an item, location, relationship, etc). The GS1
Identification Keys are GTIN, GLN, SSCC, GRAI, GIAI, GSRN and GDTI and are
constructed using a GS1 Company Prefix.
EAN Member Organisation EAN Member Organisation A member of GS1 that is responsible for administering the GS1 System in its
country (or assigned area). This task includes, but is not restricted to, ensuring
user companies make correct use of the GS1 System, have access to
education, training, promotion and implementation support and have
access to play an active role in GSMP.
EAN•UCC Prefix GS1 Prefix A number with two or more digits, administered by GS1 Global Head Office,
denoting the format and meaning of a particular data structure.
EAN•UCC System GS1 System The specifications, standards, and guidelines administered by GS1.
UCC/EAN-128 Bar Code Symbol GS1-128 Bar Code Symbol A subset of the Code 128 that is utilised exclusively for GS1 data standards.
GTIN Format GTIN Format The format in which Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) can be
represented in a 14-digit reference field (key) in computer files to ensure
uniqueness of the identification numbers.
UCC-12 Identification Number GTIN-12 The 12-digit GS1 data standard composed of a GS1 Company Prefix starting
with a zero, Item Reference, and Check Digit used to identify trade items.
EAN/UCC-13 Identification GTIN-13 The 13-digit GS1 data standard composed of a GS1 Company Prefix and
Number Check Digit used to identify trade items.
EAN/UCC-14 Identification GTIN-14 The 14-digit GS1 data standard composed of an Indicator, GTIN of an
Number contained item (without check-digit), and a Check Digit used to identify
trade items.
EAN/UCC-8 Identification GTIN-8 The eight-digit GS1 data standard composed of GS1 Prefix, Item
Number Reference and Check Digit, normally directly assigned by a GS1 Member
Organisation used to identify trade items.
ITF-14 Bar Code Symbol ITF-14 Bar Code Symbol An ITF Symbol of 14-dgits used by the GS1 System to encode a GTIN.
UPC-A Bar Code Symbol UPC-A Bar Code Symbol A bar code symbol of the EAN/UPC Symbology that encodes a GTIN-12 or
data for special applications (e.g., coupons).
UPC-E Bar Code Symbol UPC-E Bar Code Symbol A bar code symbol of the EAN/UPC Symbology encodes a GTIN-12 in six
explicitly encoded digits using zero-suppression techniques.
The first thing that changed was the EAN•UCC
system which became the GS1 System and as
this year progresses, all 105 GS1 organisations
will adopt a single set of names for the
integrated set of standards for users spanning
140 countries that make the system work.
GS1 has been careful to make the changes as
straightforward as possible. The GS1 brand is
used for all terms and replaces any reference to
EAN and UCC. For example, the ‘UCC/EAN-128
Bar Code Symbol’ becomes the ‘GS1-128 Bar
Code Symbol’.
The new terminology is being introduced
slowly to allow users time to adapt. In
addition, some of the terms, including
the EAN/UPC bar code symbology, must
be approved by other bodies such as the
International Standards Organisation (ISO),
so there will be a transition phase.
“Members can expect to begin to see these
changes incorporated into our web site, user
manuals and brochures,” said GS1 Australia’s
General Manager, Standards Development,
Fiona Wilson.
To assist with the changes, GS1 Australia has
produced a quick guide to the new terminology
in this edition of Supply Chain LINK. Refer to page
5 for a shortened version of the changes made.
“We’re recommending members stick the
glossary somewhere handy and use it as a
reference guide as they embrace the changes”
Fiona said.
“In the past, different countries had their own
sets of terminologies for essentially the same
things. Adopting one global set of terminology
throughout the entire GS1 organisation will
avoid confusion for members and make
international trade simpler, which is what the
GS1 System is all about.”
Now that GS1 is the
number one name in
supply chain standards
around the world, the GS1
System and many of the
terms that describe it are
also changing.
Your guide to new GS1 terminology
04 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
05
GS1 GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Old term New term Explanation
EAN/UPC Symbology EAN/UPC Symbology A family of bar code symbols including EAN-8, EAN-13, UPC-A, and UPC-E
Bar Code Symbols.A family of bar code symbols including EAN-8, EAN-13,
UPC-A, and UPC-E Bar Code Symbols.
EAN-13 Bar Code Symbol EAN-13 Bar Code Symbol A bar code symbol of the EAN/UPC Symbology that encodes a GTIN-13 or
data for special applications (e.g., coupons).
EAN-8 Bar Code Symbol EAN-8 Bar Code Symbol A bar code symbol of the EAN/UPC Symbology that encodes a GTIN-8.
EAN•UCC Check Digit GS1 Check Digit A GS1 System algorithm for the calculation of a Check Digit to verify
Calculation Calculation accuracy of data.
EAN•UCC Company Prefix / GS1 Company Prefix A 6 to 12 digit number assigned to a given user company by a GS1 Member
UCC Company Prefix Organisation that shall entitle that user company to create any of the GS1
Identification Keys, namely GTIN, GLN, SSCC, GRAI, GIAI, GSRN, GDTI or
any other GS1 data element, for example consignment number, that derives
from a GS1 Company Prefix. It is constructed from a GS1 Prefix and a GS1
Company Number to ensure global uniqueness.
none GS1 data structure A piece of GS1 data defined in structure and meaning.
none GS1 Global Office GS1 Global Office, based in Brussels, Belgium, and Princeton, USA, is an
organisation of GS1 Member Organisations that manages the GS1 System.
none GS1 Identification Keys Globally unique numbers that are used to access database information
related whatever they identify (an item, location, relationship, etc). The GS1
Identification Keys are GTIN, GLN, SSCC, GRAI, GIAI, GSRN and GDTI and are
constructed using a GS1 Company Prefix.
EAN Member Organisation EAN Member Organisation A member of GS1 that is responsible for administering the GS1 System in its
country (or assigned area). This task includes, but is not restricted to, ensuring
user companies make correct use of the GS1 System, have access to
education, training, promotion and implementation support and have
access to play an active role in GSMP.
EAN•UCC Prefix GS1 Prefix A number with two or more digits, administered by GS1 Global Head Office,
denoting the format and meaning of a particular data structure.
EAN•UCC System GS1 System The specifications, standards, and guidelines administered by GS1.
UCC/EAN-128 Bar Code Symbol GS1-128 Bar Code Symbol A subset of the Code 128 that is utilised exclusively for GS1 data standards.
GTIN Format GTIN Format The format in which Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) can be
represented in a 14-digit reference field (key) in computer files to ensure
uniqueness of the identification numbers.
UCC-12 Identification Number GTIN-12 The 12-digit GS1 data standard composed of a GS1 Company Prefix starting
with a zero, Item Reference, and Check Digit used to identify trade items.
EAN/UCC-13 Identification GTIN-13 The 13-digit GS1 data standard composed of a GS1 Company Prefix and
Number Check Digit used to identify trade items.
EAN/UCC-14 Identification GTIN-14 The 14-digit GS1 data standard composed of an Indicator, GTIN of an
Number contained item (without check-digit), and a Check Digit used to identify
trade items.
EAN/UCC-8 Identification GTIN-8 The eight-digit GS1 data standard composed of GS1 Prefix, Item
Number Reference and Check Digit, normally directly assigned by a GS1 Member
Organisation used to identify trade items.
ITF-14 Bar Code Symbol ITF-14 Bar Code Symbol An ITF Symbol of 14-dgits used by the GS1 System to encode a GTIN.
UPC-A Bar Code Symbol UPC-A Bar Code Symbol A bar code symbol of the EAN/UPC Symbology that encodes a GTIN-12 or
data for special applications (e.g., coupons).
UPC-E Bar Code Symbol UPC-E Bar Code Symbol A bar code symbol of the EAN/UPC Symbology encodes a GTIN-12 in six
explicitly encoded digits using zero-suppression techniques.
The first thing that changed was the EAN•UCC
system which became the GS1 System and as
this year progresses, all 105 GS1 organisations
will adopt a single set of names for the
integrated set of standards for users spanning
140 countries that make the system work.
GS1 has been careful to make the changes as
straightforward as possible. The GS1 brand is
used for all terms and replaces any reference to
EAN and UCC. For example, the ‘UCC/EAN-128
Bar Code Symbol’ becomes the ‘GS1-128 Bar
Code Symbol’.
The new terminology is being introduced
slowly to allow users time to adapt. In
addition, some of the terms, including
the EAN/UPC bar code symbology, must
be approved by other bodies such as the
International Standards Organisation (ISO),
so there will be a transition phase.
“Members can expect to begin to see these
changes incorporated into our web site, user
manuals and brochures,” said GS1 Australia’s
General Manager, Standards Development,
Fiona Wilson.
To assist with the changes, GS1 Australia has
produced a quick guide to the new terminology
in this edition of Supply Chain LINK. Refer to page
5 for a shortened version of the changes made.
“We’re recommending members stick the
glossary somewhere handy and use it as a
reference guide as they embrace the changes”
Fiona said.
“In the past, different countries had their own
sets of terminologies for essentially the same
things. Adopting one global set of terminology
throughout the entire GS1 organisation will
avoid confusion for members and make
international trade simpler, which is what the
GS1 System is all about.”
Now that GS1 is the
number one name in
supply chain standards
around the world, the GS1
System and many of the
terms that describe it are
also changing.
Your guide to new GS1 terminology
04 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
07
The friendly face of a
member service organisation,
rather than a faceless
standards body, will be the
focus of a new advertising
campaign by GS1 Australia.
Launching the campaign in February,
Marketing & Communications Manager Sharyn
Perry said advertisements would show the
human side of GS1 Australia.
“This campaign communicates GS1 Australia’s
sole mission - to help its members implement
the GS1 system of standards,” she said. “That
translates to an open, honest and supportive
culture that unashamedly adopts the ‘power
to the people’ ideal and that’s what we want to
get across with this campaign.”
Three taglines will dominate the 15-month
campaign, beginning with “GS1 is everywhere”,
followed by “GS1 makes it happen” and
“GS1 is there for you”. A mix of national print,
online media and direct mail will carry the
advertisements that demonstrate the value
of GS1 Australia to businesses striving for
exceptional supply chain management.
The first will appear in trade magazines,
including Retail World, Global Food and Wine,
Australian Hardware Journal, Packaging,
Manufacturers Monthly, Automotive
Aftermarket, Transport & Logistics Magazine,
Supply Chain Review, Packaging News and
Materials Handling & Distribution.
Seven themes, spanning leisure, work,
productivity and entrepreneurship have been
chosen for the campaign by GS1 Australia and
advertising agency Fuel Marketing Solutions.
“We’ve worked very closely with Fuel to
identify the issues that are important to
members and mapped those results to the
campaign’s creative execution,” Sharyn said.
“The new adverts back-up the successful
‘EAN evolves into GS1’ campaign that was
recognised in marketing texts Marketing,
Creating and Delivering Value and Consumer
Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy
Enhanced. It’s satisfying to have leading
marketers endorse our approach.”
‘Power to the people’ : Ads refl ect the human face of GS1 Australia
Obscure product?Our Supply Chain systemcan help you track it.GS1 is everywhere.
GS1 Australia: your local link to the largest Supply Chain Industry Association in the World.
Our solutions reduce high inventory costs, increase profits and grow business.
• We provide leading, unbiased supply chain advice • We employ experts to improve your supply chain practice effectiveness
• We help unlock your eCommerce opportunities using one global standard • We keep you updated on evolving supply
chain technologies• We offer access to other experts within the supply chain industrywww.gs1au.org
1300 366 033
06 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
The newly released annual
report for 2005 details how
your industry organisation,
GS1 Australia, helped
members profit from supply
chain management last year.
The report contains highlights of GS1
Australia’s year and outlines the progress
of major projects across a diverse range
of industry sectors. Although the 2006
document is the second annual report
produced by the organisation, it is the first
under the new name, GS1 Australia.
The evolution from EAN Australia to GS1
Australia at the Impetus 2005 Conference and
Exhibition is highlighted in the report.
Other highlights include the explosion
of members joining the EANnet data
synchronisation community; the selection
of GS1 Australia to host the National Product
Catalogue for Healthcare; world-firsts in EPC
and radio frequency identification and the
acceleration in the number of industries
adopting it; and a raft of initiatives securing
Australia’s position as innovators on the global
supply chain stage.
The report also flags a refocusing of GS1
Australia for 2006, with CEO Maria Palazzolo
pointing to extra support staff, even more
training, streamlined systems, a revitalised web
site and greater accountability for customer
service standards.
The annual report is available online at
www.gs1au.org or, to have a hard copy
mailed to you, call Rebecca Owen at
GS1 Australia on 1300 366 033
Read all about it: GS1 Australia annual report released
The prestigious awards; ‘Standards in Action’
and ‘Leadership in Standards’ will be
presented to the winning company and
individual at the annual Impetus conference
on 25th July 2006.
The 2006 Leadership in Standards Award
recognises an individual for championing
the promotion and implementation of
the GS1 System, within a company, sector
or industry.
Companies that have used the services of
GS1 Australia to enhance the knowledge
of staff and trading partners during the
implementation of GS1 standards are eligible
for the 2006 Award for Standards in Action.
This award recognises the winner’s role as a
catalyst for change in its sector or industry.
Both the company and individual
awards recipients must reflect the values
of GS1, according to GS1 Australia’s CIO,
Steven Pereira.
“GS1 Australia created these awards to
recognise the great work that is being
done by outstanding companies and
individuals, for their innovation, boldness,
commitment, leadership and pioneering spirit,”
he said.
The two awards which are not industry-
specific are judged against a set of weighted
criteria by a panel of GS1 senior management
and board members.
If you think your company or someone you
know deserves industry recognition, now is
the time to nominate! Visit www.gs1au.org
and fill out the nomination form or mail a
hard copy to:
GS1 Australia Excellence Awards
Judging Panel
Locked Bag 10
Oakleigh, VIC 3166
For more information, contact Steven
Pereira at spereira@gs1au.org or on
1300 366 033, nominations close on
Friday 30 June 2006.
Nominations are now open
for the 2006 GS1 Australia
Supply Chain Excellence
Awards.
Nominate now for GS1 Awards
07
The friendly face of a
member service organisation,
rather than a faceless
standards body, will be the
focus of a new advertising
campaign by GS1 Australia.
Launching the campaign in February,
Marketing & Communications Manager Sharyn
Perry said advertisements would show the
human side of GS1 Australia.
“This campaign communicates GS1 Australia’s
sole mission - to help its members implement
the GS1 system of standards,” she said. “That
translates to an open, honest and supportive
culture that unashamedly adopts the ‘power
to the people’ ideal and that’s what we want to
get across with this campaign.”
Three taglines will dominate the 15-month
campaign, beginning with “GS1 is everywhere”,
followed by “GS1 makes it happen” and
“GS1 is there for you”. A mix of national print,
online media and direct mail will carry the
advertisements that demonstrate the value
of GS1 Australia to businesses striving for
exceptional supply chain management.
The first will appear in trade magazines,
including Retail World, Global Food and Wine,
Australian Hardware Journal, Packaging,
Manufacturers Monthly, Automotive
Aftermarket, Transport & Logistics Magazine,
Supply Chain Review, Packaging News and
Materials Handling & Distribution.
Seven themes, spanning leisure, work,
productivity and entrepreneurship have been
chosen for the campaign by GS1 Australia and
advertising agency Fuel Marketing Solutions.
“We’ve worked very closely with Fuel to
identify the issues that are important to
members and mapped those results to the
campaign’s creative execution,” Sharyn said.
“The new adverts back-up the successful
‘EAN evolves into GS1’ campaign that was
recognised in marketing texts Marketing,
Creating and Delivering Value and Consumer
Behaviour: Implications for Marketing Strategy
Enhanced. It’s satisfying to have leading
marketers endorse our approach.”
‘Power to the people’ : Ads refl ect the human face of GS1 Australia
Obscure product?Our Supply Chain systemcan help you track it.GS1 is everywhere.
GS1 Australia: your local link to the largest Supply Chain Industry Association in the World.
Our solutions reduce high inventory costs, increase profits and grow business.
• We provide leading, unbiased supply chain advice • We employ experts to improve your supply chain practice effectiveness
• We help unlock your eCommerce opportunities using one global standard • We keep you updated on evolving supply
chain technologies• We offer access to other experts within the supply chain industrywww.gs1au.org
1300 366 033
06 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
The newly released annual
report for 2005 details how
your industry organisation,
GS1 Australia, helped
members profit from supply
chain management last year.
The report contains highlights of GS1
Australia’s year and outlines the progress
of major projects across a diverse range
of industry sectors. Although the 2006
document is the second annual report
produced by the organisation, it is the first
under the new name, GS1 Australia.
The evolution from EAN Australia to GS1
Australia at the Impetus 2005 Conference and
Exhibition is highlighted in the report.
Other highlights include the explosion
of members joining the EANnet data
synchronisation community; the selection
of GS1 Australia to host the National Product
Catalogue for Healthcare; world-firsts in EPC
and radio frequency identification and the
acceleration in the number of industries
adopting it; and a raft of initiatives securing
Australia’s position as innovators on the global
supply chain stage.
The report also flags a refocusing of GS1
Australia for 2006, with CEO Maria Palazzolo
pointing to extra support staff, even more
training, streamlined systems, a revitalised web
site and greater accountability for customer
service standards.
The annual report is available online at
www.gs1au.org or, to have a hard copy
mailed to you, call Rebecca Owen at
GS1 Australia on 1300 366 033
Read all about it: GS1 Australia annual report released
The prestigious awards; ‘Standards in Action’
and ‘Leadership in Standards’ will be
presented to the winning company and
individual at the annual Impetus conference
on 25th July 2006.
The 2006 Leadership in Standards Award
recognises an individual for championing
the promotion and implementation of
the GS1 System, within a company, sector
or industry.
Companies that have used the services of
GS1 Australia to enhance the knowledge
of staff and trading partners during the
implementation of GS1 standards are eligible
for the 2006 Award for Standards in Action.
This award recognises the winner’s role as a
catalyst for change in its sector or industry.
Both the company and individual
awards recipients must reflect the values
of GS1, according to GS1 Australia’s CIO,
Steven Pereira.
“GS1 Australia created these awards to
recognise the great work that is being
done by outstanding companies and
individuals, for their innovation, boldness,
commitment, leadership and pioneering spirit,”
he said.
The two awards which are not industry-
specific are judged against a set of weighted
criteria by a panel of GS1 senior management
and board members.
If you think your company or someone you
know deserves industry recognition, now is
the time to nominate! Visit www.gs1au.org
and fill out the nomination form or mail a
hard copy to:
GS1 Australia Excellence Awards
Judging Panel
Locked Bag 10
Oakleigh, VIC 3166
For more information, contact Steven
Pereira at spereira@gs1au.org or on
1300 366 033, nominations close on
Friday 30 June 2006.
Nominations are now open
for the 2006 GS1 Australia
Supply Chain Excellence
Awards.
Nominate now for GS1 Awards
Please include an image of a super-market, please see cd sent to FUEL
09
A new online learning
service, developed by
GS1 Global Office, allows
members to access GS1
System training anytime,
anywhere.
Launched by GS1 Australia in March, the new
LEARN service enables GS1 Australia members
to update their understanding of the GS1
System at their own convenience through
seven modules that are self-directed
and interactive.
The LEARN series provides multiple
business benefits:
• Reduces the gap between your current level
of knowledge and that required to optimise
your productivity and supply chain efficiency
• Provides an ideal orientation and career
development tool that helps you apply
fundamental supply chain concepts within
two weeks of your start date if you are a new
or redeployed employee
• Enhances your understanding of complex
supply chain processes, enabling you to
apply such knowledge toward continually
improving existing processes
• Grants you a globally-endorsed certificate
upon your successful completion of all seven
LEARN modules
• Offers a cost effective educational format,
allowing you to LEARN at their own desk,
eliminating travel expenses
GS1 Australia’s CIO Steven Pereira feels that
LEARN will enhance the existing Education
& Training service offerings while resolving
members issues for not taking advantage of past
sessions due to distance and time restraints.
“LEARN gives members 24/7 access to
information about the GS1 System,” he said. “This
new accessibility will ensure that GS1 members
are given every opportunity to learn the system
and best practice supply chain management.”
The new LEARN modules follow from a
member survey conducted by Monash
University and GS1 Australia to uncover the
education and training needs of supply chain
managers. The survey compared a sample of
members who attended previous GS1 Australia
training with members who did not. The
findings uncovered a real need for members to
learn more about the software and hardware
used to operate the GS1 System. As a result,
GS1 Australia will hold Open Days in March,
June and October throughout Australia to give
members this opportunity.
“At the Open Days, members will hear
experienced supply chain managers share
their stories and find out how GS1 members
profit from supply chain standards”, said Steven.
“The program has been structured into three
streams to provide different subject matter
training for different member groups”.
Open Day specific topics include industry
updates on health, traceability and transport
with an explanation of the verification
services of GS1 Australia. Participants can
also choose to hear about Global Product
Classification, an important part of the
Global Data Synchronisation Network, and a
technical expert will explain how GS1 bar code
verification equipment works.
During the Education Open Day, members
will discover how to structure numbers for
different products, shipments and locations.
Bar codes and the different types of printing
methods are also explained.
In addition, the Supply Chain Knowledge
Centre will be on display during the Open
Day, allowing members an interactive
experience of how the GS1 System works
across the supply chain.
Education and Training Road Shows
8th June Brisbane
14th & 15th June Sydney
20th & 21st June Melbourne
22nd June Adelaide
27th June Perth
For more information about the
GS1 Education and Training program,
call GS1 Australia on 1300 366 033.
Learn about GS1 anywhere, anytime
BIG PICTURE
Option 1
Classroom Learning
Standards in Action – Supply Chain
Knowledge Centre (SCKC)
Option 2
Online Learning
LEARN Modules 1,2 & 3
SCM PROCESS DEFINITION
NUTS & BOLTS OF THEGS1 SYSTEM
SPECIFIC APPLICATION TRAINING
Option 1
Classroom Learning
The Chain Reaction – Supply Chain
Knowledge Centre (SCKC)
Option 2
Online Learning
LEARN Modules 4, 5 & 6
Option 1
Classroom Learning
LEARN
Specifi c topical sessions (Open Day)
Option 2
Online Learning
LEARN Module 7
Option 1
Classroom Learning
POS Training
GS1 Knowledge 101 Series
• EDI 101
• XML 101
• Data Capture 101
• CPFR 101
• GPC 101
Supply Chain Knowledge Centre (SCKC)
• EPC/RFID (available 2006)
• Data Sync (available 2006)
• Traceability (available 2006)
• EANnet (available 2006)
GS1 Australia Education & Training Progression Chart
Each Progression Chart section builds upon previous one and members can choose
to take each section either online or in a classroom setting.
08 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
The Door Store’s ambitious goals make sense
in the light of the operational changes it has
planned with GS1 Australia’s Professional
Services team and one of GS1 Australia’s
Alliance Partners. The plan takes The Door
Store from using a purely manual stock control
process and point of sale system to automatic
data capture (bar code scanning) as part of
everyday operations.
As one of Melbourne’s leading retailers of
doors and accessories, The Door Store carries
6500 stock keeping units, ranging from doors
through to grub screws. According to The
Door Store’s System Administrator, Sarah
Casey, under the current system, supplier
representatives and the company’s Hardware
Manager Mark Polson maintain stock levels
with a skilled eye.
“Mark tries to keep track of what’s selling and
what’s not and, when it’s time to re-order, he
goes out into the warehouse to get a visual
indication of stock levels,” she said. “With so
many lines and the sheer volume of stock, it’s
an enormous responsibility for one person.”
The product range’s breadth also impacts on
the salesforce. Currently, each sale is a time
consuming manual process, with sales people
required to identify the items being sold, write
up the details in a cash book and calculate
discounts for special accounts.
“Training is a huge issue because salespeople
must recognise thousands of items,” Sarah
said. “Manual systems were adequate when
The Door Store was much smaller but we’ve
outgrown them and can save time and
money with a more sophisticated system.”
After the required operational changes
were identified, The Door Store’s first step
was to organise the bar coding of stock.
By using bar codes, the requirement for staff
to be able to visually identify items will be
removed and the time taken to complete a
sale will be substantially reduced. In addition,
inventory levels will be able to be
maintained electronically.
GS1 Australia’s Member & Industry Support
Team helped Mark draft a letter to suppliers
asking them to apply GS1 bar codes at each
packaging level.
“GS1 Australia’s assistance was invaluable and
took the burden from us while we were busy
implementing changes,” Sarah said. “It’s great
to know they’re always there to help us move
to the next stage.”
As Supply Chain LINK went to press, The Door
Store was approaching what Sarah called
“D-day”, when the new POS system went live.
“It’s been a long but worthwhile process,”
Sarah said. “With our salespeople spending
less time as cashiers and more time on the
floor, plus fewer out of stocks, sales should
increase. The data captured during each sale
and the new reporting tools will put the
information we need at our fingertips
so there’ll be less buffer stock and we
hope that this year, we’ll be able to do
stocktake electronically.”
By combining GS1
identifiers and bar codes
with a new point of sale
(POS) system, the family-
owned business The Door
Store expects to decrease
inventories, reduce out of
stocks, cut the time spent
on stock takes and as a
result allow salespeople to
spend more time selling.
GS1 opens door to small business savings
Please include an image of a super-market, please see cd sent to FUEL
09
A new online learning
service, developed by
GS1 Global Office, allows
members to access GS1
System training anytime,
anywhere.
Launched by GS1 Australia in March, the new
LEARN service enables GS1 Australia members
to update their understanding of the GS1
System at their own convenience through
seven modules that are self-directed
and interactive.
The LEARN series provides multiple
business benefits:
• Reduces the gap between your current level
of knowledge and that required to optimise
your productivity and supply chain efficiency
• Provides an ideal orientation and career
development tool that helps you apply
fundamental supply chain concepts within
two weeks of your start date if you are a new
or redeployed employee
• Enhances your understanding of complex
supply chain processes, enabling you to
apply such knowledge toward continually
improving existing processes
• Grants you a globally-endorsed certificate
upon your successful completion of all seven
LEARN modules
• Offers a cost effective educational format,
allowing you to LEARN at their own desk,
eliminating travel expenses
GS1 Australia’s CIO Steven Pereira feels that
LEARN will enhance the existing Education
& Training service offerings while resolving
members issues for not taking advantage of past
sessions due to distance and time restraints.
“LEARN gives members 24/7 access to
information about the GS1 System,” he said. “This
new accessibility will ensure that GS1 members
are given every opportunity to learn the system
and best practice supply chain management.”
The new LEARN modules follow from a
member survey conducted by Monash
University and GS1 Australia to uncover the
education and training needs of supply chain
managers. The survey compared a sample of
members who attended previous GS1 Australia
training with members who did not. The
findings uncovered a real need for members to
learn more about the software and hardware
used to operate the GS1 System. As a result,
GS1 Australia will hold Open Days in March,
June and October throughout Australia to give
members this opportunity.
“At the Open Days, members will hear
experienced supply chain managers share
their stories and find out how GS1 members
profit from supply chain standards”, said Steven.
“The program has been structured into three
streams to provide different subject matter
training for different member groups”.
Open Day specific topics include industry
updates on health, traceability and transport
with an explanation of the verification
services of GS1 Australia. Participants can
also choose to hear about Global Product
Classification, an important part of the
Global Data Synchronisation Network, and a
technical expert will explain how GS1 bar code
verification equipment works.
During the Education Open Day, members
will discover how to structure numbers for
different products, shipments and locations.
Bar codes and the different types of printing
methods are also explained.
In addition, the Supply Chain Knowledge
Centre will be on display during the Open
Day, allowing members an interactive
experience of how the GS1 System works
across the supply chain.
Education and Training Road Shows
8th June Brisbane
14th & 15th June Sydney
20th & 21st June Melbourne
22nd June Adelaide
27th June Perth
For more information about the
GS1 Education and Training program,
call GS1 Australia on 1300 366 033.
Learn about GS1 anywhere, anytime
BIG PICTURE
Option 1
Classroom Learning
Standards in Action – Supply Chain
Knowledge Centre (SCKC)
Option 2
Online Learning
LEARN Modules 1,2 & 3
SCM PROCESS DEFINITION
NUTS & BOLTS OF THEGS1 SYSTEM
SPECIFIC APPLICATION TRAINING
Option 1
Classroom Learning
The Chain Reaction – Supply Chain
Knowledge Centre (SCKC)
Option 2
Online Learning
LEARN Modules 4, 5 & 6
Option 1
Classroom Learning
LEARN
Specifi c topical sessions (Open Day)
Option 2
Online Learning
LEARN Module 7
Option 1
Classroom Learning
POS Training
GS1 Knowledge 101 Series
• EDI 101
• XML 101
• Data Capture 101
• CPFR 101
• GPC 101
Supply Chain Knowledge Centre (SCKC)
• EPC/RFID (available 2006)
• Data Sync (available 2006)
• Traceability (available 2006)
• EANnet (available 2006)
GS1 Australia Education & Training Progression Chart
Each Progression Chart section builds upon previous one and members can choose
to take each section either online or in a classroom setting.
08 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
The Door Store’s ambitious goals make sense
in the light of the operational changes it has
planned with GS1 Australia’s Professional
Services team and one of GS1 Australia’s
Alliance Partners. The plan takes The Door
Store from using a purely manual stock control
process and point of sale system to automatic
data capture (bar code scanning) as part of
everyday operations.
As one of Melbourne’s leading retailers of
doors and accessories, The Door Store carries
6500 stock keeping units, ranging from doors
through to grub screws. According to The
Door Store’s System Administrator, Sarah
Casey, under the current system, supplier
representatives and the company’s Hardware
Manager Mark Polson maintain stock levels
with a skilled eye.
“Mark tries to keep track of what’s selling and
what’s not and, when it’s time to re-order, he
goes out into the warehouse to get a visual
indication of stock levels,” she said. “With so
many lines and the sheer volume of stock, it’s
an enormous responsibility for one person.”
The product range’s breadth also impacts on
the salesforce. Currently, each sale is a time
consuming manual process, with sales people
required to identify the items being sold, write
up the details in a cash book and calculate
discounts for special accounts.
“Training is a huge issue because salespeople
must recognise thousands of items,” Sarah
said. “Manual systems were adequate when
The Door Store was much smaller but we’ve
outgrown them and can save time and
money with a more sophisticated system.”
After the required operational changes
were identified, The Door Store’s first step
was to organise the bar coding of stock.
By using bar codes, the requirement for staff
to be able to visually identify items will be
removed and the time taken to complete a
sale will be substantially reduced. In addition,
inventory levels will be able to be
maintained electronically.
GS1 Australia’s Member & Industry Support
Team helped Mark draft a letter to suppliers
asking them to apply GS1 bar codes at each
packaging level.
“GS1 Australia’s assistance was invaluable and
took the burden from us while we were busy
implementing changes,” Sarah said. “It’s great
to know they’re always there to help us move
to the next stage.”
As Supply Chain LINK went to press, The Door
Store was approaching what Sarah called
“D-day”, when the new POS system went live.
“It’s been a long but worthwhile process,”
Sarah said. “With our salespeople spending
less time as cashiers and more time on the
floor, plus fewer out of stocks, sales should
increase. The data captured during each sale
and the new reporting tools will put the
information we need at our fingertips
so there’ll be less buffer stock and we
hope that this year, we’ll be able to do
stocktake electronically.”
By combining GS1
identifiers and bar codes
with a new point of sale
(POS) system, the family-
owned business The Door
Store expects to decrease
inventories, reduce out of
stocks, cut the time spent
on stock takes and as a
result allow salespeople to
spend more time selling.
GS1 opens door to small business savings
11
As the radio frequency
identification (RFID) National
Demonstrator Project went
live, participants said many
lessons had already been
learned.
Managed by GS1 Australia and the CSIRO, the
project involves companies from across the
fast moving consumer goods supply chain,
including Gillette, Procter & Gamble, Metcash,
Visy Industries, CHEP, Linfox, Australian Food &
Grocery Council (AFGC), Nugan Estate, Capilano
Honey, Sun Microsystems and Verisign.
The value of a big picture perspective is clear
to Murray Fane, Manager, Information Systems,
Asia Pacific, CHEP.
“We have seen an individual piece of CHEP
equipment move from the beginning to the
end of the supply chain - leave CHEP, arrive at
Visy, move to Gillette, then to Linfox, and on to
Metcash - and it is very exciting to think of the
possibilities,” he said.
Murray said a single pallet identifier shared by
multiple partners meant the efficiency of entire
supply chains could be assessed. First, however,
there were practical obstacles to overcome.
“The consortium is working with new
processes, new technology, new systems and a
new way at looking at the goods,” he said.
“There is also a lot of data and, since the
technology is so new, there are no ready-made
business intelligence systems available to easily
analyse it – we have to build them. Over the
next few months we will continue researching
how the data can be used to improve
equipment flow.”
Gillette’s Bruce Grant outlined three areas
critical to success, beginning with the
engagement of everyone from senior
management through to operational staff.
Involving other staff members meant that
all were prepared for the impacts of the trial,
including workplace safety concerns.
“Secondly is the execution itself,” Bruce said.
“Be patient, because you and your partners will
make mistakes but ensure you have a solid
plan and stick to project managment principles.”
Bruce recommends writing detailed use cases
and careful planning around integration with
other business operations.
“The deeper you go, the more complexity
you create and the more impact you have
on existing processes and systems. Keep it as
simple as possible while still achieving trial
objectives,” he said.
Finally, Gillette benefited from upskilling ahead
of the project’s implementation.
“Training really paid off. Because we are very
self sufficient from a hardware and reader
software perspective – we can deal with issues
as they arise,” Bruce said. “It also gave our team
an excellent practical understanding of RFID
- what is possible and what is not.”
The National Demonstrator Project received
funding from the federal government’s
Department of Communications, Information
Technology and the Arts (DCITA). Final
outcomes are expected mid-year.
Lessons from the RFID National Demonstrator
Refer to page13 for further details about when and where the RFID Demonstrator
Project will be presented.
GS1 is partnering closely
with CeBIT - the world’s largest IT event - to promote the GS1 System and supply chain solutions to Australian and international business - CeBIT’s target visitors.
At CeBIT Hannover in Germany, the largest IT
event in the world, held from 9-15 March, RFID
is a hot topic for 2006. CeBIT is launching a
dedicated ‘Auto ID/RFID’ display category and
GS1 Germany is organising a CeBIT RFID forum.
Topics on the agenda are mobility and
transport, real-time enterprises and data
protection as well as consumer protection.
The European Commission has chosen CeBIT
Hannover to launch a wide-ranging public
debate on the opportunities and challenges
posed by RFID for government, industry and
society at large.
GS1 will also have a strong presence at CeBIT
Australia, from 9-11 May in Darling Harbour,
Sydney. CeBIT Australia is Australasia’s largest
ICT event, and will be attended by over 30,000
business visitors, all looking for ICT solutions to
grow and improve their business.
Recognising the increasing importance of
supply chain technology to business, CeBIT
Australia will this year feature an exhibition
area dedicated to Supply Chain Solutions. In
this area GS1 will have a stand showcasing the
solutions of their Alliance partners like Oracle
and IBM. GS1 will also be participating in the
Supply Chain Seminar that will be held on the
exhibition floor near their stand.
It’s still not too late to be part of this
dynamic exhibition and promote your
company to 30,000 potential clients. For
more information on exhibiting, visit
www.cebit.com.au or contact the CeBIT
Sales team, on (02) 9280 3400.
GS1 Australia working together with CeBitALLIANCEPARTNEREDITORIAL
GS1’s Community Management Tool (CMT) to be the backbone of Woolworths’ electronic trade
10 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
The GS1 Community
Management Tool (CMT)
is set to play a pivotal role
in retailer Woolworths’
progress towards electronic
trading.
“The CMT release in March is a critical
component of all current and future
electronic business initiatives providing
flexibility and a method of a self-test
approach to our vendor community as well
as greater visibility and tracking of vendor
readiness,” said Woolworths Senior Manager
Peter Roebers.
A web-based system, the CMT allows
suppliers to test both their own eMessaging
files for compliance with the required syntax,
content against defined business rules as
well as allowing the online generation of
test messages at any time as if they had
come from their retail trading partner.
The CMT also ensures suppliers follow the
required implementation steps in the correct
order and gives their trading partner, such as
Woolworths, visibility as to their progression.
Due to the web based nature of the CMT,
vendors can work independently through
the testing process and CMT provides
instant feedback 24 hours per day.
The savings can be immense for large trading
communities involving hundreds of suppliers,
something Woolworths’ Peter Roebers says
the giant retailer has long recognised.
“With the rapid expansion and proliferation of
eBusiness through various business units and
processes, GS1’s CMT was identified quite early
on as a tool aimed at managing the partner
enablement process for implementing new
EDI (electronic data interchange) messages
more effectively,” he said.
“With limited dependency on Woolworths
as the retailer, trading partners are able to
test the new messages and comply earlier,
requiring less time and effort, thus reducing
the overall cost of implementation.”
Woolworths expects the CMT to achieve
savings across several of its business units,
including supply chain and logistics, buying,
replenishment and finance.
“The CMT allows greater partner
management, reduced roll out costs, more
accurate benefit realisation and faster
implementration of eBusiness initiatives”
Peter said. “As a result, the CMT will be used
as a strategic part of all future message
implementation initiatives.”
“The CMT facilitates a win-win proposition in
our eTrading environment leading to shorter,
more efficient implementation schedules.
It also empowers the various internal
business units with greater visibility of partner
capabilities through the reporting functions,
helping us align our activities more closely
and achieve business benefits on time.”
John Hearn, General Manager of GS1
Australia’s Professional Services team said the
Woolworths’ roll out of the CMT to suppliers
would have a huge impact on electronic
trading in Australia.
“The Professional Services team is extremely
pleased to be working with Woolworths to
introduce the CMT,” he said.
“It allows suppliers to run as many tests as they
like, whenever they want to, with minimal
fuss. The CMT makes eTrading suddenly
much easier to implement,” he said. “We think
the support of Woolworths will encourage
hundreds more Australian businesses to take
on electronic trading, adding millions to their
collective bottom lines.”
For more information, please contact Marcel
Sieira from GS1 Australia on 1300 366 033.
11
As the radio frequency
identification (RFID) National
Demonstrator Project went
live, participants said many
lessons had already been
learned.
Managed by GS1 Australia and the CSIRO, the
project involves companies from across the
fast moving consumer goods supply chain,
including Gillette, Procter & Gamble, Metcash,
Visy Industries, CHEP, Linfox, Australian Food &
Grocery Council (AFGC), Nugan Estate, Capilano
Honey, Sun Microsystems and Verisign.
The value of a big picture perspective is clear
to Murray Fane, Manager, Information Systems,
Asia Pacific, CHEP.
“We have seen an individual piece of CHEP
equipment move from the beginning to the
end of the supply chain - leave CHEP, arrive at
Visy, move to Gillette, then to Linfox, and on to
Metcash - and it is very exciting to think of the
possibilities,” he said.
Murray said a single pallet identifier shared by
multiple partners meant the efficiency of entire
supply chains could be assessed. First, however,
there were practical obstacles to overcome.
“The consortium is working with new
processes, new technology, new systems and a
new way at looking at the goods,” he said.
“There is also a lot of data and, since the
technology is so new, there are no ready-made
business intelligence systems available to easily
analyse it – we have to build them. Over the
next few months we will continue researching
how the data can be used to improve
equipment flow.”
Gillette’s Bruce Grant outlined three areas
critical to success, beginning with the
engagement of everyone from senior
management through to operational staff.
Involving other staff members meant that
all were prepared for the impacts of the trial,
including workplace safety concerns.
“Secondly is the execution itself,” Bruce said.
“Be patient, because you and your partners will
make mistakes but ensure you have a solid
plan and stick to project managment principles.”
Bruce recommends writing detailed use cases
and careful planning around integration with
other business operations.
“The deeper you go, the more complexity
you create and the more impact you have
on existing processes and systems. Keep it as
simple as possible while still achieving trial
objectives,” he said.
Finally, Gillette benefited from upskilling ahead
of the project’s implementation.
“Training really paid off. Because we are very
self sufficient from a hardware and reader
software perspective – we can deal with issues
as they arise,” Bruce said. “It also gave our team
an excellent practical understanding of RFID
- what is possible and what is not.”
The National Demonstrator Project received
funding from the federal government’s
Department of Communications, Information
Technology and the Arts (DCITA). Final
outcomes are expected mid-year.
Lessons from the RFID National Demonstrator
Refer to page13 for further details about when and where the RFID Demonstrator
Project will be presented.
GS1 is partnering closely
with CeBIT - the world’s largest IT event - to promote the GS1 System and supply chain solutions to Australian and international business - CeBIT’s target visitors.
At CeBIT Hannover in Germany, the largest IT
event in the world, held from 9-15 March, RFID
is a hot topic for 2006. CeBIT is launching a
dedicated ‘Auto ID/RFID’ display category and
GS1 Germany is organising a CeBIT RFID forum.
Topics on the agenda are mobility and
transport, real-time enterprises and data
protection as well as consumer protection.
The European Commission has chosen CeBIT
Hannover to launch a wide-ranging public
debate on the opportunities and challenges
posed by RFID for government, industry and
society at large.
GS1 will also have a strong presence at CeBIT
Australia, from 9-11 May in Darling Harbour,
Sydney. CeBIT Australia is Australasia’s largest
ICT event, and will be attended by over 30,000
business visitors, all looking for ICT solutions to
grow and improve their business.
Recognising the increasing importance of
supply chain technology to business, CeBIT
Australia will this year feature an exhibition
area dedicated to Supply Chain Solutions. In
this area GS1 will have a stand showcasing the
solutions of their Alliance partners like Oracle
and IBM. GS1 will also be participating in the
Supply Chain Seminar that will be held on the
exhibition floor near their stand.
It’s still not too late to be part of this
dynamic exhibition and promote your
company to 30,000 potential clients. For
more information on exhibiting, visit
www.cebit.com.au or contact the CeBIT
Sales team, on (02) 9280 3400.
GS1 Australia working together with CeBitALLIANCEPARTNEREDITORIAL
GS1’s Community Management Tool (CMT) to be the backbone of Woolworths’ electronic trade
10 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
The GS1 Community
Management Tool (CMT)
is set to play a pivotal role
in retailer Woolworths’
progress towards electronic
trading.
“The CMT release in March is a critical
component of all current and future
electronic business initiatives providing
flexibility and a method of a self-test
approach to our vendor community as well
as greater visibility and tracking of vendor
readiness,” said Woolworths Senior Manager
Peter Roebers.
A web-based system, the CMT allows
suppliers to test both their own eMessaging
files for compliance with the required syntax,
content against defined business rules as
well as allowing the online generation of
test messages at any time as if they had
come from their retail trading partner.
The CMT also ensures suppliers follow the
required implementation steps in the correct
order and gives their trading partner, such as
Woolworths, visibility as to their progression.
Due to the web based nature of the CMT,
vendors can work independently through
the testing process and CMT provides
instant feedback 24 hours per day.
The savings can be immense for large trading
communities involving hundreds of suppliers,
something Woolworths’ Peter Roebers says
the giant retailer has long recognised.
“With the rapid expansion and proliferation of
eBusiness through various business units and
processes, GS1’s CMT was identified quite early
on as a tool aimed at managing the partner
enablement process for implementing new
EDI (electronic data interchange) messages
more effectively,” he said.
“With limited dependency on Woolworths
as the retailer, trading partners are able to
test the new messages and comply earlier,
requiring less time and effort, thus reducing
the overall cost of implementation.”
Woolworths expects the CMT to achieve
savings across several of its business units,
including supply chain and logistics, buying,
replenishment and finance.
“The CMT allows greater partner
management, reduced roll out costs, more
accurate benefit realisation and faster
implementration of eBusiness initiatives”
Peter said. “As a result, the CMT will be used
as a strategic part of all future message
implementation initiatives.”
“The CMT facilitates a win-win proposition in
our eTrading environment leading to shorter,
more efficient implementation schedules.
It also empowers the various internal
business units with greater visibility of partner
capabilities through the reporting functions,
helping us align our activities more closely
and achieve business benefits on time.”
John Hearn, General Manager of GS1
Australia’s Professional Services team said the
Woolworths’ roll out of the CMT to suppliers
would have a huge impact on electronic
trading in Australia.
“The Professional Services team is extremely
pleased to be working with Woolworths to
introduce the CMT,” he said.
“It allows suppliers to run as many tests as they
like, whenever they want to, with minimal
fuss. The CMT makes eTrading suddenly
much easier to implement,” he said. “We think
the support of Woolworths will encourage
hundreds more Australian businesses to take
on electronic trading, adding millions to their
collective bottom lines.”
For more information, please contact Marcel
Sieira from GS1 Australia on 1300 366 033.
13
Discover, Learn, Connect at Impetus 2006
MELBOURNEJULY 25-26SOFITEL HOTEL
12 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
The pilot compares a fully integrated ‘pick
pack’ process with a manual system at PFD
Foodservices and evaluates the impacts on
suppliers, Patties Foods, KR Castlemaine and
Sunbeam Foods. As Supply Chain LINK went
to print, pallets of product being delivered to
PFD bore logistics labels that were scanned
on receipt. Testing of the electronic messages
had also been finalised with Patties and were
close to completion with Sunbeam and KR
Castlemaine.
GS1 Australia’s Andrew Steele, Manager,
Industry Services reports impressive early
results reports impressive early results.
“While these results are only indicative
because we’re so early in the trial, things are
looking good,” he said. “PFD is saving a lot of
time during stock receivals. The paperwork
has been dramatically streamlined, making
the dock and warehouse receival office more
efficient, while eliminating delays of up to an
hour to get information into the system.”
As the project progresses and incorporates
data synchronisation, Andrew hopes to see
added benefits in terms of fewer picking and
delivery errors, a decrease in pricing errors and
faster invoice processing times.
“Other industries have made big time and
cost savings with automatic data collection
based on the GS1 System and we expect the
foodservices industry has just as much to gain,”
he said. “Still, there’s nothing like seeing it work
in real life.”
“With such promising results, PFD have
already surveyed their top 50 suppliers
to gauge their interest in implementing
electronic messaging and automatic data
capture standards. The response to date
has been favourable, with many willing
to participate. Of course, there are a lot of
foodservice suppliers already using the GS1
System in partnership with grocery retailers.”
To help foodservice businesses adopt the GS1
System, a new compact disc has been released
showing how the System is being used by the
industry both locally and internationally.
“The CD is like a GS1 bible for the foodservices
industry,” Andrew said. “All the guidelines for
both bar coding and eMessaging are on it,
together with useful contact details for support
and links to international foodservice initiatives.”
The guidelines are also available in hard
copy. Both the hard copy guidelines and
the CD can be requested by contacting
GS1 Australia on 1300 366 033.
A complete guide to the
benefits and use of the
GS1 System specifically
for members of the
foodservices industry has
been released on compact
disc. Meanwhile, the sector’s
automatic identification
and data collection (AIDC)
trial has already reaped
significant time savings for
participants.
GS1 for the Foodservice industry explained on CD
Impetus 2006 Gold Sponsors
Above: MC Jean Kittson
Impetus 2006 Platinum Sponsor
Preparations for Impetus in
2006 are ramping up, with a
conference program bursting
with local and global experts
ready to share their knowledge
and Jean Kittson as MC.
There is also a free expo with its own
theatrette featuring case studies and
presentations, and a glittering cocktail party
to celebrate the launch of the RFID National
Demonstrator Project report.
This year’s program concentrates on the
foundations necessary for supply chain
management success: data synchronisation,
eMessaging, bar codes, and globally
recognised standards.
SME’s in particular will be encouraged to
discover what the global GS1 System of
standards can achieve for them. Steven Pereira,
CIO of GS1 Australia will discuss how companies
can engage with GS1 Australia, to learn of the
assistance GS1 Australia can provide, and to
connect with GS1 Australia to take advantage of
all the benefits of membership.
Other program features will include:
• Ian Robertson of EPCglobal talking about
what’s happening in RFID around the world
and providing an update on the EPC network.
• Art Smith, CEO of GS1 Canada. Canada
is in the process of joining the Global Data
Synchronisation Network (GDSN). Mr Smith
will be talking about the costs to businesses
if they fail to consider synchronising their data.
• Fiona Wilson of GS1 Australia co-presenting
with Chep Asia-Pacific, Gillette, Metcash and
other participating organisations about
the RFID National Demonstrator Project.
Returning to Impetus after a year’s absence is
Chris Richardson, Director of Access Economics
and BRW columnist. Mr Richardson will present
an insight into local and global economic
trends for the next 12 to 24 months, and
explain how these will affect local industry.
There will be plenty of Australian case studies,
industry expert presentations and updates
concerning the manufacturing, retail,
healthcare, transport and logistics, automotive
aftermarket & hardware industries. Among
these is Patties, and Australian manufacturer
who will discuss the process and benefits of
implementing the GS1 System. There will also
be an update about the data synchronisation
project currently underway in the Australian
healthcare industry.
The first day of the conference will conclude
with a cocktail launch to celebrate and formally
present the RFID National Demonstrator
Project report. This RFID report forms an
important part of the of the CSIRO and GS1
Australia-led RFID pilot, funded through the
Department of Communications, Information
Technology and the Arts (DCITA) Information
Technology Online (ITOL) program.
To keep business people connected while
they attend the conference and expo, Intel
is sponsoring an internet café, located in the
expo. The café will have six terminals and be a
wireless hot spot.
The expo is a free event and this year will feature
over thirty GS1 accredited solution providers
including Impetus Platinum sponsor Leadtec
and Gold sponsors GXS, insignia, innovit,
Matthews, and Telstra. Others include Cedar
Creek, Intermec and Bizcaps. A theatrette inside
the expo will be running a free program for
attendees where solution providers will present
case studies showing the latest technologies
and solutions available to assist with supply
chain management best practice.
For more information about Impetus 2006,
please call Rebecca Owen at GS1 Australia
on 1300 366 033
13
Discover, Learn, Connect at Impetus 2006
MELBOURNEJULY 25-26SOFITEL HOTEL
12 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
The pilot compares a fully integrated ‘pick
pack’ process with a manual system at PFD
Foodservices and evaluates the impacts on
suppliers, Patties Foods, KR Castlemaine and
Sunbeam Foods. As Supply Chain LINK went
to print, pallets of product being delivered to
PFD bore logistics labels that were scanned
on receipt. Testing of the electronic messages
had also been finalised with Patties and were
close to completion with Sunbeam and KR
Castlemaine.
GS1 Australia’s Andrew Steele, Manager,
Industry Services reports impressive early
results reports impressive early results.
“While these results are only indicative
because we’re so early in the trial, things are
looking good,” he said. “PFD is saving a lot of
time during stock receivals. The paperwork
has been dramatically streamlined, making
the dock and warehouse receival office more
efficient, while eliminating delays of up to an
hour to get information into the system.”
As the project progresses and incorporates
data synchronisation, Andrew hopes to see
added benefits in terms of fewer picking and
delivery errors, a decrease in pricing errors and
faster invoice processing times.
“Other industries have made big time and
cost savings with automatic data collection
based on the GS1 System and we expect the
foodservices industry has just as much to gain,”
he said. “Still, there’s nothing like seeing it work
in real life.”
“With such promising results, PFD have
already surveyed their top 50 suppliers
to gauge their interest in implementing
electronic messaging and automatic data
capture standards. The response to date
has been favourable, with many willing
to participate. Of course, there are a lot of
foodservice suppliers already using the GS1
System in partnership with grocery retailers.”
To help foodservice businesses adopt the GS1
System, a new compact disc has been released
showing how the System is being used by the
industry both locally and internationally.
“The CD is like a GS1 bible for the foodservices
industry,” Andrew said. “All the guidelines for
both bar coding and eMessaging are on it,
together with useful contact details for support
and links to international foodservice initiatives.”
The guidelines are also available in hard
copy. Both the hard copy guidelines and
the CD can be requested by contacting
GS1 Australia on 1300 366 033.
A complete guide to the
benefits and use of the
GS1 System specifically
for members of the
foodservices industry has
been released on compact
disc. Meanwhile, the sector’s
automatic identification
and data collection (AIDC)
trial has already reaped
significant time savings for
participants.
GS1 for the Foodservice industry explained on CD
Impetus 2006 Gold Sponsors
Above: MC Jean Kittson
Impetus 2006 Platinum Sponsor
Preparations for Impetus in
2006 are ramping up, with a
conference program bursting
with local and global experts
ready to share their knowledge
and Jean Kittson as MC.
There is also a free expo with its own
theatrette featuring case studies and
presentations, and a glittering cocktail party
to celebrate the launch of the RFID National
Demonstrator Project report.
This year’s program concentrates on the
foundations necessary for supply chain
management success: data synchronisation,
eMessaging, bar codes, and globally
recognised standards.
SME’s in particular will be encouraged to
discover what the global GS1 System of
standards can achieve for them. Steven Pereira,
CIO of GS1 Australia will discuss how companies
can engage with GS1 Australia, to learn of the
assistance GS1 Australia can provide, and to
connect with GS1 Australia to take advantage of
all the benefits of membership.
Other program features will include:
• Ian Robertson of EPCglobal talking about
what’s happening in RFID around the world
and providing an update on the EPC network.
• Art Smith, CEO of GS1 Canada. Canada
is in the process of joining the Global Data
Synchronisation Network (GDSN). Mr Smith
will be talking about the costs to businesses
if they fail to consider synchronising their data.
• Fiona Wilson of GS1 Australia co-presenting
with Chep Asia-Pacific, Gillette, Metcash and
other participating organisations about
the RFID National Demonstrator Project.
Returning to Impetus after a year’s absence is
Chris Richardson, Director of Access Economics
and BRW columnist. Mr Richardson will present
an insight into local and global economic
trends for the next 12 to 24 months, and
explain how these will affect local industry.
There will be plenty of Australian case studies,
industry expert presentations and updates
concerning the manufacturing, retail,
healthcare, transport and logistics, automotive
aftermarket & hardware industries. Among
these is Patties, and Australian manufacturer
who will discuss the process and benefits of
implementing the GS1 System. There will also
be an update about the data synchronisation
project currently underway in the Australian
healthcare industry.
The first day of the conference will conclude
with a cocktail launch to celebrate and formally
present the RFID National Demonstrator
Project report. This RFID report forms an
important part of the of the CSIRO and GS1
Australia-led RFID pilot, funded through the
Department of Communications, Information
Technology and the Arts (DCITA) Information
Technology Online (ITOL) program.
To keep business people connected while
they attend the conference and expo, Intel
is sponsoring an internet café, located in the
expo. The café will have six terminals and be a
wireless hot spot.
The expo is a free event and this year will feature
over thirty GS1 accredited solution providers
including Impetus Platinum sponsor Leadtec
and Gold sponsors GXS, insignia, innovit,
Matthews, and Telstra. Others include Cedar
Creek, Intermec and Bizcaps. A theatrette inside
the expo will be running a free program for
attendees where solution providers will present
case studies showing the latest technologies
and solutions available to assist with supply
chain management best practice.
For more information about Impetus 2006,
please call Rebecca Owen at GS1 Australia
on 1300 366 033
15
Radio frequency
identification (RFID) and
the Electronic Product Code
(EPC) that governs its use
in the supply chain is still
very new, but international
experience, and now local
trials will help ready GS1
Australia and its alliance
partner community
for its widespread EPC
implementation.
The most high profile of the local trials
scheduled by the GS1 Professional Services
team is between food manufacturer
Patties Foods and Montague Cold Storage
with input and support from GS1Alliance
Partners, VeriSign and Matthews Intelligent
Identification who are each supplying and
installing the required elements of RFID / EPC
hardware and software.
Under the trial, believed to be the first ever
to take place in freezers, second generation
EPC tags are used to track the movement
of pallets from Patties production facilities
and into Montague’s warehouse. The trial is
also one of the first to use all the elements
of the EPC network to enable sharing of
data between all business partners using the
EPCglobal standards.
GS1 Professional Services’ Senior Advisor, John
Szabo said the trial would be implemented
over a month during March and the results
presented at GS1 Australia’s annual conference,
Impetus 2006, in July. With other pilots already
in the pipeline, he said GS1 Professional Services
was preparing themselves to assist GS1 Australia
members with RFID / EPC projects.
“Since it first came to prominence just a couple
of years ago, the EPC standards for RFID have
moved swiftly from small scale trials into broad
scale implementation overseas,” John said.
“GS1’s Professional Services team are excited to
be working with our members and partners to
gain valuable EPC implementation experience,
and we fully expect more implementations to
follow here very soon.”
Mark Dingley, Identification Systems
manager at Matthews, says its main aim is
to determine the reliability and integration
ease of RFID Class 1 Gen 2 technology into a
production environment, in a true business-
to-business setting.
Dingley says, “Matthews has made a
significant investment in this pilot with the
hardware and software we’ve supplied. We
really believe in the benefits of RFID, and, as
with the other partners, deem this pilot an
excellent beginning.”
Joe Rettino, Patties Foods General Manager
(Purchasing and Supply) says RFID is the next
natural step in improving the company’s
inventory control, having spent previous years
improving its bar coding and eMessaging
systems.
“Even though bar coding technology gives
us transparency of our inventory, RFID goes
one step further in achieving better visibility of
products,” he said.
The tracking of pallets between Patties and
Montagues will be achieved by interfacing the
Matthews RFID equipment installed at Patties
and Montague back to the VeriSign-managed
EPC-IS system. Information is uploaded to the
EPC-IS when a pallet is labelled, goes into the
Freezer storeroom, is dispatched from Patties
and arrives at Montague.
A detailed overview of this project and the
valuable learnings will be presented at GS1’s
annual Impetus 2006 conference in July. For
further information please contact Marcel
Sieira at GS1 Australia on 1300 366 033.
Patties EPC trial results to be released at Impetus
14 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
Just as bar codes allow
businesses to identify
product from anywhere in
the world, the EANnet data
pool will soon be accessible
to retailers around the globe.
Data synchronisation is sweeping the world
as companies embrace eCommerce and
national data pools like EANnet are formed.
Now, international project, the Global Data
Synchronisation Network (GDSN), has begun
to link the data pools.
Last year, 26 data pools, including GS1 Australia
were linked by the GDSN and global standards
have been developed for item information
to be synchronised between them. Item
price information exchange standards were
approved in February this year, meaning the
last piece of the puzzle is in place for a solid
push forward towards unification.
Steps towards global
transparency
The GDSN will make Australian products
even more visible to the world’s retailers, an
opportunity too great to ignore, and work
has already begun to prepare EANnet for
alignment with the GDSN.
The first two phases of a five phase migration
plan were completed in 2005 and the third
is scheduled for July 2006 with the release of
EANnet version 4.0. The final phases will make
EANnet completely GDSN-compliant and
poised for full migration under the new name,
GS1net, which is expected in late 2007.
How EANnet members will
be affected
Many existing EANnet fields are compatible
with GDSN and will not need to change but
those due for change with this year’s EANnet
update include brand, sub brand and use by or
best before.
There will also be modifications to code lists
for fields such as packaging type, packaging
material, country of origin, and unit of measure.
In addition, a Global Product Classification
code will replace the UNSPSC coding system,
while a target market country code at a
supplier catalogue level will be introduced.
Making the transition as
easy as possible
GS1 Australia will make the migration process
as simple as possible for everyone involved.
The Client Services team has conducted a
detailed analysis of each user’s EANnet data
to highlight any data fields that need changes
and has contacted all affected suppliers to
explain the best way to make adjustments.
Data that is unchanged during the transition
will be automatically transferred to the new
database and in many other cases, third party
data extraction software will be able to assist.
GS1 Australia is liaising with software providers
so that packages are upgraded to cater for the
full GDSN data set.
How to get started
Help is available from GS1 Australia at every
stage of the process but, to get started, we
recommend you:
• Read the EANnet version 4.0 release notes at
www.gs1au.org
• Assess your data against the new
requirements
• Work with GS1 Australia Client Services to
identify required changes
• Work with solution providers to determine
the best method of updating data
• Create a migration plan
For more information please contact GS1
Australia on 1300 366 033.
Connecting EANnet® with the world
15
Radio frequency
identification (RFID) and
the Electronic Product Code
(EPC) that governs its use
in the supply chain is still
very new, but international
experience, and now local
trials will help ready GS1
Australia and its alliance
partner community
for its widespread EPC
implementation.
The most high profile of the local trials
scheduled by the GS1 Professional Services
team is between food manufacturer
Patties Foods and Montague Cold Storage
with input and support from GS1Alliance
Partners, VeriSign and Matthews Intelligent
Identification who are each supplying and
installing the required elements of RFID / EPC
hardware and software.
Under the trial, believed to be the first ever
to take place in freezers, second generation
EPC tags are used to track the movement
of pallets from Patties production facilities
and into Montague’s warehouse. The trial is
also one of the first to use all the elements
of the EPC network to enable sharing of
data between all business partners using the
EPCglobal standards.
GS1 Professional Services’ Senior Advisor, John
Szabo said the trial would be implemented
over a month during March and the results
presented at GS1 Australia’s annual conference,
Impetus 2006, in July. With other pilots already
in the pipeline, he said GS1 Professional Services
was preparing themselves to assist GS1 Australia
members with RFID / EPC projects.
“Since it first came to prominence just a couple
of years ago, the EPC standards for RFID have
moved swiftly from small scale trials into broad
scale implementation overseas,” John said.
“GS1’s Professional Services team are excited to
be working with our members and partners to
gain valuable EPC implementation experience,
and we fully expect more implementations to
follow here very soon.”
Mark Dingley, Identification Systems
manager at Matthews, says its main aim is
to determine the reliability and integration
ease of RFID Class 1 Gen 2 technology into a
production environment, in a true business-
to-business setting.
Dingley says, “Matthews has made a
significant investment in this pilot with the
hardware and software we’ve supplied. We
really believe in the benefits of RFID, and, as
with the other partners, deem this pilot an
excellent beginning.”
Joe Rettino, Patties Foods General Manager
(Purchasing and Supply) says RFID is the next
natural step in improving the company’s
inventory control, having spent previous years
improving its bar coding and eMessaging
systems.
“Even though bar coding technology gives
us transparency of our inventory, RFID goes
one step further in achieving better visibility of
products,” he said.
The tracking of pallets between Patties and
Montagues will be achieved by interfacing the
Matthews RFID equipment installed at Patties
and Montague back to the VeriSign-managed
EPC-IS system. Information is uploaded to the
EPC-IS when a pallet is labelled, goes into the
Freezer storeroom, is dispatched from Patties
and arrives at Montague.
A detailed overview of this project and the
valuable learnings will be presented at GS1’s
annual Impetus 2006 conference in July. For
further information please contact Marcel
Sieira at GS1 Australia on 1300 366 033.
Patties EPC trial results to be released at Impetus
14 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
Just as bar codes allow
businesses to identify
product from anywhere in
the world, the EANnet data
pool will soon be accessible
to retailers around the globe.
Data synchronisation is sweeping the world
as companies embrace eCommerce and
national data pools like EANnet are formed.
Now, international project, the Global Data
Synchronisation Network (GDSN), has begun
to link the data pools.
Last year, 26 data pools, including GS1 Australia
were linked by the GDSN and global standards
have been developed for item information
to be synchronised between them. Item
price information exchange standards were
approved in February this year, meaning the
last piece of the puzzle is in place for a solid
push forward towards unification.
Steps towards global
transparency
The GDSN will make Australian products
even more visible to the world’s retailers, an
opportunity too great to ignore, and work
has already begun to prepare EANnet for
alignment with the GDSN.
The first two phases of a five phase migration
plan were completed in 2005 and the third
is scheduled for July 2006 with the release of
EANnet version 4.0. The final phases will make
EANnet completely GDSN-compliant and
poised for full migration under the new name,
GS1net, which is expected in late 2007.
How EANnet members will
be affected
Many existing EANnet fields are compatible
with GDSN and will not need to change but
those due for change with this year’s EANnet
update include brand, sub brand and use by or
best before.
There will also be modifications to code lists
for fields such as packaging type, packaging
material, country of origin, and unit of measure.
In addition, a Global Product Classification
code will replace the UNSPSC coding system,
while a target market country code at a
supplier catalogue level will be introduced.
Making the transition as
easy as possible
GS1 Australia will make the migration process
as simple as possible for everyone involved.
The Client Services team has conducted a
detailed analysis of each user’s EANnet data
to highlight any data fields that need changes
and has contacted all affected suppliers to
explain the best way to make adjustments.
Data that is unchanged during the transition
will be automatically transferred to the new
database and in many other cases, third party
data extraction software will be able to assist.
GS1 Australia is liaising with software providers
so that packages are upgraded to cater for the
full GDSN data set.
How to get started
Help is available from GS1 Australia at every
stage of the process but, to get started, we
recommend you:
• Read the EANnet version 4.0 release notes at
www.gs1au.org
• Assess your data against the new
requirements
• Work with GS1 Australia Client Services to
identify required changes
• Work with solution providers to determine
the best method of updating data
• Create a migration plan
For more information please contact GS1
Australia on 1300 366 033.
Connecting EANnet® with the world
17
maintained to ensure we were in alignment
with Valvoline’s 150 affiliates worldwide.”
The Valvoline and GS1 Professional Services
teams began by analysing Valvoline’s
business processes and applications
systems to see how data flowed around the
organisation. A data GAP analysis revealed
the need for data cleansing and validation
before new systems could be put in place.
For Peter, this step was critical.
“Data management and cleansing was the
biggest challenge of the entire project but
also one of the most valuable,” he said. “GS1
Professional Services helped us put a better
data management system in place so that
clean data stays clean.”
The range of products was limited to those
supplied to Coles / GHPL. In all, fifty stock
keeping units (SKU), complete with product
and price data, images and attachments were
uploaded – a deliberately small percentage of
Valvoline’s product range.
“In Coles, we had an experienced EANnet user
who purchased a relatively small product range,”
Peter said. “We decided it was wise to crawl
before we tried to run and wanted to work out
all the bugs before a more extensive roll out -
fifty SKU’s was a manageable size for us.”
Such prudent planning paid dividends.
Together, Valvoline and the GS1 Australia
Professional Services project management
team achieved EANnet Ready status in the
twelve weeks Peter had allocated for the
project with few hiccups.
“There really weren’t many surprises,” Peter
said. “We were extremely well prepared and
having the expertise of Professional Services
supporting us at every stage of the process
meant the implementation went
“very smoothly.”
Valvoline now plans to extend its success with
other trading partners in the automotive after
market and grocery industries.
Asked if he had any advice for others
considering adopting EANnet, Peter said: “The
trick is to do your research on the benefits to
your organisation and to your customers so
that you have a strong rationale for the project.
Here at Valvoline, we found being EANnet
Ready was a definite competitive advantage
and that, together with the Coles mandate,
certainly built momentum.”
16 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
For Valvoline, the move to
EANnet was a ‘no-brainer’.
“We see it as the future
direction of our major
customer groups and it
will open the door to EDI
(electronic data interchange)
for many more of our smaller
accounts too,” says Valvoline’s
Peter Fitzgerald.
Peter, who is Valvoline’s Director of
Operations & Technical Services (Supply
Chain), has just overseen the company’s
move to become EANnet ReadyTM with
project guidance and assistance from the
GS1 Professional Services team.
“Coles gave us the impetus to become EANnet
Ready but it’s something we would definitely
have done soon anyway,” he said. “We wanted
to be able to say to all our customers ‘Valvoline
is ready to trade electronically when you are’.”
Aside from the marketing benefits, Peter
expects to see the keying errors associated
with paper-based processes to fall, saving
Valvoline considerable time and money.
With EANnet as the foundation for electronic
trade, Valvoline will replace universal buying
forms (UBFs) for new products; product,
packaging and price changes; and the
announcement of product obsolescence.
“If you’re processing customer orders manually
like we have been, there’s always the potential
for mistakes so, by eliminating so much
paperwork, we’re expecting to gain quite a few
efficiencies,” he said.
Peter assembled a team of around fifteen
people from his own department and across
Valvoline’s operations, including marketing,
retail sales, administration and information
technology. Early on, he also called in specialist
help from GS1 Australia’s expert Professional
Services team, who guided Valvoline through
the planning and implementation phases,
providing invaluable project management and
technical assistance.
“We wanted someone who was dedicated to
driving the project and could give it the focus
it deserved,” Peter said. “Valvoline has a good
history with GS1 and we wanted a solution
that would ensure that standards were
Valvoline oils their supply chain with EANnet®
17
maintained to ensure we were in alignment
with Valvoline’s 150 affiliates worldwide.”
The Valvoline and GS1 Professional Services
teams began by analysing Valvoline’s
business processes and applications
systems to see how data flowed around the
organisation. A data GAP analysis revealed
the need for data cleansing and validation
before new systems could be put in place.
For Peter, this step was critical.
“Data management and cleansing was the
biggest challenge of the entire project but
also one of the most valuable,” he said. “GS1
Professional Services helped us put a better
data management system in place so that
clean data stays clean.”
The range of products was limited to those
supplied to Coles / GHPL. In all, fifty stock
keeping units (SKU), complete with product
and price data, images and attachments were
uploaded – a deliberately small percentage of
Valvoline’s product range.
“In Coles, we had an experienced EANnet user
who purchased a relatively small product range,”
Peter said. “We decided it was wise to crawl
before we tried to run and wanted to work out
all the bugs before a more extensive roll out -
fifty SKU’s was a manageable size for us.”
Such prudent planning paid dividends.
Together, Valvoline and the GS1 Australia
Professional Services project management
team achieved EANnet Ready status in the
twelve weeks Peter had allocated for the
project with few hiccups.
“There really weren’t many surprises,” Peter
said. “We were extremely well prepared and
having the expertise of Professional Services
supporting us at every stage of the process
meant the implementation went
“very smoothly.”
Valvoline now plans to extend its success with
other trading partners in the automotive after
market and grocery industries.
Asked if he had any advice for others
considering adopting EANnet, Peter said: “The
trick is to do your research on the benefits to
your organisation and to your customers so
that you have a strong rationale for the project.
Here at Valvoline, we found being EANnet
Ready was a definite competitive advantage
and that, together with the Coles mandate,
certainly built momentum.”
16 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
For Valvoline, the move to
EANnet was a ‘no-brainer’.
“We see it as the future
direction of our major
customer groups and it
will open the door to EDI
(electronic data interchange)
for many more of our smaller
accounts too,” says Valvoline’s
Peter Fitzgerald.
Peter, who is Valvoline’s Director of
Operations & Technical Services (Supply
Chain), has just overseen the company’s
move to become EANnet ReadyTM with
project guidance and assistance from the
GS1 Professional Services team.
“Coles gave us the impetus to become EANnet
Ready but it’s something we would definitely
have done soon anyway,” he said. “We wanted
to be able to say to all our customers ‘Valvoline
is ready to trade electronically when you are’.”
Aside from the marketing benefits, Peter
expects to see the keying errors associated
with paper-based processes to fall, saving
Valvoline considerable time and money.
With EANnet as the foundation for electronic
trade, Valvoline will replace universal buying
forms (UBFs) for new products; product,
packaging and price changes; and the
announcement of product obsolescence.
“If you’re processing customer orders manually
like we have been, there’s always the potential
for mistakes so, by eliminating so much
paperwork, we’re expecting to gain quite a few
efficiencies,” he said.
Peter assembled a team of around fifteen
people from his own department and across
Valvoline’s operations, including marketing,
retail sales, administration and information
technology. Early on, he also called in specialist
help from GS1 Australia’s expert Professional
Services team, who guided Valvoline through
the planning and implementation phases,
providing invaluable project management and
technical assistance.
“We wanted someone who was dedicated to
driving the project and could give it the focus
it deserved,” Peter said. “Valvoline has a good
history with GS1 and we wanted a solution
that would ensure that standards were
Valvoline oils their supply chain with EANnet®
19
Question: My US agent tells me I need
‘UPC’s’ on the products I send. Scanning in
the American market now encompasses all
the usual retail bar codes, does it not?
You are right, except in situations where
retailers have not yet enabled their scanning
systems for EAN-13 and EAN-8. Americans
have been using the term “UPC” for retail bar
codes since scanning began there in 1974 so
it is going to take time for them to update
their vocabulary. Just as the term APN is still
often used to refer to a retail level bar code
ask your agent to clarify whether ‘UPC’ is
literally what he or she means, or whether
any of the GS1 retail bar codes is acceptable.
Do not be surprised if you have to explain
the difference and if they have to check with
their retail outlets. The so-called ‘Sunrise
2005’ requirement for scanning capabilities
at point of sale to include EAN-13 and EAN-8
took effect only last January. If you really do
need UPC symbols still and do not have the
necessary prefix, contact GS1 New Zealand
or in this case contact GS1 Australia.
Question: Why are you so fussy about
terminology? Does it really matter if we
say ‘bar code’ when we mean ‘number’?
In fact, not everyone knows the difference
between bar code and number. GS1 New
Zealand regularly sees errors such as correct
numbers encoded in non-GS1 bar code
symbols that retail scanners cannot read,
or various products within a range that all
have the same bar code symbol on them
– and therefore the same number being
read when any of them are scanned – but
different numbers printed beneath the bar
code. When people talk vaguely about ‘bar
codes’ without making it clear whether they
mean the number or the bar code symbol,
there are bound to be misunderstandings.
Products can easily end up in the market
with incorrect numbers, bar codes that
cannot be scanned, or both.
Question: Why do I almost always get
different results on consecutive verification
tests of the same bar code? Can I rely on
the results?
Verifiers report very accurately. However,
each result is based on 10 scans of the
sample being tested and you will never get
precisely the same 10 “slices” of bar code on
consecutive scans. Some variation in the
results is inevitable although they should
consistently show that the same bar code
either passes or fails the test. If you get results
that hover around the pass/fail threshold it
means that your bar code is of very marginal
quality and needs improvement.
Question: I had a novel idea for a bar code
and produced a small test run on which the
bar codes passed verification. Then I did a
production run and the bar codes failed.
What went wrong?
Every print run produces a whole new bar
code because it will involve at least some
things being different from the previous
run. Even if the same equipment and
materials are used, there will be minute
differences in machine settings, perhaps in
the batch or mix of inks, the paper or other
substrate, or just the ambient humidity or
temperature. Verification also tests the
reflective properties of the paper and ink
and even subtle changes in these can affect
the results. There is always the possibility
of changes between test samples and
production runs so when testing samples,
you always need to look for a clear pass.
Marginal passes mean that going ahead
with a full run could be a risk.
Frequently
asked questions
This article was kindly provided to GS1 Australia by GS1 New Zealand.
18 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
GS1 Australia are continually
seeking to employ highly
talented and hard working
individuals that have a
passion for developing
their career.
As part of our desire to attract highly energised
professionals, GS1 Australia promotes internally
wherever possible, however employment
opportunities for external applicants do arise.
In the last six months ten roles have been
advertised via the ‘Employment Opportunities’
page on our website. This has helped GS1
Australia to grow all business units within the
organisation.
The ‘Employment Opportunities’ site is
regularly updated and reflects the diversity
of opportunity within GS1 Australia as we
stay abreast of supply chain technology and
anticipate the needs of our members.
For further information about current
employment opportunities see:
www.gs1au.org/employment or
contact Kristy Bethell, HR Manager,
on 1300 366 033
Employment Opportunities
Every month approximately
30 people send an email to
GS1 Australia’s general query
email address. Some are
dealing with GS1 Australia
for the first time and don’t
know where to start, others
have a specific question
and need some help to
find the answer.
The GS1 Australia email address,
gs1aust@gs1au.org can be used directly or
via GS1 Australia’s home page by clicking on
‘contact GS1’. The vast majority of emails are
answered within 24 hours; all are answered
within 48 hours.
We now offer members who may not have
time to make a phone call the opportunity
to drop us an email using the GS1 Australia
email address, enabling you to have your
answers in writing should you need to file
it or forward it onto a colleague.
There is alot to know about
GS1 Australia, so if you can’t
find what you are looking
for and don’t know who to ask
gs1aust@gs1au.org is a good
place to start.
GS1 Australia off ering you help Online!
Mobile: 0408 431 023 Tel: 61 3 5943 1022 Fax: 61 3 5943 1023aec@aecommerce.com.au www.aecommerce.com.au
CALL APPLIED ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
The Vital LinkTO GET YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN
WORKING FOR YOU
19
Question: My US agent tells me I need
‘UPC’s’ on the products I send. Scanning in
the American market now encompasses all
the usual retail bar codes, does it not?
You are right, except in situations where
retailers have not yet enabled their scanning
systems for EAN-13 and EAN-8. Americans
have been using the term “UPC” for retail bar
codes since scanning began there in 1974 so
it is going to take time for them to update
their vocabulary. Just as the term APN is still
often used to refer to a retail level bar code
ask your agent to clarify whether ‘UPC’ is
literally what he or she means, or whether
any of the GS1 retail bar codes is acceptable.
Do not be surprised if you have to explain
the difference and if they have to check with
their retail outlets. The so-called ‘Sunrise
2005’ requirement for scanning capabilities
at point of sale to include EAN-13 and EAN-8
took effect only last January. If you really do
need UPC symbols still and do not have the
necessary prefix, contact GS1 New Zealand
or in this case contact GS1 Australia.
Question: Why are you so fussy about
terminology? Does it really matter if we
say ‘bar code’ when we mean ‘number’?
In fact, not everyone knows the difference
between bar code and number. GS1 New
Zealand regularly sees errors such as correct
numbers encoded in non-GS1 bar code
symbols that retail scanners cannot read,
or various products within a range that all
have the same bar code symbol on them
– and therefore the same number being
read when any of them are scanned – but
different numbers printed beneath the bar
code. When people talk vaguely about ‘bar
codes’ without making it clear whether they
mean the number or the bar code symbol,
there are bound to be misunderstandings.
Products can easily end up in the market
with incorrect numbers, bar codes that
cannot be scanned, or both.
Question: Why do I almost always get
different results on consecutive verification
tests of the same bar code? Can I rely on
the results?
Verifiers report very accurately. However,
each result is based on 10 scans of the
sample being tested and you will never get
precisely the same 10 “slices” of bar code on
consecutive scans. Some variation in the
results is inevitable although they should
consistently show that the same bar code
either passes or fails the test. If you get results
that hover around the pass/fail threshold it
means that your bar code is of very marginal
quality and needs improvement.
Question: I had a novel idea for a bar code
and produced a small test run on which the
bar codes passed verification. Then I did a
production run and the bar codes failed.
What went wrong?
Every print run produces a whole new bar
code because it will involve at least some
things being different from the previous
run. Even if the same equipment and
materials are used, there will be minute
differences in machine settings, perhaps in
the batch or mix of inks, the paper or other
substrate, or just the ambient humidity or
temperature. Verification also tests the
reflective properties of the paper and ink
and even subtle changes in these can affect
the results. There is always the possibility
of changes between test samples and
production runs so when testing samples,
you always need to look for a clear pass.
Marginal passes mean that going ahead
with a full run could be a risk.
Frequently
asked questions
This article was kindly provided to GS1 Australia by GS1 New Zealand.
18 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
GS1 Australia are continually
seeking to employ highly
talented and hard working
individuals that have a
passion for developing
their career.
As part of our desire to attract highly energised
professionals, GS1 Australia promotes internally
wherever possible, however employment
opportunities for external applicants do arise.
In the last six months ten roles have been
advertised via the ‘Employment Opportunities’
page on our website. This has helped GS1
Australia to grow all business units within the
organisation.
The ‘Employment Opportunities’ site is
regularly updated and reflects the diversity
of opportunity within GS1 Australia as we
stay abreast of supply chain technology and
anticipate the needs of our members.
For further information about current
employment opportunities see:
www.gs1au.org/employment or
contact Kristy Bethell, HR Manager,
on 1300 366 033
Employment Opportunities
Every month approximately
30 people send an email to
GS1 Australia’s general query
email address. Some are
dealing with GS1 Australia
for the first time and don’t
know where to start, others
have a specific question
and need some help to
find the answer.
The GS1 Australia email address,
gs1aust@gs1au.org can be used directly or
via GS1 Australia’s home page by clicking on
‘contact GS1’. The vast majority of emails are
answered within 24 hours; all are answered
within 48 hours.
We now offer members who may not have
time to make a phone call the opportunity
to drop us an email using the GS1 Australia
email address, enabling you to have your
answers in writing should you need to file
it or forward it onto a colleague.
There is alot to know about
GS1 Australia, so if you can’t
find what you are looking
for and don’t know who to ask
gs1aust@gs1au.org is a good
place to start.
GS1 Australia off ering you help Online!
Mobile: 0408 431 023 Tel: 61 3 5943 1022 Fax: 61 3 5943 1023aec@aecommerce.com.au www.aecommerce.com.au
CALL APPLIED ELECTRONIC COMMERCE
The Vital LinkTO GET YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN
WORKING FOR YOU
21
A new tool, called the
EANnet Data ManagerTM,
has been released by GS1
Australia aimed at making
it easier for data recipients
such as retailers, wholesalers
or other trading hubs to
use information from the
EANnet data pool.
Typically, says GS1 Australia’s John Hearn, buyers
need special systems and processes to help
them receive data from EANnet, manipulate
it and then integrate it into their back office
systems or merchandising applications.
Although this remains the best approach,
building and implementing these systems
can be time consuming and delay progress
towards EANnet use. In response, GS1 Australia
has developed EANnet Data Manager as a
simple, cost effective solution.
“Put simply, EANnet Data Manager is the
missing link between EANnet and the
buyer’s staff,” John said. “It doesn’t deliver data
automatically into the buyer’s management
information system but it does make it more
readily accessible.”
As an initial step towards data synchronisation
buyers can view and print product and pricing
information using EANnet Data Manager forms
from the internet that can then be rekeyed
into the buyer’s own software. Cleverly, EANnet
Data Manager is also able to route updates to
individual users, according to their roles within
the buyer’s organisation.
An enhanced version, EANnet Data Manager
PlusTM, is also available. ‘Plus’ allows users to add
extra data to forms before printing and as an
advanced step, allows the creation of files
allowing integration with internal back office
or merchandising systems. Significantly,
EANnet Data Manager Plus can send a
response to suppliers via email, which John
says could be used to accept or reject a
specific update from EANnet.
For further information about EANnet Data
Manager, please contact Marcel Sieira on
1300 366 033.
New EANnet Data Manager TM tool launched
20 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
The National E-Health Transition Authority
(NEHTA) is coordinating the development
and rollout of the National Product
Catalogue (NPC), incorporating the
Australian Catalogue of Medicines (ACOM),
in association with GS1 Australia
EANnet has been selected to host the NPC,
which will facilitate the exchange of clinical
information about prescription and non-
prescription medicines using ACOM, as well
as the additional supply chain product and
pricing information available on EANnet. The
NPC will be used to synchronise product
and pricing data between supplier and
government planning systems, run price and
product comparisons, conduct tenders, request
quotations and undertake product research.
Until now, each Australian state and territory
has had as many as 70 autonomous
public health procurement centres, all
maintaining and updating their own
databases. Centralisation with the NPC is
expected to bring significant cost savings
for both the public health institutions and
the companies that supply them, while the
ACOM will help to reduce ‘adverse events’
for patients as the accuracy of product
identification improves with the cleansing
of data associated with EANnet.
Implementation of the NPC begins in
March this year and NEHTA expects ACOM
to be fully populated with the Therapeutic
Goods Administration (TGA) sponsored
pharmaceutical product data between June
and December 2006, with the uptake of NPC
completed by mid-2007.
NEHTA’s high level plan of action for the
first half of 2006 includes CEO briefing
sessions targeting the top 200 suppliers of
pharmaceutical products and medical devices
in all states and territories, together with
industry association briefing sessions.
The CEO briefing sessions will be followed
by several rounds of NPC seminars and
training sessions for public health institution
representatives and suppliers.
As part of the roll-out, the TGA Sponsors of
pharmaceutical products will be approached
to verify their product details on the ACOM
(following an upload from TGA and a stringent
quality assurance process), and to start
populating EANnet with data for the NPC.
This exciting initiative by NETHA is expected
to save the sector $200 million by removing
the need for the hundreds of public health
purchasing offices across Australia to maintain
their own product catalogues.
The NPC will also provide the foundation
for swift product recalls and precise product
tracking so that flawed, out-of-date or missing
stock can be discovered and replaced before
supplies become desperately short.
For more information on the NPC and the
ACOM, refer to NEHTA’s Supply Chain fact
sheet on www.nehta.gov.au or contact
Marcel Sieira at GS1 Australia on
1300 366 033.
A national catalogue of
health products hosted
on EANnet will replace
scores of databases
across the country to
become the single source
of information about
medicines for public
hospitals.
Australian Healthcare adopts EANnet® INDUSTRY UPDATE
21
A new tool, called the
EANnet Data ManagerTM,
has been released by GS1
Australia aimed at making
it easier for data recipients
such as retailers, wholesalers
or other trading hubs to
use information from the
EANnet data pool.
Typically, says GS1 Australia’s John Hearn, buyers
need special systems and processes to help
them receive data from EANnet, manipulate
it and then integrate it into their back office
systems or merchandising applications.
Although this remains the best approach,
building and implementing these systems
can be time consuming and delay progress
towards EANnet use. In response, GS1 Australia
has developed EANnet Data Manager as a
simple, cost effective solution.
“Put simply, EANnet Data Manager is the
missing link between EANnet and the
buyer’s staff,” John said. “It doesn’t deliver data
automatically into the buyer’s management
information system but it does make it more
readily accessible.”
As an initial step towards data synchronisation
buyers can view and print product and pricing
information using EANnet Data Manager forms
from the internet that can then be rekeyed
into the buyer’s own software. Cleverly, EANnet
Data Manager is also able to route updates to
individual users, according to their roles within
the buyer’s organisation.
An enhanced version, EANnet Data Manager
PlusTM, is also available. ‘Plus’ allows users to add
extra data to forms before printing and as an
advanced step, allows the creation of files
allowing integration with internal back office
or merchandising systems. Significantly,
EANnet Data Manager Plus can send a
response to suppliers via email, which John
says could be used to accept or reject a
specific update from EANnet.
For further information about EANnet Data
Manager, please contact Marcel Sieira on
1300 366 033.
New EANnet Data Manager TM tool launched
20 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
The National E-Health Transition Authority
(NEHTA) is coordinating the development
and rollout of the National Product
Catalogue (NPC), incorporating the
Australian Catalogue of Medicines (ACOM),
in association with GS1 Australia
EANnet has been selected to host the NPC,
which will facilitate the exchange of clinical
information about prescription and non-
prescription medicines using ACOM, as well
as the additional supply chain product and
pricing information available on EANnet. The
NPC will be used to synchronise product
and pricing data between supplier and
government planning systems, run price and
product comparisons, conduct tenders, request
quotations and undertake product research.
Until now, each Australian state and territory
has had as many as 70 autonomous
public health procurement centres, all
maintaining and updating their own
databases. Centralisation with the NPC is
expected to bring significant cost savings
for both the public health institutions and
the companies that supply them, while the
ACOM will help to reduce ‘adverse events’
for patients as the accuracy of product
identification improves with the cleansing
of data associated with EANnet.
Implementation of the NPC begins in
March this year and NEHTA expects ACOM
to be fully populated with the Therapeutic
Goods Administration (TGA) sponsored
pharmaceutical product data between June
and December 2006, with the uptake of NPC
completed by mid-2007.
NEHTA’s high level plan of action for the
first half of 2006 includes CEO briefing
sessions targeting the top 200 suppliers of
pharmaceutical products and medical devices
in all states and territories, together with
industry association briefing sessions.
The CEO briefing sessions will be followed
by several rounds of NPC seminars and
training sessions for public health institution
representatives and suppliers.
As part of the roll-out, the TGA Sponsors of
pharmaceutical products will be approached
to verify their product details on the ACOM
(following an upload from TGA and a stringent
quality assurance process), and to start
populating EANnet with data for the NPC.
This exciting initiative by NETHA is expected
to save the sector $200 million by removing
the need for the hundreds of public health
purchasing offices across Australia to maintain
their own product catalogues.
The NPC will also provide the foundation
for swift product recalls and precise product
tracking so that flawed, out-of-date or missing
stock can be discovered and replaced before
supplies become desperately short.
For more information on the NPC and the
ACOM, refer to NEHTA’s Supply Chain fact
sheet on www.nehta.gov.au or contact
Marcel Sieira at GS1 Australia on
1300 366 033.
A national catalogue of
health products hosted
on EANnet will replace
scores of databases
across the country to
become the single source
of information about
medicines for public
hospitals.
Australian Healthcare adopts EANnet® INDUSTRY UPDATE
23
Transport and logistics
leaders gathered in March
to attend the culmination
of a government funded
project show casing how
the GS1 System can improve
synchronisation of physical
goods flow with the flow of
related information.
The project, ‘Demonstrating the benefits of
adopting Global EAN•UCC Standards by Logistics
Service Providers in the Retail Grocery & General
Merchandise Supply Chain’, was supported with a
$121,000 grant from the Department of
Communications, Information Technology and
The Arts’ (DCITA) Information Technology Online
(ITOL) program and involved key stakeholders
from across the industry supply chain.
‘The Australian Transport and Logistics Industry
Numbering and Bar-coding Guidelines’ were
launched, and presentations from the project
stakeholders included case studies and project
overviews. These documented the main
outcomes and benefits of the GS1 System, and
how each organisation now plans to move
forward with implementation.
The results identified attainable benefits and
highlighted that the transport and logistics
industry must come together to ensure
a consistent approach to optimise supply
chain practices.
To facilitate this collaboration GS1 has
launched a Transport and Logistic working
group to address the opportunities for
implementation across the sector.
The adoption of the GS1 system means that
information relating to products would be
consistent along the entire supply chain
resulting in benefits such as:
• Faster delivery of goods
• Fewer handling and shipping errors
• Better inventory management
• Reduction of ordering and replenishing times
• Compliance to tightened security
requirements around the world
For further information contact the GS1
Australia Member and Industry Support
team on 1300 366 033.
Transport & Logistics Roadshow Event
22 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
RJ’s Licorice Ltd makes its
world-class confectionery to
a winning formula. And the
company has gone for the
same with the new logistics
system at its Levin plant.
Product handling efficiency has soared
and distribution errors plummeted since
the system was introduced in March. RJ’s
Licorice has replaced manual, paper-based
processes with state-of-the-art scanning and
automated documentation for sales order
fulfilment, and for the tracking and tracing
of consignments. It is indeed a winning
logistics formula – one based on the smart
use of GS1 System bar coding.
“We have seen a dramatic reduction in the
time required to pick product and pack
consignments in our distribution operation,” says
Factory Manager Sean Wilde. “And we now have
hardly any errors because of checking functions
built into the system.”
Mr Wilde says the system will support continued
high sales growth and, with more development,
enable RJ’s Licorice to strengthen its production
management. “The old processes could not
have kept pace with growth in our orders. We
are now shipping from Levin up to 40 pellets of
product each day.”
Founded 10 years ago by the Halliwell
family, RJ’s Licorice is the only New Zealand-
owned and operated maker of this specialist
confectionery. The core ingredient is licorice
paste imported from the Middle East where
it is extracted from the roots of a herb known
as the blue flowering snow pea. The company
puts an emphasis on the high quality of its
black and red licorice products, cooked to a
formula that is not only winning but also a
family secret!
RJ’s Licorice produces almost half of all
licorice sales in New Zealand, its extensive
range offered throughout most food retailing
chains. In addition, the company produces in
increasing volumes for the most discerning of
sweet-toothed consumers in Britain, United
States and Australia. Exports have risen
sharply to now represent around 25% of total
turnover. RJ’s Licorice uses Palmerston North
as a distribution hub for up to 180 tonnes of
product sent to domestic and international
markets each month.
Mr Wilde says the company has moved to a
Microsoft Navision package for all its IT, with
full integration of a pick and scan system for
product handling. Staff can move about the
warehouse with radio frequency scanners that
receive and display details of each order entered
in the system. The scanners are then used to
read bar coding on cartons picked to fill each
order – if the wrong product is picked, the
scanner signals a mismatch with the order.
The system automatically generates delivery
notes that record order details and match the
information held in an EAN-128 standard bar
code on each carton in the consignment. “We
can track and trace any batch of product from
the plant to the individual store in which it will
be offered to consumers,” says Mr Wilde. “In a
recent exercise, it took just 12 minutes for us to
turn up exactly that information from a batch
chosen at random.”
RJ’s Licorice prints its own bar codes
for product cartons using HEXCOM
Ticket 2000 Release D on a Toshiba Tec
SX4 printer. Bar codes are pre-printed on
the confectionary packaging, sourced from
local printers.
With the new logistics system in place, RJ’s
Licorice is far from done with innovation. Mr
Wilde says next steps include the move
to electronic consignment notes
that will be exchanged with the
company’s freight supplier. “We
can move to a paperless system
very easily from this point,” says
Mr Wilde.
He is also keen to
introduce picking
and scanning of raw
ingredients as
they enter
the plant
and are used
in its cooking
processes. The system can readily be expanded
to include production inputs as well as
outputs. “At that point, I will be able to sit in
the office and at any given time, see what
ingredients we hold and how they are being
used, as well as monitoring our finished stock
position,” says Mr Wilde. “Obviously there are
major advantages for ordering inputs, planning
production and managing working capital.”
Mr Wilde says the transition to a fully
integrated pick and scan system for product
handling has been relatively straight forward,
with staff adapting well to the change. “We
had a good IT supplier and RJ’s Licorice has
never been scared of innovation,” he says.
“We’ve now got a logistical system that can
really help drive our growth.”
Sweet success with pick and scan system
CASE STUDY
This article was kindly provided to
GS1 Australia by GS1 New Zealand.
Participating companies
23
Transport and logistics
leaders gathered in March
to attend the culmination
of a government funded
project show casing how
the GS1 System can improve
synchronisation of physical
goods flow with the flow of
related information.
The project, ‘Demonstrating the benefits of
adopting Global EAN•UCC Standards by Logistics
Service Providers in the Retail Grocery & General
Merchandise Supply Chain’, was supported with a
$121,000 grant from the Department of
Communications, Information Technology and
The Arts’ (DCITA) Information Technology Online
(ITOL) program and involved key stakeholders
from across the industry supply chain.
‘The Australian Transport and Logistics Industry
Numbering and Bar-coding Guidelines’ were
launched, and presentations from the project
stakeholders included case studies and project
overviews. These documented the main
outcomes and benefits of the GS1 System, and
how each organisation now plans to move
forward with implementation.
The results identified attainable benefits and
highlighted that the transport and logistics
industry must come together to ensure
a consistent approach to optimise supply
chain practices.
To facilitate this collaboration GS1 has
launched a Transport and Logistic working
group to address the opportunities for
implementation across the sector.
The adoption of the GS1 system means that
information relating to products would be
consistent along the entire supply chain
resulting in benefits such as:
• Faster delivery of goods
• Fewer handling and shipping errors
• Better inventory management
• Reduction of ordering and replenishing times
• Compliance to tightened security
requirements around the world
For further information contact the GS1
Australia Member and Industry Support
team on 1300 366 033.
Transport & Logistics Roadshow Event
22 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
RJ’s Licorice Ltd makes its
world-class confectionery to
a winning formula. And the
company has gone for the
same with the new logistics
system at its Levin plant.
Product handling efficiency has soared
and distribution errors plummeted since
the system was introduced in March. RJ’s
Licorice has replaced manual, paper-based
processes with state-of-the-art scanning and
automated documentation for sales order
fulfilment, and for the tracking and tracing
of consignments. It is indeed a winning
logistics formula – one based on the smart
use of GS1 System bar coding.
“We have seen a dramatic reduction in the
time required to pick product and pack
consignments in our distribution operation,” says
Factory Manager Sean Wilde. “And we now have
hardly any errors because of checking functions
built into the system.”
Mr Wilde says the system will support continued
high sales growth and, with more development,
enable RJ’s Licorice to strengthen its production
management. “The old processes could not
have kept pace with growth in our orders. We
are now shipping from Levin up to 40 pellets of
product each day.”
Founded 10 years ago by the Halliwell
family, RJ’s Licorice is the only New Zealand-
owned and operated maker of this specialist
confectionery. The core ingredient is licorice
paste imported from the Middle East where
it is extracted from the roots of a herb known
as the blue flowering snow pea. The company
puts an emphasis on the high quality of its
black and red licorice products, cooked to a
formula that is not only winning but also a
family secret!
RJ’s Licorice produces almost half of all
licorice sales in New Zealand, its extensive
range offered throughout most food retailing
chains. In addition, the company produces in
increasing volumes for the most discerning of
sweet-toothed consumers in Britain, United
States and Australia. Exports have risen
sharply to now represent around 25% of total
turnover. RJ’s Licorice uses Palmerston North
as a distribution hub for up to 180 tonnes of
product sent to domestic and international
markets each month.
Mr Wilde says the company has moved to a
Microsoft Navision package for all its IT, with
full integration of a pick and scan system for
product handling. Staff can move about the
warehouse with radio frequency scanners that
receive and display details of each order entered
in the system. The scanners are then used to
read bar coding on cartons picked to fill each
order – if the wrong product is picked, the
scanner signals a mismatch with the order.
The system automatically generates delivery
notes that record order details and match the
information held in an EAN-128 standard bar
code on each carton in the consignment. “We
can track and trace any batch of product from
the plant to the individual store in which it will
be offered to consumers,” says Mr Wilde. “In a
recent exercise, it took just 12 minutes for us to
turn up exactly that information from a batch
chosen at random.”
RJ’s Licorice prints its own bar codes
for product cartons using HEXCOM
Ticket 2000 Release D on a Toshiba Tec
SX4 printer. Bar codes are pre-printed on
the confectionary packaging, sourced from
local printers.
With the new logistics system in place, RJ’s
Licorice is far from done with innovation. Mr
Wilde says next steps include the move
to electronic consignment notes
that will be exchanged with the
company’s freight supplier. “We
can move to a paperless system
very easily from this point,” says
Mr Wilde.
He is also keen to
introduce picking
and scanning of raw
ingredients as
they enter
the plant
and are used
in its cooking
processes. The system can readily be expanded
to include production inputs as well as
outputs. “At that point, I will be able to sit in
the office and at any given time, see what
ingredients we hold and how they are being
used, as well as monitoring our finished stock
position,” says Mr Wilde. “Obviously there are
major advantages for ordering inputs, planning
production and managing working capital.”
Mr Wilde says the transition to a fully
integrated pick and scan system for product
handling has been relatively straight forward,
with staff adapting well to the change. “We
had a good IT supplier and RJ’s Licorice has
never been scared of innovation,” he says.
“We’ve now got a logistical system that can
really help drive our growth.”
Sweet success with pick and scan system
CASE STUDY
This article was kindly provided to
GS1 Australia by GS1 New Zealand.
Participating companies
Winners
Scholarshipcontinued support from an increasingly
strategic perspective,” said Luke. “This has
given me a clearer vision in regards to
achieving both short and long term goals both
personally and from a company perspective.”
Angela applied for the scholarship after
researching several courses to add to her
skills as Technical Account Manager for the
Technology Integration Division at UMD. “I
felt Deakin’s degree was the most applicable
and marketable, given GS1’s support of
the course, and efforts to extend the core
curriculum with information relevant to GS1
standards for data transfer and interactions
across the distribution channel.”
“This is my first step on the next phase of my
career,” Angela said, “applying my technology
background to issues specifically relating to
supply chain.”
Both winners have the full support of their
employers and are expected to become
champions of supply chain management for
their organisations, sharing their knowledge with
others to optimise their supply chain systems.
UMD General Manager, Geoffrey Ramadan
is looking forward to the additional benefits
the scholarship will have for UMD. “When I
originally saw the details of this course, my first
impressions were that this was a perfect fit
for our employees’ professional development
needs and our organisations needs,” he
said. “This course will provide the necessary
theoretical knowledge and skills to support our
staff when consulting with our customers
on their real life needs. Our strategic goal is to
offer professional services and you can’t do
that if you don’t have skilled staff.
Furthermore, we factor in the capability of
staff when developing strategic goals. This
course will thus enable us to expand our
companies offering.”
This is the second occasion GS1 Australia has
offered the scholarships. The program will
continue in 2007 academic year, member
organisations are encouraged to apply.
For more information see
www.gs1au.org/education/deakin/_deakin.asp
25
According to AMR Research, manufacturing and distribution companies that do not embrace a customer-centric approach risk incurring a five per cent cost disadvantage due to poor
forecast accuracy.
That’s quite a handicap to constantly maintain
against competitors.
To answer this challenge, an increasing
number of companies are taking on business
principles called Demand-Driven Supply
Networks (DDSNs).
Whereas supply chains have traditionally
had a push-based focus on materials and
products(‘what have I got to sell?’), DDSNs
have a pull-based focus on customer demand
(‘what do they want to buy?’).
By helping businesses to more precisely
align operations with actual, rather than
‘guestimated’, demand, DDSNs increase
supply chain responsiveness. In particular,
they help reduce information delays
– the time it takes to move and process
information, and address supply chain delays
– the time it takes for an organisation and
supply chain partners to respond to new
information with specific actions.
The four critical steps to the successful
establishment of a DDSN are:
• Understand Demand – put in place the tools
and processes that enable your organisation
to capture and analyse data that reflects
actual demands
• Plan for demand – base your long-term
supply chain strategy on a true picture
of demand
• Respond to demand – base your near-term
tactical production and financial
management actions on a true picture
of demand
• Shape demand – use demand information
to drive the tactical and strategic actions
your organisation takes to develop, produce
and market demand-driven products.
DDSN deployment is best approached
corporate-wide via suppliers such as SSA
Global, that have positioned their technologies
and business consultancy practices to allow
for staged, evolutionary transformations from a
customer’s existing technology and processes
to the target DDSN.
For more information contact SSA Global at:
www.ssaglobal.com.au or phone
+61 2 9855 7100.
Four fundamental demand driven steps to achieving supply chain excellence
ALLIANCEPARTNEREDITORIAL
24 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
Winners of the 2006 GS1 Australia Half Scholarships
Congratulations to the
winners of the 2006 GS1
Australia Half Scholarships:
Luke Merlo of Rip Curl
Australia and Angela Reid
of Unique Micro Design
(UMD). Each receives a
$4,000 scholarship from
GS1 Australia to study the
Graduate Certificate of
Information Systems at
Deakin University.
These scholarships are part of an extensive
education suite offered by GS1 Australia. The
aim is to encourage continuous learning and
offer members opportunities to learn more
about supply chain management and best
practice information systems.
Luke, the Supply Chain Planner for Rip Curl
Australia, is looking forward to enhancing his
systems analysis, design and infrastructure
skills elements in particular. This will assist him
in preparing for the enormous changes linked
to Rip Curl’s rapid growth and a new 4,000m2
warehouse currently being built on site at
Torquay, Victoria.
“By returning to study and focussing more
in-depth on contemporary issues and
requirements, I will be able to provide
Radio Frequency Identification
(RFID) promises to be the next
big revolution in business
productivity and is a key
enabler in moving businesses to
an increasingly ‘real time’ world.
These were some of the key
messages from the ‘Real World
RFID Applications’ seminar,
hosted by Oracle Corporation in
Melbourne on February 9th.
Through a series of case studies TS. Rangarajan,
Global Head of the Tata Consultancy Services
RFID practice, showed how clear return on
investment (ROI) can be found by tapping into
RFID technology.
One highlighted success story was YCH
Group in Singapore. YCH is one of a handful of
Singaporean logistics companies that is licensed
to operate bonded warehouses. In 2005, YCH
and Oracle implemented an innovative RFID
system to help it track and store shipments.
According to Robert Yap, chairman and CEO of
YCH Group, “This project is clear testimony to
the viability and benefits of RFID technologies,
especially for the logistics industry.”
Rohit Nagarajan, Oracle’s RFID Asia Pacific
Business Development Manager, discussed
Oracle Sensor Based Solutions, which provide a
comprehensive and standards based platform
on which build RFID applications. The Oracle
products that make up these solutions include
components like RFID middleware (Oracle
Sensor Edge Server), process orchestration
tools (Oracle BPEL Process Manager) and
various other integration and business
intelligence tools - part of the Oracle
technology stack comprising of the Oracle
Database and Oracle Fusion Middleware.
Industry standards around RFID were covered
during the seminar by Fiona Wilson, GM
Standards Development GS1 Australia /
EPCglobal. It provided an update on the state
of the standards being being developed by
EPCglobal and provided an insight into the
benefits that organizations like Wal-mart and
Gillette have gained by adopting EPC as part of
the RFID deployment plans.
RFID is a technology that has long since
held the promise of transforming the way
businesses think of real time information.
Adoption of global standards, advances in
sensor technology and new RFID compatible
products from companies like Oracle are
enabling organisations to make these promises
a reality today.
Oracle hosts RFID thought leadership seminar at GS1 Supply Chain Knowledge Centre
ALLIANCEPARTNEREDITORIAL
Above: Luke Merlo Above: Angela Reid
Winners
Scholarshipcontinued support from an increasingly
strategic perspective,” said Luke. “This has
given me a clearer vision in regards to
achieving both short and long term goals both
personally and from a company perspective.”
Angela applied for the scholarship after
researching several courses to add to her
skills as Technical Account Manager for the
Technology Integration Division at UMD. “I
felt Deakin’s degree was the most applicable
and marketable, given GS1’s support of
the course, and efforts to extend the core
curriculum with information relevant to GS1
standards for data transfer and interactions
across the distribution channel.”
“This is my first step on the next phase of my
career,” Angela said, “applying my technology
background to issues specifically relating to
supply chain.”
Both winners have the full support of their
employers and are expected to become
champions of supply chain management for
their organisations, sharing their knowledge with
others to optimise their supply chain systems.
UMD General Manager, Geoffrey Ramadan
is looking forward to the additional benefits
the scholarship will have for UMD. “When I
originally saw the details of this course, my first
impressions were that this was a perfect fit
for our employees’ professional development
needs and our organisations needs,” he
said. “This course will provide the necessary
theoretical knowledge and skills to support our
staff when consulting with our customers
on their real life needs. Our strategic goal is to
offer professional services and you can’t do
that if you don’t have skilled staff.
Furthermore, we factor in the capability of
staff when developing strategic goals. This
course will thus enable us to expand our
companies offering.”
This is the second occasion GS1 Australia has
offered the scholarships. The program will
continue in 2007 academic year, member
organisations are encouraged to apply.
For more information see
www.gs1au.org/education/deakin/_deakin.asp
25
According to AMR Research, manufacturing and distribution companies that do not embrace a customer-centric approach risk incurring a five per cent cost disadvantage due to poor
forecast accuracy.
That’s quite a handicap to constantly maintain
against competitors.
To answer this challenge, an increasing
number of companies are taking on business
principles called Demand-Driven Supply
Networks (DDSNs).
Whereas supply chains have traditionally
had a push-based focus on materials and
products(‘what have I got to sell?’), DDSNs
have a pull-based focus on customer demand
(‘what do they want to buy?’).
By helping businesses to more precisely
align operations with actual, rather than
‘guestimated’, demand, DDSNs increase
supply chain responsiveness. In particular,
they help reduce information delays
– the time it takes to move and process
information, and address supply chain delays
– the time it takes for an organisation and
supply chain partners to respond to new
information with specific actions.
The four critical steps to the successful
establishment of a DDSN are:
• Understand Demand – put in place the tools
and processes that enable your organisation
to capture and analyse data that reflects
actual demands
• Plan for demand – base your long-term
supply chain strategy on a true picture
of demand
• Respond to demand – base your near-term
tactical production and financial
management actions on a true picture
of demand
• Shape demand – use demand information
to drive the tactical and strategic actions
your organisation takes to develop, produce
and market demand-driven products.
DDSN deployment is best approached
corporate-wide via suppliers such as SSA
Global, that have positioned their technologies
and business consultancy practices to allow
for staged, evolutionary transformations from a
customer’s existing technology and processes
to the target DDSN.
For more information contact SSA Global at:
www.ssaglobal.com.au or phone
+61 2 9855 7100.
Four fundamental demand driven steps to achieving supply chain excellence
ALLIANCEPARTNEREDITORIAL
24 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
Winners of the 2006 GS1 Australia Half Scholarships
Congratulations to the
winners of the 2006 GS1
Australia Half Scholarships:
Luke Merlo of Rip Curl
Australia and Angela Reid
of Unique Micro Design
(UMD). Each receives a
$4,000 scholarship from
GS1 Australia to study the
Graduate Certificate of
Information Systems at
Deakin University.
These scholarships are part of an extensive
education suite offered by GS1 Australia. The
aim is to encourage continuous learning and
offer members opportunities to learn more
about supply chain management and best
practice information systems.
Luke, the Supply Chain Planner for Rip Curl
Australia, is looking forward to enhancing his
systems analysis, design and infrastructure
skills elements in particular. This will assist him
in preparing for the enormous changes linked
to Rip Curl’s rapid growth and a new 4,000m2
warehouse currently being built on site at
Torquay, Victoria.
“By returning to study and focussing more
in-depth on contemporary issues and
requirements, I will be able to provide
Radio Frequency Identification
(RFID) promises to be the next
big revolution in business
productivity and is a key
enabler in moving businesses to
an increasingly ‘real time’ world.
These were some of the key
messages from the ‘Real World
RFID Applications’ seminar,
hosted by Oracle Corporation in
Melbourne on February 9th.
Through a series of case studies TS. Rangarajan,
Global Head of the Tata Consultancy Services
RFID practice, showed how clear return on
investment (ROI) can be found by tapping into
RFID technology.
One highlighted success story was YCH
Group in Singapore. YCH is one of a handful of
Singaporean logistics companies that is licensed
to operate bonded warehouses. In 2005, YCH
and Oracle implemented an innovative RFID
system to help it track and store shipments.
According to Robert Yap, chairman and CEO of
YCH Group, “This project is clear testimony to
the viability and benefits of RFID technologies,
especially for the logistics industry.”
Rohit Nagarajan, Oracle’s RFID Asia Pacific
Business Development Manager, discussed
Oracle Sensor Based Solutions, which provide a
comprehensive and standards based platform
on which build RFID applications. The Oracle
products that make up these solutions include
components like RFID middleware (Oracle
Sensor Edge Server), process orchestration
tools (Oracle BPEL Process Manager) and
various other integration and business
intelligence tools - part of the Oracle
technology stack comprising of the Oracle
Database and Oracle Fusion Middleware.
Industry standards around RFID were covered
during the seminar by Fiona Wilson, GM
Standards Development GS1 Australia /
EPCglobal. It provided an update on the state
of the standards being being developed by
EPCglobal and provided an insight into the
benefits that organizations like Wal-mart and
Gillette have gained by adopting EPC as part of
the RFID deployment plans.
RFID is a technology that has long since
held the promise of transforming the way
businesses think of real time information.
Adoption of global standards, advances in
sensor technology and new RFID compatible
products from companies like Oracle are
enabling organisations to make these promises
a reality today.
Oracle hosts RFID thought leadership seminar at GS1 Supply Chain Knowledge Centre
ALLIANCEPARTNEREDITORIAL
Above: Luke Merlo Above: Angela Reid
Spotlight on GS1 people, Elsa Lai
As a Professional Services Advisor with
equal ability in analysis and communication,
Elsa provides expert advice to help
members solve their business needs;
assisting with the implementation of
EANnet projects in their organisations.
Elsa has been serving GS1 Australia for almost four years; it was her
first full-time job after completing a university degree.
After initial roles in Quality Systems Support, and EANnet Client
Services, she jumped at the chance to join the Professional Services
team, when it was expanded a year ago.
“Quality Systems provided me with a solid foundation in the
GS1 System and EANnet Client Services equipped me with an
understanding of how to assist clients efficiently and effectively
implement EANnet. Professional Services was the next step and gave
me the opportunity to meet members face to face,” said Elsa.
“I really enjoy being out at a client’s site, meeting new people and
learning how their business works,” said Elsa. “The biggest challenge
is keeping abreast of new standards, new developments in EANnet
user issues/resolutions.”
Away from GS1 Australia, Elsa is completing her Masters in
eCommerce at at Deakin University. In her spare time, Elsa enjoys
bowling and making jewellery, as well as travelling. She has
extensively travelled New Zealand and most of Western Europe
and is currently planning a trip to the U.S.
Event Diary
The following list outlines the upcoming events leading up to July 2006. Keep an eye out for further event listings in the next edition of the Supply Chain LINK newsletter:
This is the latest information available at Supply Chain LINK’s publication deadline: please visit the GS1 Australia website www.gs1au.org for current details on seminar dates, times and locations.
27
World Meat Congress
• 26th – 29th April Brisbane
CeBit Expo
• 9th – 11th May Sydney
Education & Training Road Shows
• 8th June Brisbane
• 14th & 15th June Sydney
• 20th & 21st June Melbourne
• 22nd June Adelaide
• 27th June Perth
POS Training
• 30th March Melbourne
• 5th April Sydney
Knowledge Series 101, Melbourne, GS1 Australia
Head Office
• EDI 101 April 5th & June 7th
• XML 101 April 12th & June 14th
• Data Capture 101 April 20th & June 21st
• CPFR 101 April 26th & June 28th
Further info: www.gs1au.org/education
EANnet Seminars
• 17th May Melbourne
• 18th May Sydney
Futher info: www.gs1au.org
GS1 Australia Conference, Impetus 2006
• 25th & 26th July Hotel Sofitel, Melbourne
For further information please visit, www.impetus.gs1au.org
or call Rebecca Owen on 1300 366 033
26 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
Bar code verification has
become indispensable to
the success of Australia’s
retail sector.
Last year alone a total of 91,801 bar codes were
tested. This represents an 86.5 per cent increase
in testing volumes in the last 10 years, with just
49,220 bar codes being tested in 1996.
Every year, GS1 Australia members submit
thousands of packaging samples to test bar
code compliance with the ISO 15416 standard.
The verification test ensures the bar code can
be read by a whole range of equipment.
No two bar code scanners are alike, varying
from light pens, to hand-held laser scanners and
CCD scanners. These scanners pass information
to a back-end decoder which interprets it
to unlock the encoded data. Using a precise
measuring instrument, GS1 verification delivers
consistent assessments based on standardised
performance measures.
What began 20 years ago as an education
service for GS1 members has become key to
trouble-free trading for Australian businesses.
Bar code verification is a prerequisite for
product acceptance by major retailers
Metcash, Coles Myer and Woolworths.
Packaging with bar codes that do not meet
these measures is almost certain to lead to
supply chain headaches for trading partners,
according to GS1 Australia’s General Manager
Service Delivery, Richard Jones.
“Thorough testing of bar codes during
packaging development can avoid disaster,” he
said. “Simple, relatively fast and extremely cost
effective, verification is invaluable reassurance
for both originators and receivers of the
product’s trouble-free journey though every
stage of the supply chain.”
91,000 bar codes tested in 2005
Applie-com, the Australian
appliance industry
eCommerce grouping, is set
to take business-to-business
(B2B) eCommerce to new
heights. The group, recently
reformed with high-level
representatives from the
consumer electronic industry,
has announced exciting new
initiatives.
Applie-com was formed in October 2000 to
identify and explore the possibility of a united
industry approach to business to business
eCommerce.
The Applie-com brief was to devise and
implement 25 Message Implementation
Guidelines (MIGs) to extend cost reductions
through efficiency gains. The group would also
document best eBusiness transaction practices
in supply chain management and attempt to
achieve industry consensus on eBusiness and
eCatalogue solutions.
Following a recent meeting of the Applie-com
steering group, two teams have been created
to breathe new life into the organisation and
to deliver better levels of service this year.
An Executive Steering Group (ESG) will focus
on promoting eC ommerce implementation
by member companies as well as deciding
future direction and policies. The ESG will
also deal with broader industry issues
to deliver efficiencies and productivity
throughout the industry.
Former CEO of Whirlpool Mike O’Neill, who
was the chief initiator of Applie-com, has
resigned as chairman of this group and
Graham Day, who has been with Applie-com
from its inception, was elected chairperson of
the group for the next 12 months.
The second team will be the Technical
Working Group (TWG), which will report to the
executive on a quarterly basis. This group will
be chaired by Sue Schmid, General Manager -
Member and Industry Support, of GS1 Australia.
An essential element of this project was the
setting up of a web community to ensure
industry members, particularly rural-based
retail outlets, were informed about delivering
efficiencies across supply chain trading
partners and customers.
Moving forward, the Applie-com technical
working group will review the current
messages implemented by the industry,
determine a procedure for change requests
and develop an approved set of numbering
and bar coding guidelines. It also plans
to look at the use of data synchronisation
and emerging technologies such as radio
frequency identification.
For further information please contact
Sue Schmid sschmid@gs1au.org or
1300 366 033.
Applie-com refocuses
Spotlight on GS1 people, Elsa Lai
As a Professional Services Advisor with
equal ability in analysis and communication,
Elsa provides expert advice to help
members solve their business needs;
assisting with the implementation of
EANnet projects in their organisations.
Elsa has been serving GS1 Australia for almost four years; it was her
first full-time job after completing a university degree.
After initial roles in Quality Systems Support, and EANnet Client
Services, she jumped at the chance to join the Professional Services
team, when it was expanded a year ago.
“Quality Systems provided me with a solid foundation in the
GS1 System and EANnet Client Services equipped me with an
understanding of how to assist clients efficiently and effectively
implement EANnet. Professional Services was the next step and gave
me the opportunity to meet members face to face,” said Elsa.
“I really enjoy being out at a client’s site, meeting new people and
learning how their business works,” said Elsa. “The biggest challenge
is keeping abreast of new standards, new developments in EANnet
user issues/resolutions.”
Away from GS1 Australia, Elsa is completing her Masters in
eCommerce at at Deakin University. In her spare time, Elsa enjoys
bowling and making jewellery, as well as travelling. She has
extensively travelled New Zealand and most of Western Europe
and is currently planning a trip to the U.S.
Event Diary
The following list outlines the upcoming events leading up to July 2006. Keep an eye out for further event listings in the next edition of the Supply Chain LINK newsletter:
This is the latest information available at Supply Chain LINK’s publication deadline: please visit the GS1 Australia website www.gs1au.org for current details on seminar dates, times and locations.
27
World Meat Congress
• 26th – 29th April Brisbane
CeBit Expo
• 9th – 11th May Sydney
Education & Training Road Shows
• 8th June Brisbane
• 14th & 15th June Sydney
• 20th & 21st June Melbourne
• 22nd June Adelaide
• 27th June Perth
POS Training
• 30th March Melbourne
• 5th April Sydney
Knowledge Series 101, Melbourne, GS1 Australia
Head Office
• EDI 101 April 5th & June 7th
• XML 101 April 12th & June 14th
• Data Capture 101 April 20th & June 21st
• CPFR 101 April 26th & June 28th
Further info: www.gs1au.org/education
EANnet Seminars
• 17th May Melbourne
• 18th May Sydney
Futher info: www.gs1au.org
GS1 Australia Conference, Impetus 2006
• 25th & 26th July Hotel Sofitel, Melbourne
For further information please visit, www.impetus.gs1au.org
or call Rebecca Owen on 1300 366 033
26 LINK ISSUE NO.9 March/April 2006
Bar code verification has
become indispensable to
the success of Australia’s
retail sector.
Last year alone a total of 91,801 bar codes were
tested. This represents an 86.5 per cent increase
in testing volumes in the last 10 years, with just
49,220 bar codes being tested in 1996.
Every year, GS1 Australia members submit
thousands of packaging samples to test bar
code compliance with the ISO 15416 standard.
The verification test ensures the bar code can
be read by a whole range of equipment.
No two bar code scanners are alike, varying
from light pens, to hand-held laser scanners and
CCD scanners. These scanners pass information
to a back-end decoder which interprets it
to unlock the encoded data. Using a precise
measuring instrument, GS1 verification delivers
consistent assessments based on standardised
performance measures.
What began 20 years ago as an education
service for GS1 members has become key to
trouble-free trading for Australian businesses.
Bar code verification is a prerequisite for
product acceptance by major retailers
Metcash, Coles Myer and Woolworths.
Packaging with bar codes that do not meet
these measures is almost certain to lead to
supply chain headaches for trading partners,
according to GS1 Australia’s General Manager
Service Delivery, Richard Jones.
“Thorough testing of bar codes during
packaging development can avoid disaster,” he
said. “Simple, relatively fast and extremely cost
effective, verification is invaluable reassurance
for both originators and receivers of the
product’s trouble-free journey though every
stage of the supply chain.”
91,000 bar codes tested in 2005
Applie-com, the Australian
appliance industry
eCommerce grouping, is set
to take business-to-business
(B2B) eCommerce to new
heights. The group, recently
reformed with high-level
representatives from the
consumer electronic industry,
has announced exciting new
initiatives.
Applie-com was formed in October 2000 to
identify and explore the possibility of a united
industry approach to business to business
eCommerce.
The Applie-com brief was to devise and
implement 25 Message Implementation
Guidelines (MIGs) to extend cost reductions
through efficiency gains. The group would also
document best eBusiness transaction practices
in supply chain management and attempt to
achieve industry consensus on eBusiness and
eCatalogue solutions.
Following a recent meeting of the Applie-com
steering group, two teams have been created
to breathe new life into the organisation and
to deliver better levels of service this year.
An Executive Steering Group (ESG) will focus
on promoting eC ommerce implementation
by member companies as well as deciding
future direction and policies. The ESG will
also deal with broader industry issues
to deliver efficiencies and productivity
throughout the industry.
Former CEO of Whirlpool Mike O’Neill, who
was the chief initiator of Applie-com, has
resigned as chairman of this group and
Graham Day, who has been with Applie-com
from its inception, was elected chairperson of
the group for the next 12 months.
The second team will be the Technical
Working Group (TWG), which will report to the
executive on a quarterly basis. This group will
be chaired by Sue Schmid, General Manager -
Member and Industry Support, of GS1 Australia.
An essential element of this project was the
setting up of a web community to ensure
industry members, particularly rural-based
retail outlets, were informed about delivering
efficiencies across supply chain trading
partners and customers.
Moving forward, the Applie-com technical
working group will review the current
messages implemented by the industry,
determine a procedure for change requests
and develop an approved set of numbering
and bar coding guidelines. It also plans
to look at the use of data synchronisation
and emerging technologies such as radio
frequency identification.
For further information please contact
Sue Schmid sschmid@gs1au.org or
1300 366 033.
Applie-com refocuses
MELBOURNEJULY 25-26SOFITEL HOTEL
DISCOVER LEARN CONNECTDISCOVER HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN PRACTICES. GS1 WILL HELP YOU LEARN AND IMPLEMENT SAVINGS. CONNECT WITH GS1 AT IMPETUS 2006 FOR A SMARTER SUPPLY CHAIN.
Gold Sponsors: To pre-register, visit
www.impetus.gs1au.org
or call Rebecca Owen on
03 9550 3415.
At Impetus 2006 you will hear from experts
from around the globe, hear local case studies,
and see live demonstrations when you visit the
Expo. You will walk away armed with the best
supply chain tools of the trade.
Imagine that!Impetus 2006 off ers your business:
• Assistance to achieve an effi cient, compliant,
cost eff ective supply chain
• The latest developments in supply
chain technology including RFID &
Data Synchronisation
• Real case studies: SME’s in the supply
chain - small companies doing big things
• Panel experts discuss the most pressing
supply chain issues
• An expo featuring supply chain enabling
solutions from over 25 GS1 Alliance Partners
Sydney Offi ce
Lakes Business Park
Building 4B, 2-4 Lord St
Botany NSW 2019
Locked Bag 7002
Botany DC NSW 2019
T +61 2 9700 0933
F +61 2 9700 0820
Head Offi ce
Axxess Corporate Park
Unit 100/45 Gilby Rd
Mt Waverley VIC 3149
Locked bag 10
Oakleigh VIC 3166
T +61 3 9558 9559
F +61 3 9558 9551
(Formerly EAN Australia)
National Number: 1300 366 033
ABN: 67 005 529 920
www.gs1au.org
Platinum Sponsor: