GS1 supply chain comms body celebrates three decades of standards

The independent supply chain body GS1 UK, whose electronic communications standards are the most widely used in the manufacturing world, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this week. Part of the world-wide GS1 organisation, the body has spent the last three decades developing and implementing the global data standards upon which we depend for everything from barcodes to RFID, GDS (Global Data Synchronisation) and EDI. It’s also been responsible for helping industry to implement its standards to enable better supply chain operations and automation. Dr Paul Chapman, senior research fellow at Cranfield School of Management, commenting on the anniversary, says: “Global standards have been a critical enabler to all the recent supply chain achievements. The supply chain only works when its network of organisations adhere to a set of agreed standards.” Simon Bragg, European research director at analyst ARC Advisory Group, compares GS1’s work with the achievements of Goldratt’s theory of constraints, the realisation of the importance of the Forrester (bull-whip) effect, lean thinking, postponement concepts in the same period. “Overall, it is probably the EDI/internet integration technologies that have enabled the greatest impact on supply chain performance,” says Bragg – adding that GS1’s achievements will be seen as comparable with those of developments with linear programming and constraint programming optimisation engines, the supply chain council’s SCOR metrics and the other EDI/internet integration technologies. Meanwhile, Stephen Tierney of the Global Institute of Logistics comments that the opening of trading borders and increase in global business will continue to influence the role of the supply chain in business. “China joining the WTO was an important milestone in supply chain history,” he observes. “As was Exel Logistics’ shift from being state-owned to an independent company, marking the new trend of outsourced logistics.” Chapman “There are few bigger changes in business than the recognition that it is supply chains that compete, not companies. Organisations in the public and private sector now realise that they must work together with supply chain partners in order to satisfy their customers.” Steve Coussins, chief executive of GS1 UK, says: “The supply chain has always mirrored technology developments in the trading of goods. GS1 UK has been here from the advent of bar codes through to RFID, helping businesses across the supply chain benefit from these technologies and evolving business practices. By driving the implementation of common global standards in the UK we have helped to simplify communication, achieve greater accuracy and increase efficiencies for all supply chain participants large and small.”