THE SUPPLY CHAIN MAGAZINE • ISSUE 21 • AUTUMN 09

GS1 AUSTRALIA SERVICES GROUPPROFESSIONAL + INDEPENDENT + FOCUSED

GS1 Australia backs bushfire appeal

University offers GS1 training for masters degrees

GS1 XML v2.5 released

THE SUPPLY CHAIN MAGAZINE • ISSUE 21 • AUTUMN 09

GS1 AUSTRALIA SERVICES GROUPPROFESSIONAL + INDEPENDENT + FOCUSED

GS1 Australia backs bushfire appeal

University offers GS1 training for masters degrees

GS1 XML v2.5 released

Features06 GS1 Australia Services Group raises the bar

During 2008 gS1 AuStrAliA reorgAniSeD itS inDuStry mAnAgement AnD ServiceS Delivery teAmS to be more reSponSive to memberS’ neeDS. in the Summer eDition oF LiNK we FocuSeD on our inDuStry mAnAgement teAm AnD in thiS iSSue we highlight the new ApproAch the ServiceS group iS tAking.

21 Liquor sector turns to GS1net to read market

the liquor merchAntS ASSociAtion oF AuStrAliA (lmAA) hAS become A regiStereD DAtA recipient on gS1net For the purpoSeS oF the inDuStry mArket reAD (imr) tool.

Starters03 Welcomechairman’s message

ceo insights

04 Quickscanhot Dates

turnover Declaration

vox pop

this issue06 GS1 ServicesgS1 Australia’s Services group raises the bar

perfectly poi$ed to help in a downturn

going “upstream” to train the trainers

testing services save time, money and costly mistakes

images, images everywhere…

knowledge centres fight the “grey wave”

Fine tuning for a better service

implementing b2b communities – An end to the headaches !

15 Global NewsSpanish unveil intelligent shopping trolley

Dutch choose gS1 Standards for bar coding

16 Healthcarehealthcare seminars keep members informed

get on board npc, companies tell suppliers

it companies get healthcare snapshot

wA health, baxter live with nehtA strategies

CONTRIBUTORSeDitor mary riekertproject mAnAger matthew timoshanko ADvertiSing AnD proDuction matthew timoshankoDeSign vetro Designprinting rA printing

GS1 AUSTRAlIA heAD oFFice Axxess corporate park 100/45 gilby road mount waverley vic 3149

SydNey OffICe lakes business park building 4b, 2–4 lord Street botany nSw 2019

national number: 1300 366 033 international number: +61 3 9558 9559 Fax: +61 3 9558 9551general email: gs1aust@gs1au.orgLiNK email: editor@gs1au.orgwww.gs1au.org

18 Year in Reviewreport highlights a year of achievements

19 Bushfire AppealgS1 gets behind bushfire Appeal

20 Local News90% meating the gS1 Standards

liquor sector turns to gS1net to read market

22 Tech HeadgS1 hears retailers on gS1 Databar

gS1 Xml v2.5 released

AcmA’s 4 watt ruling a win for epc/rFiD

24 Get Smartmasters students to get gS1 Australia certification

25Guisi NewsFocus moves upstream with guSi launch

Alliance partners 26

markem-imaje enhances SmartDate® 5 thermal transfer coder

new South wales Department of health deploys Sterling commerce eprocurement solution

integrating rFiD: the key issues

Delivering management priorities for the supply chain

gS1 Australia is the only organisation authorised by gS1 global to allocate and administer gS1 bar code numbers in Australia. gS1 Australia adds value to its members’ businesses by promoting and developing the adoption of cross-sector, global supply chain standards. gS1 Australia delivers supply chain solutions and services for bar coding, electronic business messaging, global data synchronisation and radio Frequency identification technology (rFiD).

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CONTENTS

CHAiRmAN’S meSSAGe

Delivering value during tough timeswe live in a world that is changing faster than we anticipated in every way. there is no doubt that 2009 is shaping up as a very difficult year economically for Australia even though our economy is faring better than many of our overseas counterparts.

At gS1 Australia we understand that many of our members are being buffeted by the global economic downturn and the worsening economic climate, whether they are a large corporation or a small family-owned business. it is at times like this that we need to ensure the work we do for our members delivers real value. to this end we are working hard to reduce the “cost of doing business” right across the organisation.

the restructured teams we have in place are re-evaluating the work they are doing and the services they offer to ensure they remain relevant to members’ needs. we have harnessed the power of the internet to ensure our members are kept up to date with regular enewsletters, such as the gS1net update, and to get feedback on how we are doing. we have launched a new website to make it quick and easy for businesses to obtain a bar code number online and we continue to explore ways to improve our customer service.

the future is full of opportunities and we want gS1 Australia to be in a strong position to make the most of these for our members, once we are through these challenging times..

welcome to LiNK magazine Autumn 2009 edition

CeO iNSiGHTS

GS1 Australia message of condolenceAs this edition of LiNK magazine goes to press, victoria has come through a fire season that killed more than 200 people, razed some 2,000 homes and destroyed 450,000 hectares (1.1 million acres) of land. gS1 Australia extends its deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones, their homes and their livelihoods as well as to those injured in the fires – our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

every Australian has been touched by this tragedy in some way and the tremendous response by our nation has been an inspiration to the rest of the world. the donation of money, goods and services has been overwhelming as has the volunteer support and i am proud that our gS1 employees rallied to the cause so promptly and so generously, raising funds for the bushfire relief Fund. (See page 19). gS1 Australia has been able to contribute to boost our donation and further fund-raising activities are being planned in both our Sydney and melbourne offices.

overseas, our gS1 member organisations reacted to the terrible news with concern and messages of condolence and sympathy reached our offices within hours. it is wonderful at such a sad time to know that our friends around the world are thinking of us.

All of us at gS1 Australia would like to pay a special tribute to the brave cFA volunteers and the emergency services workers who were in the frontline, risking their own lives to save others.

in these difficult times gS1 Australia is ready to be of service to our members. in this issue we highlight the restructured gS1 Australia Services group and how we have re-evaluated and reorganised our service offering in response to our members’ needs. our team has energy, talent and fresh ideas and as 2009 unfolds, they will be working with you, our members, to ensure the gS1 System is working for you.

russEll stucki

chairman gs1

australia

maria palazzolo

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WELCOME

Don’t forget your turnover declaration

GS1 Australia’s move to a turnover model last financial year has proved successful. Over 85 per cent of members now have a turnover recorded in the GS1 Australia administration system.

As a result the fee model was able to be adjusted to have a lower entry level for small companies.

gS1 Australia is appealing to all members to continue to submit their membership turnover Declaration form as soon as possible, or when they significantly alter their revenue year to year.

peter chambers, general manager – customer Services, said members who submitted their turnover details in good time would be charged the appropriate membership fee for the new financial year. non declaration of turnover may result in members being charged more than the fee commensurate with their company turnover and a subsequent administration fee to rectify.

the form can be downloaded from the gS1 Australia website at www.gs1au.org/assets/documents/info/gs1_mship_turnover.pdf

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QUICKSCAN

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S ThE FOLLOwING DATES OUTLINE ThE EVENTS LEADING UP TO wINTER 2009.

keep an eye out for further listings in the next edition of LiNK, or visit the gS1 Australia events website at www.gs1au.org/events for current details on seminar dates, times and locations.

April 2009

01 GS1 Webinar – “how do i improve visibility on my supply chain using the gS1 System?”

07 Knowledge Series 101 – An introduction to emessaging and the eAncom standards – Sydney

15 GS1 Webinar – “how do i get started with the gS1 System?”

may 2009

05 Knowledge Series 101 – An introduction to gS1 Databar – melbourne

06 GS1 Webinar – “how do i improve visibility on my supply chain using the gS1 System?”

13 GS1 Webinar – “how do i get started with the gS1 System?”

19 Classroom Training – “An introduction to gS1 numbers and bar codes” – Sydney

21 Classroom Training – “An introduction to gS1 numbers and bar codes” – brisbane

27 GS1 Webinar – “how do i get started with the gS1 System?”

28 Classroom Training – “An introduction to gS1 numbers and bar codes” – melbourne

June 2009

03 GS1 Webinar – “how do i improve visibility on my supply chain using the gS1 System?”

16 Knowledge Series 101 – An introduction to emessaging and the gS1 Xml standards – melbourne

17 GS1 Webinar – “how do i get started with the gS1 System?”

23 Knowledge Series 101 – An introduction to emessaging and the gS1 Xml standards – Sydney

http://www.gs1au.org

ANNA GAme-lOpATAeDitor Logistics Magazine and Packaging Magazinewww.logisticsmagazine.com.au

1. emissions reduction, etS-measuring carbon footprint, carbon trading and finding ways to reduce environmental impact will remain the top talking points for 2009 in the transport and logistics industry.

2. globalisation: coming to terms with the downturn and changes to the “length” and composition of the supply chain given the location of manufacturing and the need for on-time, on-budget delivery remain high on the agenda, especially as some organisations might choose local manufacturing as a means to reduce carbon footprint.

3. risk management: globalisation, regional tensions, national disasters and increased counterfeit (or maybe better technology makes us more aware of it?) are putting pressure on companies to improve visibility and decrease risks to the supply chain.

4. managing costs in a balanced way to optimise inventory management, efficiency and customer service; in other words how to cut costs without compromising customer service (throwing the baby out with the bathwater).

5. procurement: optimising outsourcing contracts/supplier relationships and partnerships, contract management and transforming the procurement function to make it centralised and/or strategic rather than reactionary, i.e. raising the function above a “back-office admin” function will gain traction in the supply chain as absolutely key to efficiency and cost management.

JASON WhITTAKeRmAnAging eDitorSupplyChain Reviewwww.chainmail.com.au

1. cost reduction: the business operating environment is exceedingly tight and supply chain departments will be told to do their part. cost control and leaner operating systems will be more important than ever.

2. emission reduction: the move to measure and cut emissions up and down supply chains will intensify, particularly as business prepares for the introduction of carbon trading.

3. procurement policy: Does sourcing from overseas still make sense when you factor in the carbon miles? business will be forced to re-examine this.

4. recruitment: the skills shortage may ease due to the economic conditions, but that will only make it more important to get the beSt people in the right positions.

5. Aid cooperation: the corporate social responsibility movement is gathering steam, and the skills of logisticians are, suddenly and unfortunately, in demand as flood and fire grip the nation.

CHARLeS PAuLkAeDitorMHD Magazine and Transport & Logisticswww.tandlnews.com.au

1. consolidation: Some of the big players will get even bigger and swallow other big and medium enterprises that have overstretched themselves in the good times. of the smaller players, only those with agility and unique points of difference will survive.

2. productivity: Automation and “smart” software will play a large part as companies seek to cut expenses to the bone, leading to retrenchments and higher workloads for remaining workers.

3. cooperation: “coopetition” and mutually beneficial strategic relationships will become even more important as companies struggle for survival.

4. just-in-time to be reviewed: As part of the cost-saving drive, companies will re-evaluate their supply chain management practices and review the cost of transport vs. inventory holding.

5. rationalisation: retailers will cut the number of brands they carry in each category, and the range within the remaining brands, while expanding their own label product ranges.

VOX POP…SUPPLy ChAIN IS ThEIR bUSINESS bUT AS jOURNALISTS ThEy ARE INDEPENDENT ObSERVERS. wE ASkED ThREE EDITORS OF AUSTRALIA’S LEADING SUPPLy ChAIN AND LOGISTICS MAGAzINES whAT ThEy SEE AS ThE TOP five SUPPLy ChAIN TRENDS IN 2009.

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Camille Dreyfusseducation and Training integrator

A parisienne at heart, camille has been with gS1 Australia since 2007 and has been instrumental in transforming and upgrading gS1 Australia’s education and training services both for members and for staff. She also lectures in supply chain management and the gS1 Standards at Australian universities.

cert iv qualified in training and Assessment, camille has built a range of key learning techniques into the gS1 Australia training courses and attendees love her delivery of technical information combined with humour and fun.

prior to joining gS1 Australia camille spent four years at gS1 France working in industry management with a focus on traceability. She has a wealth of european industry experience having worked in quality departments in the French sugar industry. She has a masters Degree in Structural biochemistry and is a qualified ingénieur agroalimentaire, France’s highest qualification in food technology.

She has made the most of her time Down under by traveling throughout Australia and the pacific and has made several trips back home to paris.

John HearnGeneral manager, GS1 Australia Services Group

heading the gS1 Australia Services group since october 2008, john is tasked with making services more responsive to members’ needs.

having worked in nearly all the roles his teams now deliver during his 12 years with gS1 Australia, john is ideally placed to manage this newly formed group.

john joined gS1 Australia as an advisor in the member & industry Support team. he was given responsibility for the operation and development of gS1 Australia’s Data Synchronisation platform, eAnnet in early 1999 and in 2000 was appointed chair of the eAnnet v2.0 grocery industry pilot group, which led the successful piloting and 2001 launch of eAnnet v2.0.

From 2002 to 2006, john was responsible for the development of the professional Services team at gS1 Australia and managed the business Development function, growing the adoption of gS1 Australia’s services. he was then appointed general manager – member & industry Support, for managing the member Support team (help desk), the industry Services team and the corporate Account management program.

john is excited about a number of initiatives already under way, including the simplification of gS1net, the roll-out of the mobile bar code testing service, the new data quality services within the testing services department, a range of new training programs and the development of new consulting and implementation services focused on traceability and supply chain efficiency.

john enjoys spending time with his wife and two children and in his spare time is kept busy maintaining his recently acquired one acre of garden.

During 2008 GS1 Australia reorganised its industry management and services delivery teams to be more responsive to members’ needs. in the summer edition of LiNK we focused on our industry management team and in this issue we highlight the new approach the Services Group is taking.

GS1 Australia Services Group is made up of four teams each responsible for professional service offerings developed for GS1 Australia members.

¤ Training Services provide classroom, workshop and web-based training courses and manage the GS1 Supply Chain knowledge Centres in Sydney and Melbourne

¤ Testing Services deliver GS1 Australia’s barcode Testing Services, barcode Accreditation Program and manage the GS1 Imaging Service

¤ GS1net is GS1 Australia’s data synchronisation and electronic catalogue service for Australia and New zealand

¤ Professional Services has a team of expert project managers and advisors to assist GS1 members with supply chain implementation

GS1 AuStrALiA ServiCeS Group rAiSeS tHe bAr

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paul HackettSupply Chain knowledge Centre Development manager

paul has primary responsibility for the gS1 Australia Supply chain knowledge centres in Sydney and melbourne, and has enhanced their capability with new programs. the centres are used to demonstrate a live supply chain environment with full use of the gS1 System and paul delivers much of the training in the melbourne centre.

he has been at gS1 Australia for more than five years and brings a wealth of hands-on industry experience to his role. prior to joining gS1 Australia he spent 31 years with coles myer working in almost every area of retailing, store management, it, building, construction and maintenance, strategic planning and accounting and logistics. the last eight years he spent at coles myer he was general manager of ecommerce.

like camille, paul is cert iv qualified in training and Assessment and his enhancements to the Supply chain knowledge centre reflect the practical learnings achieved from his time at coles myer.

in his spare time he plays grade tennis and is president of his local tennis club. he also enjoys long-distance running.

John Lane Testing Services manager

john started with gS1 Australia in 1996 and is charged with managing the bar code testing teams in melbourne and Sydney as well as the Accreditation program. During this time, john has overseen the testing of more than a million bar codes. widely respected within industry for his detailed technical and practical knowledge and advice, there isn’t a bar code issue that john hasn’t seen or helped resolve in his years at gS1 Australia.

prior to joining gS1 Australia john was Assistant production manager with a manufacturing company specialising in cable harnesses and 1.6/5.6 rF connectors. he began his working career as an electrician in 1976 and brings a solid knowledge of the world of industry to his role.

when work permits john enjoys the Sydney surf and spending time with his family. he is also a keen bushwalker and is partial to a cold beer.

Justin MiddletonGS1net Technical manager

justin has been with gS1 Australia for five and a half years and has seen eAnnet develop into gS1net. he had a pivotal role in the migration from eAnnet to gS1net and has now moved into a technical management role within the gS1net team. justin’s technical team is responsible for supporting data recipients to adopt gS1net, managing the development and operation of the gS1net validator

tool and the delivery of the gS1net certified product program. At gS1 justin’s technical expertise is considered second to none.

married to an Aussie, justin has lived in Australia for six years. prior to this he spent five years working for pepsi in the uk in a supply chain role. he also gained technical experience in supply chain emessaging during the dot com boom.

he enjoys spending time with his son, going to the gym and trying to see as much of Australia as possible.

Sean Sloan GS1net Operations manager

Sean is responsible for overseeing the gS1net client Services team and the overall administration of gS1net. client Services’ primary role is to help suppliers achieve “gS1net ready” status and to provide gS1net help Desk support.

Sean has been with gS1 Australia for two years and, before taking on his latest role, was a member of the industry management team.

prior to this he was Supply chain transformation manager at coles group where he had a 20-year career. he managed the supplier uptake of gS1net (previously eAnnet) at coles Supermarkets as well as other ecommerce projects. having spent seven years at coles group head office and another 13 years in stores, he has a sound knowledge of retailing, from both an operational and a systems perspective.

Sean plays golf and squash and enjoys being with his two children.

Sunita Kewada Professional Services manager

Sunita has headed the “implementation arm” of gS1 Australia since 2004 when she arrived in Australia from Zimbabwe. with primary responsibility for strategy and implementation consultancy services, Sunita manages a team of nine expert project managers and advisors in Sydney and melbourne.

before emigrating to Australia she worked as a management consultant for price waterhouse coopers in harare and then ran her own management consulting business.

outside of work hours Sunita’s young daughter keeps her busy but she enjoys keeping fit and socialising with friends.

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gS1 professional Services is the implementation arm of gS1 Australia and, as part of a not-for-profit industry organisation, it works on a cost-recovery basis.

the team of nine advisors has practical first-hand industry implementation experience in more than 13 industry sectors and can offer expert guidance and advice to ensure supply chain goals are achieved without costly mistakes along the way. they represent a wealth of knowledge gained over 25 years or more of working with Australian businesses to improve their bottom line.

because gS1 Australia is neutral and independent, they can offer impartial strategy and implementation advice to ensure members implement solutions that work for all trading partners.

“we offer a full service, starting with a review and analysis of your supply chain to building a business case for implementation of the gS1 System and establishing quantifiable business benefits this can deliver,” professional Services manager Sunita kewada said.

“we have made our methodology flexible to adapt it to different types and sizes of business and can offer high-level assistance, such as proof-of-concept development, or assist with the details of an implementation, whether it be project managing the various implementation tasks, right down to the detailed level of designing and mapping business processes, eDi messages, data extracts for

synchronisation or even bar code labels,” she said.

the gS1 professional Services team has a range of implementation offerings to help members introduce data synchronisation using gS1net, implement bar code scanning techniques, pilot rFiD/epc initiatives or start trading using emessaging (eDi / Xml). “while we have a range of standard offerings” said Sunita, “we also offer highly customised project offerings to help our members implement the gS1 Standards”.

gS1 Australia professional Services also works closely with many of the 80 gS1 Australia Alliance partners, companies offering solutions in software, hardware, emessaging and consulting. by opting to use gS1 Australia professional Services, the competitive pressure many businesses face when dealing with multiple vendors is minimised and they can be sure that only gS1-compliant solutions will be recommended.

“members wanting to implement supply chain solutions are looking for maximum value and this is especially so during an economic slowdown. with a focus on delivering overall value to members looking for cost-effective ways to increase productivity and business efficiency, gS1 professional Services represent excellent value,” Sunita said.

GS1 AuSTRALiA’S memBeRS HAve ACCeSS TO AN exCePTiONAL BuSiNeSS ReSOuRCe, eSPeCiALLY THOSe LOOkiNG fOR AN eDGe DuRiNG A DOWN-TuRN iN THe eCONOmY.

WHiLe SOme BuSiNeSSeS ARe DeALiNG WiTH ReDuNDANCieS AND DiSmAL BALANCe SHeeTS, OTHeRS See THiS SLOWDOWN AS AN OPPORTuNiTY TO PuT iN PLACe BuSiNeSS PROCeSSeS AND SOLuTiONS THAT WiLL Give THem A COmPeTiTive ADvANTAGe ONCe THe eCONOmY GeTS GOiNG AGAiN.

gS1 Australia’s members seeking to improve internal business processes and automate their interaction with trading partners through the use of item identification, bar coding, emessaging and data synchronisation standards and those seeking to comply with trading partner requirements, can take advantage of the expert project management, guidance and advice available from the gS1 professional Services team at reduced cost compared to using major consulting firms.

“in these tough economic times, a focus on reducing paperwork, removing unnecessary processes and costs, and implementing more efficient, accurate and timely business transactions can really help improve a company’s bottom line, and that is what implementing the gS1 Standards is all about” said john hearn, general manager gS1 Australia Services group.

Perfectly Poi$ed to helP in a downturn

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peRhApS TAKING A leAf OUT GS1 AUSTRAlIA’S GlOBAl UpSTReAm SUpply INITIATIve (GUSI) pROJeCT, edUCATION ANd TRAINING INTeGRATOR CAmIlle dReyfUSS hAS mOved UpSTReAm IN The edUCATION SUpply ChAIN – TheSe dAyS She IS AlSO TRAINING The TRAINeRS.

Since joining gS1 Australia from gS1 France in 2007, camille has been involved in making gS1 Australia training and education more comprehensive and more readily accessible to members, employees and students. As well as training the trainers, gS1 Australia offers a range of education options and training sessions direct to members and potential members, allowing them to obtain the supply chain education they need 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

members can choose from four options:

¤ traditional face-to-face classroom training sessions run throughout the day to give new and existing members a better insight and understanding of the gS1 System.

¤ online courses for those members who find it difficult to travel to a classroom. An online training tool, gS1 leArn allows members to take a series of courses on essential supply chain concepts and to study anywhere and at their own pace.

¤ webinars, gS1 Australia’s web-interactive training, a multimedia presentation connecting participants with a gS1 expert live via a telephone conference call, while following a presentation on the web page.

¤ knowledge Series 101 which offers a classroom-based format to deliver a deeper understanding on some of the specific gS1 Standards supporting electronic messaging, radio-frequency identification and other technologies.

cert iv qualified in training and Assessment, camille has designed gS1 Australia’s range of training programs to cover a range of learning techniques, injecting her own sense of laughter and fun along the way to keep the audiences entertained while learning at the same time.

camille is also currently running a series of staff-training sessions based around a radio station concept. Dubbed gS1 Fm – your learning Frequency, the program involves gS1 Australia employees in interactive sessions to update their knowledge on the gS1 Standards as well as the work being done by their colleagues. “we want everyone who works at gS1 Australia to have the necessary knowledge to be able to assist members,” camille said.

Students, as the supply chain professionals of the future, are also a key focus of the education team, and working with the program run in the Supply chain knowledge centres, camille runs two to three training sessions for tertiary students every month.

while the students have responded enthusiastically, camille could see a gap in the education strategy: who is training the students’ trainers?

“At university or tAFe the lecturers set the foundation and create lasting impressions on students, ensuring that they have the necessary skills set to succeed as supply chain professionals.

“we needed to make sure that the lecturers had the most up-to-date information on the gS1 System and really understood the gS1

Standards for numbering, bar coding and emessaging,” she said. “then they are in the best position to pass on this information to their students.”

commenting on the program Dr john hopkins, lecturer in logistics at the Faculty of business and law, victoria university, said:

“i am currently developing a new vu undergraduate course which focuses on the key technologies in use in today’s supply chains, and i found the gS1 Facilitators’ course packed full of useful information and material that will be invaluable to the course development.

“the knowledge gained will enable me to confidently relate to the students the importance of global standards for technologies such as bar codes and rFiD. i also found the knowledge centre to be an excellent facility for simulating supply chain behaviour in a hands-on, fun, interactive environment,” he said.

to date camille has trained 10 lecturers from victoria university, queensland university of technology, wollongong university, Swinburne university and the university of melbourne. She plans to continue the rollout of the program inviting participants from the university of western Sydney, monash university and chisholm tAFe – and that’s just for starters!

GoinG “upstream” to train the trainers

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in the lASt FinAnciAl yeAr Some 95,000 proDuctS were teSteD by gS1 AuStrAliA’S bAr coDe teSting Service in SyDney AnD melbourne to enSure they woulD ScAn correctly either At point oF SAle or in wArehouSe or non-retAil environmentS.

john lane, manager – testing Services, gS1 Australia, said by using the testing service manufacturers and suppliers saved time and money and could build better relationships with their trading partners.

“the major retailers are increasingly intolerant of products that cause scanning errors. woolworths, metcash and coles have all made it a mandatory requirement for all items to obtain a successful gS1 bar code test report from our testing service before they will accept them. more recently bunnings has also required all new products it accepts for sale to have a successful gS1 Australia bar code test report.

“bar codes that don't scan properly can prove very expensive if the manufacturer has to have packaging redesigned and reprinted and items repackaged. once members have obtained a bar code number they should visit the gS1 Australia website for information on bar code testing, a checklist on how to get the best out of the testing service and a testing request form,” he said.

Due to the risk of deterioration in the quality of bar codes across subsequent print runs, suppliers should have their products tested every year to ensure they are compliant with retailers’ requirements, he added.

gS1 Australia members receive 10 free bar code test reports each financial year, with additional reports charged at $25 per item (+ gSt). gS1 Australia Single number members receive one free bar code test report per financial year, with additional reports charged at $25 per item (+ gSt) and non members are charged a flat fee of $80 per bar code test report (+ gSt).

For more information on bar code testing visit http://www.gs1au.org/services/barcode_testing/

From vAcuum-pAckeD cAbbAgeS to tubeS oF lip-gloSS, gS1 AuStrAliA’S imAging Service photogrAphS thouSAnDS oF proDuctS every yeAr.

when presenting a new product to gS1 Australia for bar code testing, or by specific request, members are able to make use of gS1 Australia’s product imaging service, as well as product measurement and recording in gS1's data pool, gS1net.

with industry agreement, standard image specifications have been designed to assist retailers in shelf-space management, as well as online product presentations. they can also be used for other purposes such as electronic cataloguing. gS1 Australia captures product images digitally, using views from a variety of orientations to match industry space-management specifications. the images are stored on gS1net and additionally transmitted to clients via email or on cD-rom depending on the size of the files. members who have registered for access to gS1net can source their product images from the online catalogue, but also download any of the thousands of other online images of “publicly available” products on gS1net .

gS1 Australia members are charged $20 per gtin for imaging and non members pay $50 per gtin. up to four orientations (images) are taken for each gtin depending on the nature of the product.

imaging technician and designer Francisco gerente says he has faced some challenges, especially when photographing reflective foil packaging or dealing with leaking jars of herrings. “over the many years of imaging i have seen all types of products, from children’s toys, to packaged antipasto, beauty products and even boxes of lawn seed,” he said.

product measurements adhere to the measuring guidelines developed by the Food marketing institute/grocery manufacturers of America measurement sub-committee.

correct measurements cannot be taken if the packaging is not complete, if it is damaged, or if the absence of contents in any way alters the product's actual dimensions.

when sending products in to gS1 Australia suppliers should submit products as they would appear on the shelf so accurate product dimensions can be recorded.

Digital imaging specifications are available from the gS1 Australia website at http://www.gs1au.org/membership/digital_imaging.asp

IMAGES, IMAGESEVERy-WHERE…

TeSTiNG SeRviCeS SAve Time, mONeY AND COSTLY miSTAkeS

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business management boffins have forecast we are about to see an unprecedented brain drain when the baby boomer generation heads into retirement and have dubbed this phenomenon the “grey wave”. paul estimates that up to 60 per cent of Australia’s supply chain managers will be of retiring age in the next eight to 10 years and he is on a mission to make sure the next generation is there to step into their shoes.

gS1 Australia’s supply chain knowledge centres in Sydney and melbourne were created as a showcase for the demonstration of the latest in supply chain theory and practice and to be able to demonstrate the full system of gS1 Standards in the context of the entire supply chain. “we wanted to present a vision of what going beyond customer compliance could look like and to show what supply chain integration and collaboration are, and how to achieve them,” paul said.

last financial year 2,643 visitors attended the two centres and at the time of going to press some 1,813 had visited this financial year and paul was expecting to host more than 3,000 people by the end of june this year. while industry groups, members, Alliance partners and gS1 staff make up part of this group, some 52 per cent are students.

paul explained that gS1 Australia had a three-tier education strategy in the two centres. “we work with members who haven’t used any of the gS1 System other than obtaining a bar code and we show them how they can use all parts of the gS1 System in their business.

“Secondly, we work with companies that have implemented parts of the gS1 System but could increase their efficiencies through wider application. our third tier is working with the supply chain professionals of tomorrow to educate them about who gS1 Australia is, what we do and why the use of the gS1 Standards is important,” he said.

“we see it as being of real value to our membership as we are

developing their supply chain and logistics employees of the future.”

now paul has developed a fourth tier to this education strategy – teaching supply chain and logistics to students in years 10, 11 and 12 in a range of schools across victoria and new South wales. this has required a whole new approach and paul has introduced a program of interactive games and lessons to teach concepts such as supply chain, which can be difficult to grasp.

he also leads discussions on the wide range of career options available from strategic sourcing and category management to procurement and business analysis. he also sees the need to battle the perception that a career in logistics is not prestigious. “this seems to be prevalent among students’ parents who often direct them in their career choices. gS1 Australia would like to become more involved with career days at universities and tAFes to change this perception,” paul said.

The “GRey WAve” IS SOmeThING GS1 AUSTRAlIA’S SUpply ChAIN KNOWledGe CeNTRe develOpmeNT mANAGeR pAUl hACKeTT hAS BeeN dOING A lOT Of ThINKING ABOUT lATely.

KnowleDge centres fight the

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Sharing accurate datagS1net™ is gS1 Australia’s data synchronisation service for Australia and new Zealand. in simple terms it is a database of product specifications maintained by gS1 Australia on behalf of its members who are retailers and manufacturers or suppliers.

Suppliers need to share product information with retailers to ensure that the supply chain operates effectively and that their products reach consumers. retailers require product information from their suppliers to drive many areas of their business, for instance, new product introductions, warehousing, distribution and in-store systems.

in the past this sharing of information has been done largely in a manual way, through emails, faxes and telephone calls. however, this can be costly, error prone and inefficient.

by using gS1net suppliers and retailers can easily share information with their trading partners both in Australia and around the world. to make sure everyone is speaking the same “language”, information in the gS1net data pool is based on global standards.

gS1 Australia led the way globally in developing such data pools with the inception of eAnnet v2 in 2001. eAnnet developed into gS1net to meet the requirements of the global Data Synchronisation network (gDSn). this allows accurate data to be shared securely around the world between suppliers, wholesalers, retailers and other data recipients through a global registry.

today gS1net has more than 1,400 gS1net registered users across Australasia in industries that range from grocery and liquor to healthcare and hardware.

Challengeswhile the migration from eAnnet to the gS1net service brought benefits, feedback from members alerted gS1 Australia to the fact that it had also added some complexity and challenges for gS1net users. to address these issues gS1 Australia is putting into action a range of initiatives to make the service more user-friendly.

john hearn, general manager – gS1 Australia Services group, who will oversee this project, has had extensive experience in building and operating eAnnet over the last 10 years. he is supported by Sean Sloan, gS1net operations manager,

Following FeeDbAck From memberS uSing the gS1net DAtA SynchroniSAtion Service, gS1 AuStrAliA hAS put into Action A rAnge oF initiAtiveS to mAke gS1net eASier to uSe AnD more AcceSSible.

Fine tuning Fora better service

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who managed the supplier uptake of gS1net at coles Supermarkets prior to joining gS1 Australia two years ago, and justin middleton, gS1net technical manager, an expert gS1net resource with whom many gS1net users liaise frequently. the project will be backed by gS1 Australia’s professional Services, Data pool Systems and client Services teams.

As a first step the gS1net team has introduced a regular email communication “essential updates” to communicate important information and developments with all gS1net users.

the gS1net improvements currently being designed or implemented are:

¤ Reduced data Requirements both metcash and coles group have reviewed their implementations of gS1net, and agreed to reduce their data requirements by more than 50 per cent of the fields. this will be of significant benefit to all suppliers trading with coles or metcash.

¤ hiding Unused fields Any fields not being used at all by any sectors or data recipients will now be hidden from the screens to reduce the size and scale of data screens.

¤ pricing management the online pricing screens will be significantly enhanced to provide more enriched information and allow for more comprehensive price management. this initiative will reduce confusion and the number of navigations for suppliers and data recipients when using the online interface to check their pricing data.

¤ Auto Item publishing the concept of publishing item hierarchies will be simplified to introduce logic that checks if prices have been quoted for a trading partner and then ensuring this data is automatically published. this will remove the problems associated with successfully loading your data, but forgetting to publish the items.

¤ multiple Open prices Data recipients have identified the occurrence of multiple open prices as a major issue, so system logic will be implemented to ensure that suppliers first end date their existing prices before submitting new pricing data. this will significantly reduce integration issues and data recipient support requirements.

¤ Automating fields where possible any fields that can be calculated or automated based on other inputted information will be programmed to be sent outbound to data recipients without the need for suppliers to maintain or supply these fields of information. this will simplify the catalogue item maintenance process for suppliers.

¤ Improved Browser User Template A range of improvements are being made to the browser user template (excel template) to make it easier to use by hiding fields or defaulting values based on user configurable information. gS1 Australia will also be investigating a second phase of enhancements to the browser template to further enhance it’s useability.

¤ Training A range of new webinar training sessions will have been launched with different training sessions being held weekly. these sessions will complement the existing classroom or project-specific training options offered by our professional Services team.

¤ documentation A comprehensive user “cookbook” is being developed to consolidate much of the existing user documentation, facts sheets, definitions, examples, learnings and additional guidelines of use. this easy-to-read, yet comprehensive tool will be launched in early may 2009.

For more information about gS1net and how using it can benefit your business, contact Sean Sloan, gS1net operations manager, on 1300 366 033 or via email sean.sloan@gs1au.org

Fine tuning Fora better service

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Are you A retAiler, wholeSAler or Another orgAniSAtion thAt hAS been trying to roll out new b2b emeSSAging with A group oF SupplierS, but eAch inDiviDuAl implementAtion iS tAking SigniFicAnt reSourcing AnD getting you boggeD Down in teSting, mApping iSSueS AnD problem DiAgnoSiS? well gS1 AuStrAliA hAS A Solution … the community mAnAgement tool (cmt).

the cmt offers the ability for retailers, wholesalers or any organisation seeking to implement emessaging with a trading community to load the cmt with their eDi or Xml messaging standards. Suppliers can then log in and download sample files, specific to the supplier, such as purchase orders or remittance Advices to use in their implementation testing.

Suppliers can then send back to the cmt test emessages such as purchase order Acknowledgements or Dispatch Advices (ASns) providing an online diagnosis as to whether they have structured their emessaging correctly.

the cmt service is web based and accessible via the gS1 Australia website at www.gs1au.org and allows each partner to conduct testing and validation of test messages independent of the other partners.

A significant benefit of an online solution for testing is that it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year allowing members total flexibility.

the site incorporates trading document descriptions for each community and the ability for each major trading partner to include within the library of message implementation guidelines (migs) its own specific trading messages should this be a requirement. it includes traditional-based electronic Data interchange (eDi) syntax (e.g. un/eDiFAct) as well as Xml syntax or gS1 Xml.

Another key feature of the community management tool is that each supplier’s milestone steps are tracked, allowing the trading hub visibility of the progress of their community and allocating resources for live implementation based on the volume of suppliers successfully progressing through the implementation steps.

upon completion of testing and validation a trading partner (supplier) is certified as an electronic trading partner via electronic confirmation to the retail trading partner.

For more information on the cmt contact marcel Sieira or any member of the business Development team at gS1 Australia on 1300 366 033.

implementing B2B communities – an enD to the heaDaches !

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Dutch FeDerAtion oF univerSity meDicAl centreS (nFu) hAS choSen to implement the gS1 StAnDArDS to increASe pAtient SAFety AnD to improve Supply chAin eFFiciency.

the nFu, comprised of members of the eight boards of governors of the university medical centres in the netherlands, has decided to implement structural improvements, leveraging the international system of gS1 Standards.

over the last few years, the Dutch university medical centres have been investigating a suitable bar coding system. it appears that bar coding is used in multiple places in a hospital, to improve the safety and efficiency of processes, but there is no consistency between the different departments within a hospital, nor between hospitals. the final targets, that is, improved patient safety and efficiency, are therefore only being partially achieved.

hans lunenborg, Senior Advisor healthcare gS1 netherlands, said: “to realise substantial improvements, an open system of multi-sectorial and cross-border bar coding standards is needed. the gS1 System of Standards enables improvements to various processes, including, for example, traceability of implants. patient safety improvements are enabled through the global gS1 Standards. this is also a call to action to all other healthcare providers and hospitals. working with standards only truly works if all involved stakeholders adopt these standards”.

Dutch choose GS1 Standards for bar coding

with the goAl oF improving eFFiciency within the Supply chAin AnD retAil buSineSS, gS1 SpAin hAS DevelopeD An “intelligent” Shopping trolley, DubbeD the grocer. thiS rADio Frequency iDentiFicAtion equipment, which uSeS the epc StAnDArD, cAn proviDe the conSumer A revolutionAry “Shopping eXperience”.

the cart is equipped with an rFiD reader, an antenna and a touch-screen that allows the consumer to interact with the system sending and receiving information.

with this system in place consumers can always know the exact price of the product that has been placed inside the cart, as well as the total cost of their purchases. they can also receive information about promotions, access receipts and a list of the needed ingredients for a particular recipe, or just find the fastest way through the store to reach a selected product.

grocer allows companies to offer more information and a much more customised service to the consumer, as well as allowing improved inventory optimisation, a more effective marketing strategy and a means to increased consumer loyalty.

SPANISh UNVEIL INTELLIGENT ShOPPING TROLLEy

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GLObAL NEWS

Get on board NPC, companies tell suppliersSome oF AuStrAliA’S leADing privAte hoSpitAlS, heAlthcAre retAilerS AnD wholeSAlerS hAve cAlleD on their SupplierS to begin uSing the nAtionAl proDuct cAtAlogue (npc).

national product catalogue (npc), which is hosted on gS1net, is a data synchronisation system that is used for new product introductions or product and price changes. As well as being a key enabler for paperless electronic trading, the implementation of the npc delivers a number of additional business benefits, including:

¤ better overall data integrity

¤ A foundation for patient safety initiatives such as the national ehealth transition Authority’s (nehtA) Australian medicines terminology (Amt)

¤ A foundation for other ecommerce initiatives such as nehtA’s eprocurement strategy

¤ improvement of the overall supply chain, and business efficiencies including, reduction in invoice error rates and claims, reduced cost errors on purchase orders and reduced out-of-stock and better inventory management

Advantage pharmacies, cabrini health, clifford hallam healthcare (ch2), htrak and national pharmacies have all begun work on becoming npc data recipients, expanding the scope of the npc from the public sector to encompass the private sector, and have urged their suppliers to use the system.

“growth in the number of data recipients using the npc is a key focus of gS1 Australia’s as it means suppliers can use this tool across multiple trading partners within the public and private health systems. the gS1net team are committed to helping all parties involved in the npc to ensure it can be optimised and that companies involved can realize the true benefits” says Sean Sloan, gS1net operations manager.

Suppliers wanting more information on the npc and gS1net should contact Sean Sloan on 03 9550 3492 or email him on sean.sloan@gs1au.org.

healthcare seminars keep members informedthiS yeAr A SerieS oF SeminArS will continue to keep gS1 AuStrAliA memberS inFormeD About the trAnSFormAtion oF the heAlthcAre Supply chAin.

both the global and Australian healthcare sectors are constantly developing their use of the gS1 System. in Australia, the national ehealth transition Authority (nehtA), the state and territory health jurisdictions and members of the private healthcare sector are working to ensure improved patient safety and supply chain efficiency.

gS1 Australia, with nehtA and the state health jurisdictions, has run a healthcare seminar in Sydney this month and plans further seminars in other states in the coming months. these seminars are a continuation of the series run in 2008. each seminar is divided into a free morning session and an optional training session on the national product catalogue at $250 per person excluding gSt (a cost-recovery only rate).

using practical examples and case studies, as well as theory, the seminars aim to provide a global and national view of healthcare as well as the current use of the gS1 System within the healthcare sector. topics discussed will cover all aspects of the gS1 System and its use in Australian and international healthcare, including gS1 identification, data synchronisation and eprocurement.

optional npc introductory group training. training will be held for those suppliers seeking an overview of the npc. this session is a general introduction to the npc and includes:

¤ An npc overview

¤ how to start your npc project

¤ npc key concepts and terminologies

¤ Steps to “becoming npc ready and npc live”.

For more information on upcoming seminars contact tania Snioch or karen moritz on 1300 366 033 or email tsnioch@gs1au.org and karen.moritz@gs1au.org.

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HEALTHCARE

wA health, baxter LIVE with NehTA strategieswA heAlth hAS implementeD the nehtA eprocurement Solution DevelopeD For AuStrAliAn governmentS’ heAlth purchASing.

the solution was kicked off with health corporate network (hcn), a shared corporate service providing human resource, finance and supply services to wA health, and global medical products and services company, baxter healthcare.

robyn richmond, manager Strategic Development, hcn said eprocurement was key to improving efficiencies in government health purchasing. “nehtA’s eprocurement solution provides significant efficiencies in the sector, which is also an important step in meeting the ehealth requirement for unique product identifiers, which impacts safety and quality outcomes in patient care,” she said.

the nehtA eprocurement solution recommends best-practice methods of transacting using established standards such as gS1 Xml messaging. it relies heavily on clean, uniquely identified, product data held in nehtA’s national product catalogue (npc). the npc is the primary source of purchasing data for all health departments in Australia and is hosted on gS1 Australia’s data synchronisation service gS1net.

nehtA chief executive, peter Fleming, said that the eprocurement solution is an example of the kind of collaboration required to make ehealth a reality for Australia. “it’s great to see the public and the private sector working together to achieve common goals. the eprocurement solution will present efficiencies for all involved,” he said.

baxter healthcare was one of the first suppliers to populate the npc and is now the first company to trade electronically with any state or territory using the nehtA eprocurement solution.

ken nobbs, program manager – medical products, nehtA, maintains that by using a single procurement solution for health supply purchasing, huge safety and quality improvements and cost efficiencies will be realised across the sector.

“A standardised catalogue like the npc reduces the chance of introducing erroneous data into these transactions and the errors and costs these cause” he said. “this is particularly important in the healthcare supply chain where getting the right products at the right place and time can be critical to ensuring quality patient treatment,” said mr nobbs.

looking ahead hcn is now planning to work closely with other suppliers that have populated the npc to engage in system-to-system transacting through the nehtA eprocurement solution.

IT companies get healthcare snapshot the gS1 heAlthcAre uSer group (hug) AuStrAlASiA iS rolling out A progrAm oF Free inFormAtion SeSSionS For Supply chAin Solution proviDerS to proviDe them with A SnApShot oF the Supply chAin trAnSFormAtion tAking plAce in the AuStrAliAn AnD new ZeAlAnD heAlthcAre SectorS.

meetings have been held in Sydney and melbourne with speakers from South Australia health, new South wales helath, national ehealth transition Authority (nehtA), gS1 Australia and gS1 new Zealand outlining industry expectations as well as explaining how gS1 standards-enabled solutions can deliver benefits.

“the health supply chain has undergone some significant changes and now, due to economic climate, the supply chain management model needs to catch up to other industries which have long enjoyed the efficiencies associated with the adoption of a gS1 standards-based model,” hug Australasia chair, chief information officer from ch2, ged halstead said.

“on numerous occasions at hug meetings there has been a sense that we need to get the message across to our solution provider partners about what we, ‘the industry’ would like their role to be in facilitating industries requirements for both system and process compliance.

“many of us thought our it solution providers needed to do some more leading, so that when suppliers commenced their journey of gS1 standards implementation they would achieve some sort of head start from their partners. the fundamental reason for these sessions is to provide the solution providers with the knowledge required so they can help lead and direct with both their product offerings as well as their service offering,” mr halstead said.

tania Snioch, gS1 Australia industry manager – healthcare, said further engagement with healthcare solution providers was planned and solution providers who would like more information should contact her on 1300 366 033 or email her at tania.snioch@gs1au.org

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SiGNifiCANT GOALS ACHieveD iN 2008 iNCLuDe:

¤ the migration of members to the gS1net data synchronisation service and the decommissioning of eAnnet. we restructured our industry and service teams to provide a more flexible range of services and benefits and our industry management team continued to forge strong bonds with diverse industry sectors through working groups and industry associations

¤ the reorganisation of the gS1 Australia Services group and the industry management team to be more responsive to our members’ needs

¤ A major focus on data accuracy for our dimensioning and verification services

¤ the refining of gS1 Australia’s education and training offering

¤ the signing of a significant number of memoranda of understanding with Australian universities and tertiary institutions

¤ hosting a successful Asia pacific Forum for gS1 member organisations in the region

¤ A new fee structure which resulted in some 55 per cent of gS1 Australia membership paying less for services

¤ changes in the way we licensed bar code numbers to accommodate small and medium business members

¤ improved levels of customer service to meet members’ requirements.

the report also covers gS1 Australia’s program to reduce its environmental footprint, volunteer work gS1 Australia employees have been involved in with community projects and the work being done within the Alliance partner program.

to view the Year in Review 2008 online visit www.gs1au.org.

report highlights a year of achievementsthe gS1 AuStrAliA YeaR iN Review 2008 iS now AvAilAble For gS1 AuStrAliA memberS AnD cAn be DownloADeD From the gS1 AuStrAliA webSite. in the orgAniSAtion’S 30th yeAr, the report highlightS gS1 AuStrAliA’S SigniFicAnt mileStoneS in three DecADeS AS well AS tAking An in-Depth look At whAt hAS been AchieveD in 2008.

“while we are delighted to highlight our achievements over 2008, this report also gives us a great opportunity to focus on our members, their businesses and what gS1 Australia can do for them,” gS1 Australia ceo maria palazzolo said.

SUPPORTING OUR MEMBERS THROUGH CUSTOMER SERVICE

18Following extensive research among our membership base, in 2008 GS1 Australia put in place a number of steps to make our memberships more accessible to small and medium-sized businesses and to be cost effective for all businesses.

From 1 February 2008 we expanded •

our offering to SMEs by increasing our

Single Number Membership to provide

up to five individually allocated bar

code numbers (GTINs) under licence.

From 1 July 2008 GS1 membership fees •

are based solely on the annual turnover

of companies. This new structure resulted

in most members paying lower annual

fees. Turnover is deemed to be the

aggregate Australian based revenue of

your organisation including all related

companies for a 12-month period, regardless

of the number of products utilising the

GS1 System. For Government and statutory

organisations, revenue includes income

from the sale of products and services as

well as any Government appropriations,

contributions, subsidies or other

Government distributions and funding.

Our dedicated Customer Service team provides

a range of membership services including:

Expert advice on GS1 System implementation •

Assistance on how to apply •

bar codes and numbers

Helpdesk support on GS1 System •

queries and assistance from technical

and industry-specific experts

Allocation and processing of all •

GS1 numbers to members

Handling of all retail scan data for •

recovery and retention purposes

Data cleansing•

The members’ licence agreement was revised •

and updated to reflect these changes.

To provide payment flexibility, GS1 Australia •

also introduced part-payment plans for

membership fees in 2008. In addition we

introduced a direct debit facility for all

payments to GS1 (not just annual renewals).

Members who chose to use this direct •

debit facility for fees received a 6 per cent

discount. In addition, we introduced a

10-day preview period for any invoice that

is debited directly to ensure businesses

are aware the debit is about to be made.

This direct debit option has been taken up

by 10 per cent of our membership base.

As at December 31, GS1 Australia had •

1056 new members, a 40 per cent increase

against expectations. Of those, 31.5 per

cent joined as single-number members.

We are committed to providing Internet-•

based customer self-service for our members

and in 2008 we continued our work in

developing a members’ portal.

Member Profile

� Units of measure are a big challenge in our industry. However, the GS1 System can manage this issue if it is used correctly and used with

compliance.

�Ged Halstead

Chief Information OfficerCH2 (Clifford Hallam Healthcare)Dandenong, Victoria

Clifford Hallam Healthcare Pty Ltd (CH2) is Australia’s largest wholesaler and distributor of healthcare products and services with 900 suppliers from around the world. They are live with GS1 standards for Electronic Data Inter-change (EDI) with seven suppliers as well as numerous customers, and have implemented vendor managed inventory with a leading Mel-bourne hospital and are working to extend this to other Australian hospitals. Within their ware-houses, GS1 Bar Codes are used for scan picking. “Getting the right product on the right shelf at the right time can be done, but you have to start building capable business processes based on the GS1 System,” Ged said.

Grocery

In 2008 the Australia Upstream Working •

Group project was completed. This

project undertaken by the Australian

Food and Grocery Council, GS1 Australia

and key fast-moving consumer goods

(FMCG) manufacturers and suppliers, will

lead to the implementation of global

standards upstream in the Australian

FMCG sector. This was part of the Global

Upstream Supply Initiative (GUSI) which

aims to implement the GS1 standards

at the head of the supply chain with

packaging and raw material suppliers.

This year as part of its campaign to •

educate members about the launch of GS1

DataBar, GS1 Australia conducted a series

of information sessions for retailers. These

sessions focused on informing retailers on

the changes they must make to be able

to scan the new bar codes from 2010.

A brochure outlining the benefits of •

GS1 DataBar and details about the

implementation of systems to scan

was released in October 2008.

GS1 Australia published an Efficient •

Consumer Response/GS1 Dimensioning

Guide for accurate product measurements

of item and trade units to assist companies

using GS1net. In addition GS1 Australia held

information sessions about dimensioning

and GS1net in Melbourne and Sydney.

Fresh Produce

In 2008 GS1 Australia continued to work •

with Australia’s fresh produce industry to

develop the standards to implement GS1

DataBar for traceability at point of sale.

Because these new bar codes can carry

more product information, they can be

used in fresh produce traceability systems.

Meat

A Meat Industry survey conducted over nine •

months for meat export establishments

shows that over 90 per cent of companies

are GS1 capable. This is especially significant

as just 10 years ago GS1 standards

were not being used in this sector.

In 2008 a Meat Industry website, hosted •

by Meat and Livestock Australia, was

launched providing information on how

to implement the GS1 standards for

numbering, bar coding and eMessaging

for the red meat supply chain.

The Australian Pork industry also •

launched a website explaining how

the pork supply chain works and the

importance of using the GS1 standards.

General Merchandise

Apparel

In 2008 GS1 Australia conducted a series •

of industry working group meetings with

the apparel industry towards implementing

the GS1 standards of numbering and

bar coding, eMessaging and data

synchronisation throughout the sector.

GS1 Australia and industry members have •

established a GS1net data set mode for

apparel which can be leveraged to publish

master data to retailers.

Books

GS1 Australia has had ongoing dialogue with •

the Australian book industry on how the GS1

System can enhance the book supply chain.

Office Products

In 2008 GS1 Australia met with industry •

members to address data synchronisation

in this sector and to leverage the work that

has been done by GS1 New Zealand.

Transport and Logistics

In 2008 GS1 Australia chaired the Business •

Systems Partner Reference Group, as part

of a larger industry round table group,

convened by the Victorian Government

to examine projects to improve supply

chain practices and processes.

Music and Entertainment

GS1 Australia continued to engage with •

businesses in this sector in 2008 and

welcome further participation in 2009.

The Benefits of Working with GS1

Australia

GS1 Australia was created to help Australian

businesses become more efficient and effec-

tive through the use of the GS1 System and

best practice supply chain management.

The GS1 System reduces costs and saves •

time by eliminating paperwork, and

increasing accuracy and efficiency through

management of the entire supply chain.

At every step of the supply chain trading •

partners can synchronise their product

data and gain secure access to product

information including specific trading

partner terms and pricing, product

availability, release dates and promotional

campaigns, packaging dimensions and

imaging for shelf-space management.

Increased accuracy of orders and •

improved delivery times with new

products in stores more quickly.

Improved product visibility, improved •

inventory information and secure pricing

information that is available only to

supplier-nominated trading partners.

Effective traceability and reduced •

opportunity for counterfeiting.

By using the GS1 tools, all members can •

participate regardless of their size or the

IT team supporting their business.

Member Profile

� When we began supplying major supermarkets we had to have GTINs at pallet level and at carton level. Then 18 months ago we introduced our retail range, e Fresco, and we needed bar codes on products. The GS1 Bar Code verification service helped us get it

right from the start.

�Michele PizzaDirectorPronte e Fresco, Broadmeadows

Pronto e Fresco, a privately owned company producing Italian-style antipasto, has grown from small beginnings into a successful business with an $18 million turnover. It distributes its products nationally through 27 distributors and exports to New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the US. While the business receives orders electronically it is set to take the next steps in Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and to implement the GS1 System throughout its supply chain.

WORKING WITH OUR NEIGHBOURS36

GS1 Australia is committed to working with our neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region to develop trade supported by the GS1 System. While the region is being buffeted by the global economic crisis, the GS1 standards remain a constant.

We take pride in playing a leadership •

role in the region and enjoy sharing our

knowledge and expertise with other GS1

Member Organisations. In 2008 we won

a GS1 Mentoring Award in recognition

of our work supporting the region. GS1

Australia CEO Maria Palazzolo was presented

with the award at the GS1 General

Assembly in Dubrovnik in May 2008

In October 2008 GS1 Australia welcomed •

representatives from 19 GS1 Member

Organisations to the GS1 Asia Pacific

Regional Forum in Melbourne.

The visitors were from China, including •

Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan,

Korea, Malaysia, Malta, New Zealand,

Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka,

Taiwan, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.

Miguel Lopera, President and CEO of •

GS1, and members of the GS1 Global

Office also attended the forum.

The conference, which focused on a •

Common Vision for Success, was an

opportunity for participants to hear about

and be inspired by the work Member

Organisations were doing to promote the

use of the GS1 standards in their countries.

Other topics under discussion included •

the role of GS1 in the future, what kind

of organisation GS1 wanted to become

and what it would be like in 2018.

Conference delegates also had an •

opportunity to hear from GS1’s global office

about projects in other regions as well

as those being done on a global scale.

A number of delegates stayed on after •

the forum to attend Impetus 2008

taking home a wealth of information

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yEAR IN REVIEW

gS1 AuStrAliA hAS reSponDeD to the FAtAl victoriAn buShFireS by rAiSing $5,000 For the buShFire AppeAl. the fires on 7 February, now known as black Saturday, took the lives of 173 people and destroyed some 2,000 homes, then continued to burn across the state displacing thousands more victorians. the state government set up the 2009 victorian bushfire Appeal Fund in partnership with the Australian government and red cross to support communities impacted by the fires. Shocked Australians responded with donations of food, clothing and money.

Staff at gS1 Australia in melbourne and Sydney organised fund-raising barbecues, an auction of wine, a Shrove tuesday pancake day and office games to raise a total of $5,000.

meanwhile gS1 member organisations contacted gS1 Australia with messages of condolence and concern. “As our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of the terrible tragedy that has fallen on some of the devastated people of victoria, it’s good to know that we are being thought of from other parts of the world,” ceo maria palazzolo said.

“i just heard the terrible news about victoria’s fires. i am very sorry for your country.” miguel lopera, GS1 CeO

“i have thought about you and GS1 people in australia when i have seen the bad news of the huge fires in victoria. Please pass to them the sentiment from the Global Office: many of us here feel solidarity with you guys in these moments.” vicente escribano, GS1 COO

“according to the recent news there is catastrophe in australia, near Melbourne - accept my condolences.” GS1 Croatia

“i heard the news about the fire in your state and the devastation. My thoughts are with you during these difficult moments.” GS1 france

“we are shocked to see on Tv the extent of the bush fire in australia. Take care.” GS1 Singapore

“The fires around Melbourne are all over the news here. i hope that you and all colleagues at GS1, and your families, are safe.” GS1 Sweden

BBQA DFIRE

please give generously for the bushfire victims

gS1 gets behind bushfire Appeal

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bUSHfIRE AppEAL

the AuStrAliAn reD meAt inDuStry hAS come A long wAy Since 10 yeArS Ago when there wAS A lAck oF uniForm trAceAbility SyStemS.

Australia is one of the world’s largest exporters of meat, exporting to more than 100 countries. our “clean green” image and reputation as a supplier of safe, quality red meat is one that the industry is keen to promote as well as protect.

effective traceback is important to the Australian red meat industry’s ability to guarantee the integrity of its livestock and livestock products and to ensure continued access to our export markets.

major animal disease outbreaks in other countries, including bovine Spongiform encephalopathy (bSe or mad cow Disease) and Foot and mouth Disease outbreaks in the united kingdom in 2001, and more recently the bSe detection in the united States, japan and canada in 2003, have made an effective identification and traceback system crucial.

meat and livestock Australia (mlA) in conjunction with other key industry associations formed the Australian red meat Supply chain committee (rmScc). through a number of initiatives this committee has worked with the Australian red meat industry on projects aimed at applying the use of gS1 global supply chain standards.

the goal of the rmScc is to develop the tools that will allow the Australian red meat industry to adopt international standards. over the last ten years the majority of the industry has participated in a complete overhaul of their logistics systems, including the redesign of all bar codes used for meat processing, new gS1 suitable product codes and software modifications and upgrades. electronic messaging including the implementation of electronic meat transfer certificates (emtc) and electronic national vendor declarations (eDec) has been developed and is currently being implemented.

the results from an extensive industry survey conducted in 2008 by meat and livestock Australia highlighted that now 90 per cent of red meat export-accredited establishments in Australia are gS1 capable.

the implementation of gS1 numbering standards and bar codes provides the Australian meat industry with a globally recognised system of identifying products, potentially reducing operating and labour costs and eliminating paper documents in the process. this improves the accuracy and timeliness of internal data and interaction with suppliers and customers and provides increased traceability for products through the supply chain.

projects that have been completed to date include:

¤ export carton project utilising gS1 bar coding and electronic messaging (saving of up to $2.06 per carton)

¤ Domestic carton/carcase project utilising gS1 bar coding and electronic messaging (saving of up to $1.67 per carton)

¤ electronic meat transfer certificate (emtc)

electronic meat Transfer Certificate (emTC)

the emtc system works by recording the required mtc information by the consignor. this information is then sent electronically to the consignee. when the consignee receives the physical shipment, they check it against the emtc and if all information is correct, an electronic receipt is generated. this receipt is automatically emailed back to the consignor. this process replaces the traditional paper-based system, which has proven to be inefficient and often inaccurate. by implementing the emtc system, the Australian meat industry is able to take advantage of gS1 technology by streamlining communication through the supply chain.

“what we did is use the gS1 Standards and industry knowledge to develop the emtc and then combined the two so that there is a single and efficient system communicating both commercial and regulatory bodies,” said rebecca Austin,

manager of the mlA off-farm supply chain management program.

nolan meats director tony nolan comments “producers are now asking for information to be transferred electronically and we are now transferring electronically between all areas of our supply chain, including feedlots, saleyards and customer. i believe it’s the way

of the future. All data will be transferred electronically and it’s just a matter of time before it all happens”.

As a result of the creation of the emtc and the implementation of gS1 Standards, the Australian meat industry has the potential to save millions

of dollars annually, but also create a more efficient working environment with the ability to communicate between all levels of the supply chain easily and proficiently.

For more information contact Andrew Steele, industry manager, gS1 Australia on 1300 366 033 or visit http://www.mla.com.au/topichierarchy/industryprograms/information+Standards/Default.htm

90% meating the GS1 Standards

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LOCAL NEWS

the liquor merchAntS ASSociAtion oF AuStrAliA (lmAA) hAS become A regiStereD DAtA recipient on gS1net For the purpoSeS oF the inDuStry mArket reAD (imr) tool.

the imr is an exciting new initiative that involves a comprehensive data collection and reporting service designed around channel and category sales for the Australian liquor industry. this unique solution will provide detailed volume and value data across detail product and channel categories key for planning and management activities.

the imr has been created as a result of the lmAA working closely with its members and industry in conjunction with gS1 Australia. businesses in the sector are already using gS1net to trade with the major liquor retailers and wholesalers in Australia.

gS1 Australia industry manager Andrew Steele said gS1net was the perfect solution for the liquor industry’s reporting service. “the imr solution is an industry first in its adoption of gS1net. with the liquor retailers and wholesalers already using the service, lmAA can leverage the work and expertise of the gS1net team in this sector.

“the lmAA has been very active in supporting the implementation of the gS1 System in the liquor industry for an efficient and cost-effective supply chain,” he said.

Sandra przibilla, managing Director of lmAA, said: “the ability to make informed business decisions in the

liquor category remains hampered by the lack of a comprehensive data collection and reporting service designed around channel and category sales. the imr will provide business-to-business sales information that does not currently exist. the lmAA will work together with gS1 Australia (our technical partner) and nielsen Australia (our analytical partner) to collect and analyse data.

“the lmAA will be the repository for the imr. gS1 Australia has been proactive in assisting the lmAA to understand the needs of data integration and the role the gtin and attribute values play in integrity of data. the knowledge and resources provided by gS1 Australia have not only enhanced the development of the solution, but by working with the lmAA forged stronger ties within the liquor sector,” she said.

information and data from the imr will be supplied to lmAA members and may be available on a commercial basis to non members, government and associated industries.

the imr will further enhance the benefits for those companies through:

90% meating the GS1 Standards

¤ Access to business-to-business market data, analysis and reporting

¤ Automation of the data provision process for the thompsons Drinks guide

the lmAA is interested in receiving item and wholesale price information from gS1net-ready liquor supplier catalogues. the imr will also require some additional fields to be included as part of suppliers item data.

For more information on the imr please contact the lmAA directly to discuss their data requirements:

contact information Sandra przibilla – sandrap@liquormerchants.org.auben gouw – bgouw@liquormerchants.org.auSwitch – 1800 257 286 www.liquormerchants.org.au

For any assistance on gS1net please contact the gS1 Australia client Services team on 1300 366 033 or www.gs1au.org

Liquor sector turns

to gs1net to read market

IMR REPORTING

DATA UPLOADS

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gS1 hAS releASeD verSion 2.5 oF the gS1 Xml StAnDArD.

gS1 Xml is one of two messaging standards that gS1 maintains globally. this standard allows organisations to exchange electronic business messages with their trading partners such as an order, invoice or despatch advice.

the 2.5 release was developed within the framework of the global Standards management process (gSmp) involving participants from around the globe. changes for this release were requested from gS1 Australia, gS1 France, gS1 netherlands and the global upstream Supply initiative (guSi).

in all, 19 business message Standards have been released. changes submitted by gS1 Australia include those requested by members of the health and hardware industries with whom gS1 Australia has been working to develop industry standards.

in version 2.5, the gS1 Xml upstream standards have been merged with the general gS1 Xml trade message standards, the outcome being one standard for both the upstream and downstream of the supply chain.

the gS1 Xml standards are freely accessible by visiting the gS1 Australia website http://www.gs1au.org/products/gs1_system/emessaging/bms_and_xml.asp. For more information on gS1 Xml please contact troy Denyer, Standards Development coordinator – ecom, gS1 Australia on 1300 366 033.

Following FeeDbAck From gS1 member orgAniSAtionS on the reADineSS oF retAilerS in their countrieS, A DeciSion hAS been tAken by the globAl gS1 orgAniSAtion to eXtenD the DeADline by which retAilerS ArounD the worlD muSt be Able to ScAn gS1 DAtAbAr to 2014.

this means:

¤ retailers who have started gS1 Databar programs, including fresh food pilots, can continue with these programs with no interruption.

¤ retailers who have established agreements in place or wish to set up new bilateral agreements with their trading partners using gS1 Databar standards by 2010 can proceed as planned.

¤ by the target date of 2014 gS1 Databar standards, including attribute information such as batch number and expiry date, can be used by all trading partners in an open environment.

¤ At a minimum, retailers should be able to scan gS1 Databar and process the global trade item number (gtin) by 2014.

gS1 Australia ceo maria palazzolo said the decision has been made to reflect the pace of retailer readiness globally.

“while gS1 Australia has been working with major retail chains for the past few years to ensure that their scanning systems are ready for the new bar codes by 2010, at a global level, retailers in many countries are not yet ready,” she said. At the recent gS1 general Assembly a decision was made to extend the deadline, allowing early adopter nations to move ahead but providing up to four more years for adoption in all other countries.

gS1 Databar permits marking on small, hard-to-mark items like loose produce and can provide additional bar code information like weight or date codes. it is already implemented by some retailers in north America and is being piloted in europe and Asia.

many Australian retailers have been working with gS1 Australia to prepare for the introduction of gS1 Databar and gS1 Australia has been running a program of information sessions to ensure retailers know about the introduction of the new bar code.

while this puts Australia in a strong position ahead of the changes, small businesses may need more time to prepare.

most scanners purchased in the past three years should be capable of reading gS1 Databar. those retailers still needing to assess whether their scanners and systems are able to do so can obtain free gS1 Databar test cards from gS1 Australia.

Further free information sessions are being held in Sydney (21 April and 10 September), melbourne (5 may and 3 September) and brisbane (13 october) for retailers who need to find out more about gS1 Databar. For further information about gS1 Databar, contact rachel kairuz at gS1 Australia on 1300 366 033.

GS1 hears retailers on GS1 dataBar

GS1 Xml v2.5 released

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TECH HEAd

in jAnuAry thiS yeAr the AuStrAliAn communicAtionS AnD meDiA Authority (AcmA) hAS ruleD thAt rADio Frequency iDentiFicAtion (rFiD) DeviceS with up to 4 wAtt oF power mAy now be uSeD in AuStrAliA in the 920-926 mhZ bAnD. thiS FollowS Four yeArS oF SigniFicAnt teSting on the uSe oF 4 wAtt rFiD DeviceS by inDuStry, leD by gS1 AuStrAliA AnD the SubmiSSion oF teSt DAtA to AcmA For review.

gS1 ceo maria palazzolo welcomed the decision saying it would bring improved efficiencies and greater roi for companies wanting to use epc/rFiD systems in their supply chain.

gS1 Australia’s general manager of Standards Development, Sue Schmid, said the decision to approve 4 watt removed a barrier to the adoption of epc/rFiD within Australia. “this is a much-needed boost to Australian industry which can now continue its adoption of this technology. AcmA’s decision is a significant milestone in the journey of epc/rFiD use within Australia,” she said.

radio Frequency identification is a technology that allows the identification of tagged items using radio waves. An rFiD tag with a tiny computer chip, containing the electronic product code (epc), allows users to identify items uniquely. As no line of sight is required for rFiD to read an epc, the identification process is faster and more efficient.

in Australia the radio frequency spectrum is governed by the AcmA and ultra high Frequency (uhF) rFiD services come under a low interference potential Devices (lipD) class licence which until now has limited the use of rFiD power to 1 watt between the 918 to 926 mhz band while much of the world uses 4 watt within their allocated frequency range. robustness of rFiD performance is substantially improved with an increase in the allowable power output.

gS1 Australia, which has led the development of industry-driven standards for the epc in Australia, has consistently lobbied the AcmA for a regulatory change to bring Australia’s passive uhF rFiD systems in line with international standards and other countries' regulations.

three years ago AcmA issued a scientific licence to gS1 Australia that enabled the organisation to issue third-party authorisations for the use of site-specific 4 watt power to companies trialling or looking to implement rFiD. the purpose of the scientific licence was to gather data to assist AcmA to determine if an increase in power had any major effect on devices of adjacent users of the spectrum. reports on these trials and the results of scientific testing were submitted to the AcmA by gS1 Australia in 2007 and 2008.

in December 2008 the AcmA notified gS1 Australia that it had approved the use of rFiD devices up to 4 watt of power between the 920 to 926 mhz band. this decision was published in the commonwealth’s Government Notices Gazette on 15 january 2009.

gS1 Australia, in conjunction with Australian industry representative rFiD vendors, users and industry Associations, has developed an implementation guideline to assist companies that wish to use rFiD devices with the high power. the objective of this document is to provide a set of installation guidelines that can be used for the deployment, installation and commissioning of rFiD readers operating up to 4 watt effective isotropic radiated power (eirp) in Australia, to reduce as far as possible interference to global System for mobile communications (gSm) cellular mobile phone networks.

this document is available from http://www.gs1au.org/assets/documents/products/epcglobal/4watt/epc_4w_instal_gl.pdf

For more information on the implementation of epc/rFiD in the supply chain, businesses should contact gS1 Australia on 1300 366 033.

ACmA’s 4 Watt ruling a win for epC/RfId

SMART 2009CONFERENCE10 - 11 June 2009Sydney Convention & Exhibition CentreDarling Harbour Sydney Australia

with innovation & new business strategyBRIDGING THE GAP

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this is the latest initiative in a series of partnerships in education and training gS1 Australia has formalised, signing memoranda of understanding with 12 universities and tAFe institutions. one of the main purposes of these relationships is to introduce students in ecommerce, Supply chain management, transport and logistics and business to the gS1 System, including using the Supply chain knowledge centre. the SbS initiative will provide students with the opportunity to complete the gS1 certificate while studying for the masters of Science (logistics) from june 2009.

“we are thrilled with the offer to students and the collaboration with Sydney business School. it is a first such initiative, and will go to advancing Australia’s skills in retail, logistics and supply chain management,” said Steven pereira, gS1 Australia cio and head of the organisation’s education initiatives.

the Sydney business School has also agreed to offer gS1 Australia certification to all students undertaking its master of retail management program. this post-graduate degree is the only nation-wide masters-level program focused on retail management currently available in Australia. the Sydney

business School is also offering entry pathways for people in retail who do not have a first degree.

the recent memorandum of understanding between gS1 Australia and wollongong aims at developing opportunities between the two organisations for mutual benefit of members and students.

For the students, the advantage of certification is the added bonus of recognition from a global supply chain standards-based organisation, which could possibly increase their employment prospects both locally and overseas.

Sue mathews, business manager of the Sydney business School, commented: “we are committed to offering our students not only a quality education, but equipping them with the skills necessary to make them competitive for vacant positions. our agreement with gS1 is one way we are adding value to the students’ experience at the Sydney business School”.

this initiative will help establish an understanding among future supply chain professionals of how the gS1 Standards can be used within a business and provide an insight into best practice supply chain management for young professionals.

Masters Students to get GS1 Australia Certification

12th – 14th of May 2009

Come and see us at CeBIT! Sydney Exhibition & Convention Centre

Stand Number: H20

the univerSity oF wollongong’S SyDney buSineSS School (SbS) recently AnnounceD

the introDuction oF A poSt-grADuAte

courSe in Supply chAin mAnAgement

with mAteriAl on the gS1 SyStem.

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GET SMART

Focus moves upstream with Gusi launch

FASt- moving conSumer gooDS (Fmcg) mAnuFActurerS, their SupplierS, the AuStrAliAn FooD AnD grocery council AnD gS1 AuStrAliA took the neXt Step in trAnSForming the Supply chAin in AuStrAliA with the lAunch oF the globAl upStreAm Supply initiAtive (guSi) in mArch.

more than 100 manufacturers, suppliers and supply chain solution providers gathered in Sydney and melbourne to discuss the potential benefits to their business.

the term “upstream”, when used in a supply chain context, refers to the relationships between manufacturers and their raw materials and packaging suppliers. “upstream” is thought of as being closer to the source of supply chain items, on their way further “downstream” to retail and end consumption.

this guSi initiative, which extends ecommerce to the head of the supply chain through the use of the gS1 System, has been endorsed by Australian industry. this follows a project by the Australian Food and grocery council, gS1 Australia and key fast-moving consumer goods (Fmcg) manufacturers and suppliers, to assess the application of the guSi model in the Australian Fmcg supply chain. lion nathan,

unilever, Simplot and Sugar Australia participated in a working group to asses the application of the model in Australia and reported back to a reference group of some 35 businesses resulting in the endorsement of the guSi standard by Australian Fmcg manufacturers.

gS1 Australia's general manager – Sales & business Development, marcel Sieira, said now is the time for Fmcg manufactuers and raw materials & packaging suppliers to achieve the operational and financial gains stemming from the gS1 System that were already being enjoyed by downstream supply chain participants.

The benefits of the GuSi model are faster integration with up to 75 per cent reduction in the time taken to connect to new partners, reduced iT costs, and improvements in product availability, lead times, forecasting, order processing, financial settlement, data management and operational processes, he said.

“At the end of the day, by implementing the guSi standards, both suppliers and manufacturers can make a real impact on their bottom line.”

gS1 Australia has launched a website outlining guSi with online resources and an online upstream implementation toolkit at http://www.gs1au.org/industry/upstream/. For more information contact rachel kairuz on 1300 366 033.

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GUSI NEWS

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manufacturers seeking a personalised approach to their packaging operations require options and flexibility. markem-imaje’s SmartDate® 5 thermal transfer coder combines a tailored approach to package coding along with a new standard power-saving feature.

the SmartDate 5 thermal transfer coder combines a robust design built for industrial applications, no known wear parts requiring preventative maintenance, high levels of speed, and increased economy for printing solutions to suit a variety of needs.

cost savings and sustainability are topics foremost on manufacturers’ minds with cutting energy costs and reducing carbon footprints rising to the top as concerns, as well as lowering operational costs. the SmartDate 5 power-saving feature can reduce the amount of power consumed. the units switch into “sleep mode” if the parent packaging machine is powered down, and can also be programmed to sleep if the line is unused for a pre determined length of time. when the line restarts, the coder powers up again in less than one second.

the SmartDate 5 also delivers performance and flexibility in printing. it comes readily configurable between intermittent and continuous mode and between left- and right-handed operations capable of speeds up to 1000mm per second.

“installations have shown that the coder will consistently deliver high-quality prints at these speeds, so manufacturers can make full use of their wrapping machine’s performance,” markem-imaje product marketing manager Andy gray said. “And for even faster

CODER OFFERS COST, POwER SAVING FEATURES, PERSONALISED APPROACh TO PACkAGING.

ALLiANCe pArtNer AdVERTORIAL

markem-imaje enhances smartDate® 5 thermal transfer coder

flow-wrapping applications the SmartDate 5, with its patented shuttle mechanism, will keep pace with the top speeds of today’s latest packaging equipment.

to prevent the loss of prints that can occur in high-speed wrapping lines subject to challenging speed profiles (where rapid acceleration and deceleration result in a very brief span of slow speeds), the SmartDate 5 coder is capable of printing consistently at speeds as low as 5mm per second. Additionally, the SmartDate 5 can successfully meet the acceleration rates created with the new “no product-no film” option on packaging equipment.

the SmartDate 5 also cuts operating costs on consumables. markem-imaje pioneered a ribbon-saving feature to shrink the gap between prints to just 0.5mm, allowing up to 10 per cent more prints from the same print ribbon.

gray explained the rationale behind the new developments.

“with tens of thousands of successful installations behind us, we’ve learned that customers are looking for advanced capabilities and a more tailored approach to bring additional efficiency to their coding process,” he said.

A controller with a full-color touch-screen comes standard on the SmartDate 5. the icon-driven menu guides the operator through set-up and procedures while clearly displaying the selected images to avoid errors and ensure correct and efficient coding in the production run from beginning to end. users can still opt for the classic controller design, with its monochrome graphic display, since the two options are interchangeable. with regard to networking, others who prefer to integrate the coder controls with the controls of the parent packaging line can also do so by using web browser technology to guide the entire line from a single control point.

remote code management is also an option for the SmartDate 5. the coder allows for easy connectivity with third-party equipment and devices and the ability to source images and data from a pc or factory erp system. coding images can be created using coloS create® and downloaded to the coder from the network or a uSb memory device. production data can also be uploaded for analysis and auditing.

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gentran integration Suite (giS), an integration platform for business-to-business (b2b) collaboration based on a service-oriented architecture (SoA) from Sterling commerce, will help standardise and simplify the department’s purchasing processes providing users with a platform for eprocurement which will ultimately unlock greater quality, safety and efficiency benefits. it will replace a previous manual system, which was prone to human error, and provide the organisation with a single “source of truth” for all 30,000 internal items and potentially millions of vendor items purchased annually across the state.

giS will provide effective business collaboration to enable nSw health to extend secure, managed process visibility to suppliers and other government departments. Specifically, giS will supply the department with the capability to maintain internal data for each product, while enabling receipt and management of vendor data via a direct interface to the national product catalogue (npc), an online data pool managed by gS1 Australia and administered to nSw health by the national e-health transition Authority (nehtA).

STERLING COMMERCE RECENTLy ANNOUNCED ThAT IT wILL SUPPLy A STANDARDS-bASED EPROCUREMENT hUb SOLUTION TO ThE NEw SOUTh wALES DEPARTMENT OF hEALTh (NSw hEALTh).

the npc allows institutions in all states and territories to obtain essential information about the medicines, medical devices and healthcare products they use, from one electronic source. it also holds information about non-medical products, such as office supplies and food items.

nSw health users will be able to directly log in to the catalogue, receive and manage contract data from nSw commerce, and publish files to other systems, including the nSw health oracle erp system and the Department of commerce Smartbuy application.

“we selected Sterling commerce because it has the unique expertise, proven track record and ability to deliver success within the budget and timeframe required. giS will enable us to solve complexity in the procurement process and provide us with a robust platform to manage processes surrounding data management, thereby increasing productivity, and improving data quality,” said valentino bulaon, manager, procurement information – health Support Services, new South wales Department of health.

Sterling commerce won the tender as part of a consortium in conjunction with Fusion management and e-centric innovations. with the design stage already having commenced, testing and user acceptance are scheduled for February 2009. the system is due to go live in march 2009.

michael vulcan, managing Director, Sterling commerce Australia/new Zealand said: “giS will help nSw health to reap the benefits of significant efficiency gains in the public health supply chain. with the considerable cost pressure to meet current and future demands for services, giS has all the features required to build a sustainable information infrastructure that can move and manage critical information quickly, securely and at low cost”.

Sterling commerce has now successfully completed the gS1net certification program with gS1 Australia. the company’s certification is for the “supplier side” (data source) sychronisation, making Sterling commerce the first health Data recipient buyer Side gS1 partner to be accredited.

For more information, contact: julie_christie@stercomm.com, or visit: www.sterlingcommerce.com.au.

ALLiANCe pArtNer AdVERTORIAL

new south wales Department of health Deploys sterling commerce eprocurement solution

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What does an extra 3% equal? Winning.

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Integrating RFID: The key issuesthe biggeSt DiFFerence between rFiD AnD other AutomAtic AnD mAnuAl DAtA collection techniqueS For thoSe operAting in the retAil Sector iS the technology’S Ability to recogniSe multiple itemS SimultAneouSly, regArDleSS oF orientAtion.

returnAble contAiner trAcking

by tracking pallets, totes and other containers with rFiD, and building a record of what is stored in the container, users can have full visibility into inventory levels and locations. with visibility and control, retailers can easily locate items within distribution centres necessary to fill orders and fulfil rush orders without incurring undue managerial or labour time.

by adding tag interrogators, a fruit or vegetables grower, for example, can track loads of produce to a specific retailer to help speed payment, or a retailer can make sure the first produce into the system is the first to go on the shelves.

that means rFiD systems can be largely automated, reducing the need for manual scanning. therefore rFiD is advantageous in operations that require labour-intensive data collection or where it is difficult to guarantee line of sight between the object and the reader. rFiD tags can also be updated and can hold much more data than linear bar codes traditionally used for item and shipment identification. these differences can provide advantages in operations where faster processing or more information is desirable.

Successful rFiD implementations enhance data collection and processing applications in the retail industry rather than replacing them,

and require careful planning to produce the desired impact. bar code is and will remain the easiest and least expensive method to identify individual consumer goods and bar coding is not disappearing as rFiD use grows. rFiD creates options for capturing and communicating information. A well-thought-out infrastructure allows you to take advantage of rFiD while keeping other data collection and communications options open. in some cases the combination of rFiD, bar coding and voice/speech may be the best approach. Flexible equipment, such as rFiD readers capable of processing tags with different frequencies, and mobile computers that can be upgraded to support rFiD are excellent tools for creating a flexible infrastructure.

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Make the NPC work for you.

Preparing product data for the National Product Catalogue is just the first step toward electronic trading.

For State Health Departments to order your products online they must use a secure and reliable gateway such as the Pacific Health Exchange.

The PHE offers fast, reliable and secure delivery of electronic business documents between customers.

Utilise your NPC data for electronic trading, call us today on +61 2 9468 3333 or visit www.pacificcommerce.com.au

Integrating RFID: The key issuesinventory control

the main benefits to using rFiD in the supply chain come from improved inventory tracking, especially when the technology’s capabilities are used to collect information and provide visibility in environments where tracking was not done before. retailers, wholesalers, distributors, logistics providers and manufacturers can all use rFiD for inventory applications, and in carefully planned systems may share the same tags to reduce implementation costs. rFiD can remove blind spots from inventory and supply chain operations due to its ability to be read through packaging and being able to

withstand exposure to heat and moisture for example. confidence will be improved in their inventory to enable overall inventory levels, labour costs and safety stocks to be reduced.

Shipping & receiving

the same tags used to identify work-in-process or finished goods inventory could also trigger automated shipment tracking applications. items, cases or pallets with rFiD tags could be read as they are assembled into a complete customer order or shipment. the individual readings could be used to automatically produce a shipment manifest, which could be printed in a document, recorded automatically in the shipping

system, encoded in an rFiD tag, printed in a 2D bar code on the shipping label, or any combination. the new rFiD application could be very effectively integrated into existing business processes because it takes advantage of data structures that are already supported in enterprise databases and software applications.

recAll mAnAgement

retailers could take advantage of automated reading and group selection functionality to quickly identify and locate products affected by a recall. using rFiD to automatically capture serial numbers or lot codes on cartons processed at distribution centers and received in retail environments

provides a new level of traceability without requiring time-consuming manual data collection. by accurately and efficiently capturing lot codes, retailers could target their recalls so unaffected products would not have to be pulled from stores.

there are many excellent opportunities to benefit from rFiD right now. careful planning will yield a system that provides immediate benefits and long-term competitive and total cost of ownership advantages.

Tony Repaci, Managing Director, australia / New Zealand for intermec Technologies

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A StuDy oF neArly 300 eXecutiveS by mckinSey reSeArch ShoweD thAt reDucing Supply chAin coStS, not SurpriSingly, iS Strongly At the top oF their priority liSt with 57 per cent oF reSponDentS citing thiS AS A key concern.

According to nick morton, pronto Software general manager, victoria and tasmania, this is driven in part by the pressure rising energy and commodity prices are putting on the bottom line. perhaps more surprisingly, reducing the corporation’s carbon footprint scored extremely low on the priority scale with only 4 per cent citing this as of major concern. “while going green clearly dominates the press headlines, reality is that top executives are looking increasingly at the supply chain to reduce costs, improve customer service, speed to market and reduce supply chain risks,” mr morton said.

the key challenges facing supply chain managers are:

visibility – management needs visibility and control to make strategic decisions especially in growing businesses

efficiency – for competitive advantage, improved customer service and to reduce stock and inventory delays

Collaboration – for industry compliance

Integration – many businesses are using disparate, legacy systems with a reliance on manual systems and a lack of integration between storefront and back office.

the answer to these challenges is an enterprise resource planning (erp) solution, an enterprise-wide information system which coordinates all the resources, information, and activities needed to complete business processes, mr morton said.

An integrated erp solution such as pronto-Xi Supply chain management helps reduce costs, improve customer service, speed to market and reduce supply chain risks, he said.

pronto Software has a strong track record of implementing on-time, on-budget erp solutions for growing businesses in Australia and pronto-Xi’s broad functional scope, tight integration, flexibility and ease of use enabled customers to maximise productivity, streamline supply chains and deliver superior customer service, he explained.

“pronto is proud to be the industry’s first erp vendor to achieve gS1net certification for our data synchronisation tool pronto-Xi iSupplyglobal. this is a data integrity and synchronisation module for sharing product information with selected trading partners via a data pool such as gS1net,” mr morton said.

“it allows for the timely, accurate and automatic updating of correct product and location information within and between companies and

eliminates costly manual processes, reduces the cost of managing the transaction and the cost of providing product information to trading partners.”

to counter information overload, pronto has developed an enterprise alert system (eAS) which instantly alerts managers to an event or exception that they need to know about, as it happens, via email or an SmS. “the amount of data generated by an erp system can be hard to make sense of. let’s face it, when life gets more complex, we demand more simplicity. new intelligent and automated features in world-class erp systems have the potential to revolutionise it by making it easy to spot an exception despite the ever-increasing volume of data.

“by sending targeted information in real time to the right person, managers can make fast and informed decisions, which can have extensive impact on companies’ operations. rather than overload managers with information they do not need, eAS makes available to the relevant people information that they can act on. by enabling

“management by exception”, technology becomes a strategic asset, adding greater value, more innovation and true competitive differentiation for businesses,” he said.

ALLiANCe pArtNer AdVERTORIAL

DeLiveriNG MANAGeMeNt prioritieS for tHe SuppLy CHAiN

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