The GS1 Ireland Magazine | Winter 2009

Standar dThe Glob al

Standar d

The Glob al

NCHCD, St James's Hospital Dublinis the first healthcare recipient of the GS1 GlobalTraceability Conformance Seal of Approval

A WORLD

FIRST

Also:Reports on the Meat Traceability and ISQUA Conferences

2

GS1 Ireland,The Nutley Building, Merrion Road, Dublin 4Tel: (01) 208 0660 Fax (01) 208 0670Email: info@gs1ie.org

www.gs1ie.org

This edition contains many examples ofGS1 Standards in action. We also cover theMeat Traceability Conference, a joint eventrun by the FSAI and GS1. The conferencefocussed on lessons to be learned from lastyear’s dioxin crisis which threatened thereputation of the Irish Pork Industry.Thanks to the timely decision to carry out atotal recall the impact was minimised,albeit at considerable cost of the order of€180 million.

Meat TraceabilityProfessor O’Reilly, CEO of the FSAI, predicted that food recalls are likelyto happen again and stressed that it was now necessary to go furtherthan ‘one-up, one-down’ traceability. The conference concluded thatadopting a standards based approach would help the industry toimprove its traceability systems and its ability to efficiently manageany future product recalls. Given the vital role that our food industryplays in terms of export earnings, it is imperative that we take allnecessary steps to protect Brand Ireland. GS1 Ireland is working withthe industry and the other stakeholders to assist in implementing ourstandards.

HealthcareIn the healthcare sector the EFPIA pilot project is a cleardemonstration of the benefits of using GS1 standards to protectpatients from the growing threat of counterfeit pharmaceuticals. It isinteresting that the data set contained in the 2D GS1 data matrix barcode on each patient pack is exactly the same as that specified by Dr.Barry White when he envisioned the NCHCD Track & Trace Solution forthe treatment of haemophilia in 2004. Not only has the solutionbecome internationally recognised as best practice but it has alsorecently been awarded the first ever seal of approval from the GS1Global Traceability Conformance Programme. Dr. White, who has sincebecome the HSE Director of Clinical Care, was a speaker at the ISQUAAnnual Conference, along with HIQA’s Professor Jane Grimson. Detailsof their presentations are covered in our conference special, alongwith keynote presentations on the Electronic Health Record which, aswe heard, is a key enabler of transformation in the healthcare sector.

Data PoolIn recent years we have had lots of anecdotal evidence of the benefitsof implementing a Data Pool service. In October this year our UK officeproduced the Data Crunch report, a most comprehensive analysis andconvincing business case for rolling out a data pool service. As thereport illustrates, the current product data alignment processesfunction only because both suppliers and retailers engage inworkarounds to compensate for data quality issues. The annual cost ofpoor quality data in the supply chain is conservatively estimated to bein the region of £200 million per annum. As a result, the UK hasdecided to proceed with the rollout of a solution which will addressthis key issue and ensure that the grocery sector will be able to copewith the exponential growth expected in the number of attributesrequired over the next five years.

EditorRoss Carew 087 223 5867

ContributorsJim BrackenRoss CarewBarry SpellmanAdreena CullenBrendan KernanIan Campbell

CirculationManagerAdreena Cullen(01) 208 0671

DesignerMila Print & Design087 927 2973

CEO’s Comment 2

GS1 News 3

GS1 Global Traceability Standard 4-6

GS1 Global Traceability Standard 4-5

NCHCD receives Global Traceability

Conformance award 6

Healthcare 7-11

ISQUA Conference report 7-9

EFPIA Pilot Coding Project 10-11

Meat Traceability Conference report 12-15

2010 GS1 Training Courses 15

UK Data Crunch report 18-20

Tetra Pak Case Study 22-23

New Members 24

Index CEO’s Comment

3

The Board and management of GS1 are pleased to announce theappointment of Elaine Attridge of Unilever to the Supervisory Board.GS1 NewsElaine Attridge

After graduating from UCC with a BA inEconomics and Computers and a HDip inAccounting Information Systems Elaineworked for 3 years in France with the IT Teamfor Andersen Consulting/Arthur Andersen.From there she moved to Dublin to take up aBusiness Analyst role with Avid Technology.Amongst other things, she completed herfirst SAP project during this time. She thenjoined the Professional Services team ofMarrakech, a B2B start-up company, to gainsome customer facing experience involvingpre and post sales support management forthe customers of their B2B technology.

In 2001 Elaine joined Unilever Ireland andhas worked for them in the following areas:- IT elements of the re-organisation of ice-

cream distribution in Ireland and a TelesalesImplementation; test lead in SAPimplementation project; established andmanaged a central Data Management team;project managed a Financial Shared Servicesoutsourcing project with IBM; managed theIreland IT Team & established a Lead Usercommunity; agreed and implemented twoorganisational re-organisations within IT. Shehas recently moved to a new role in Unileveras IT Service Delivery Manager for the UK &Ireland.

GS1 Irelandwould like to wish all of its

Members & Associates a

Very Peaceful Christmas and Prosperous New Year

We would particularly like to thank those Members whohave given of their valuable time to participate in and

contribute to our Board & Committees.

Improving Competitiveness in Ireland’s EconomyGS1 Ireland in its Pre-Budget Submission stated that, giventhe current economic situation, Ireland needs to acceleratethe use of eCommerce technologies in order to achieveefficiencies in the Public and Private Sectors. The followingis a summary of our recommendations:

1. That Government issues a Statement of Intent withregard to the implementation of Electronic Invoicing inthe immediate future.

2. That Government sets out dates and strategies by whichall State entities will be mandated to receive all invoicesfor goods and services in electronic format. This wouldenable Ireland to comply with the 2010 EuropeanCommission targets for eProcurement.

3. That a pilot e-Invoicing project be established todemonstrate the potential benefits and ease of adoptionof this already proven technology in use by the Irishretail grocery and DIY/Hardware sectors for more than 19years.

4. That Government establishes an appropriate governancestructure in all Departments in order to ensure theimplementation of Electronic Invoicing.

5. That Government issues a Statement of Intent withregard to the implementation of GS1 standards acrossthe Health Service in order to reduce costs, improvepatient safety as well as the efficiency and effectiveness

of service delivery. This would support theimplementation of the Madden Report on Patient Safetyadopted by Cabinet earlier this year.

6. To ensure that the implementation of the proposedCarbon Tax does not add to the administrative burden.

Jim BrackenChief Executive Officer

Brendan KernanIt gives me great pleasure to welcomeBrendan to the staff of GS1 Ireland. Brendanhas a very comprehensive understanding ofthe GS1 System of Standards and is

recognised for his particular expertise ineCommerce messaging. A keen gardenerand artist, Brendan is married to Emer andhas two lovely daughters – Aoife and Niamh.

Staff Appointment

4

GS1 Global Traceability StandardIndustry and users of the GS1 System around the worldincreasingly require assurance that products andservices they purchase conform to traceability standards.The question arises as to which traceability standard ismost appropriate across an entire supply chain.

Many companies when implementing their programmesfor traceability adopt standards such as: -

HACCP (HAZARD ANALYSIS AND CRITICAL CONTROLPOINTS), ISO 22000:2005. “Food safety managementsystems – Requirements for any organisation in the foodchain”

BRC GLOBAL STANDARD – FOOD, Issue 4, British RetailConsortium. “Developed in order to assist retailers incomplying with the legal obligations of consumerprotection, providing a common basis for the auditing oforganisations that supply retailers with qualified foodproducts”.

IFS FOOD, Version 5, International Food Standard. This isa standard created by large French and Germandistributors that regulates quality management systemsin organisations within the food sector, with the aim ofachieving maximum safety in the processes offabrication and/or manipulation of food products.

SQF 2000 CODE, Issue November 2005, SQF Institute. “AHACCP Supplier Assurance Code for the Food Industry”.This is a food safety standard developed by the FoodMarketing Institute of the USA. It specifies therequirements needed in a quality management systemto identify the safety and quality risks as well asvalidating and confirming the operation of the controlmeasures.

To support these standards, manual and automatedsystems are implemented within the organisations to

comply with Food Safety Requirements. These systemsgenerate a large amount of data that has to be storedand, if the need arises, rapidly retrieved to manage anincident.

However, traceability is not just about the internal datasilo, it is about how effectively and efficientlyinformation can flow right across a supply chain.

The ability to capture and share information betweentrading (traceability) partners is the key to the damagelimitation required when there is an incident. Theinformation contained within organisations in the datasilo can be easily accessed; it is however in the data thatis shared between organisations where the cracks occur.To fill these cracks companies embark on elaborate auditprogrammes, where auditors descend like seagulls totear the management process apart to seek assurancethat each step in the supply chain is not a weal link.

GS1 Standards based on globally unique identification,data carriers and electronic messaging are recognised asa world-class solution to global traceabilitymanagement. Many companies implement them aspart of their applications to ensure that the traceabilitydata can be captured and shared automatically withtheir trading partners.

However, how do you know that you haveimplemented the GS1 Standards withsufficient robustness to deliver the desiredworld-class solution?

GS1 has developed a Global Traceability ConformanceProgramme based on the Global Traceability Standardand focuses the application of the GS1 Standards tosatisfy the general standards detailed above and thetechnical delivery of the GS1 based solutions. The

Informationflow

Physicalflow

TraceabilityPartner

5

Achieving this Seal of Approval is a challenging task,however the value proposition is the globalrecognition afforded by successfully attaining theaward.

What’s different between this andISO 9000 and HACCP Audit?

The focus of the Global Traceability Standard andConformance Programme is on the implementationof the GS1 Standards as a technical solution. Thescope of the audit is intentionally broader than theISO 9000 and HACCP audits and deals as much withyour trading relationships as the internal structures.

By focusing on the trading relationships the audittests how information is exchanged up and downthe supply chain.

Has anybody in Ireland been awarded theGTS Seal?

Yes, the National Centre for Hereditary CoagulationDisorders (NCHCD) at St James’s Hospital was the first Irishorganisation to attain this worldwide award and this isdetailed on page 6.

How Does the Programme Work?

The audit process is illustrated below

programme contains a set of rigid control pointsand scoring mechanisms that set the benchmarkfor an award of the GS1 Global TraceabilityStandard Seal.

The auditor who performs the audit will have beenaccredited by the GS1 Global Office.

Next Steps

If you are interested in more details please contactBarry Spellman, GS1 Ireland at 01 2080676 orbarry.spellman@gs1ie.org

GS1 GTC MO Audit Body Organisation

Designates AuditTeam

GS1 GTCProgram

Regulation

Sends request forInitial / Renewal

Audit

I Perform Initial /Renewal Audit

GS1 GTCChecklist

Request GS1GTC Seal

GS1 GTCSeal

II Decides to givethe GS1 GTC Seal

End

CorrectNonconformities

Requests aNonconformity

Audit

AnyNonconformity

?

AnyNonconformity

?

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Start

Lessthan 3

months fromIni./RenAudit?

II Perform theNonconformity

Audit

GS1 GTCChecklist

6

NCHCD is first healthcare recipient inthe world of the GS1 GlobalTraceability Conformance award

At the presentation of the Global Traceability Conformance Sealof Approval to the National Centre for Hereditary CoagulationDisorders in St. James’s Hospital (l-r): Brendan Kernan, GS1 Ireland;Bill Moran, Advent Processing Solutions Ltd; Michael Flahive,Clintech; Fergal McGroarty, St James's Hospital; Derek McCormack,TCP Ltd.

Jim Bracken, CEO GS1 Ireland presenting the Global TraceabilityConformance Seal of Approval to Fergal McGroarty, NationalHaemophilia System Project Manager, St. James's Hospital Dublin

Ireland’s national treatment solution for patients withhaemophilia achieved another distinction when itbecame the first to be audited under the GS1 GlobalHealthcare Traceability Standard. The audit processinvolved a complete and thorough examination of theentire process and, not surprisingly, it passed withflying colours.

From a GS1 Ireland perspective this has been a greatproject from concept to implementation and passingthe audit with 100% compliance is a reflection of thecommitment of NCHCD, TCP and Clintech and theirrespective staff.

The audit of the entire process demonstrated thequality and effectiveness of the Track & Trace solutionthat has been implemented.

It also provides clear evidence of the value ofdeploying GS1 standards in healthcare settings interms of improving patient safety as well as theefficiency and effectiveness of clinical processes.

MajorInternationalHealth Care conferenceheld inDublin

At the 2009 InternationalSociety for Quality inHealth Care (ISQUA)conference, held inDublin in October, anumber of speakers fromdifferent countries talkedabout their journeytowards a modern healthservice using electronicrecords and e-healthtools.

At different stages ofdevelopment, theyoffered detailed insightsinto challenges along theway and collectivelydemonstrated that thequest for continuousimprovement in patientcare is a journey thatnever ends. A summaryof the presentations ofthe main speakersfollows.

Dr Barry White was until recently the Director ofthe National Centre for Hereditary CoagulationDisorders (NCHCD). He was recently appointedDirector of Clinical Care in the Health ServiceExecutive (HSE).

Haemophilia Track-and-Trace Solution is aworld leader

Ireland’s haemophiliac care serviceresponded to a catastrophic failureby harnessing the latesttechnologies including GS1standards to set new benchmarksin treatment.

Back in the 1980’s, the contamination of theblood transfusion system was one of the mostcatastrophic medical complications in thehistory of Irish healthcare. Around 200haemophiliacs were infected with hepatitis Cand HIV. Over 70 people died in a scandal thatcontributed to the downfall of a government.

These were the events that prompted Irelandto invest in a world leading track-and-tracesystem that was envisioned by Dr Barry White,the then Director of the NCHCD. The solutionis based on a combination of electronic patientrecords and a complete track-and-trace supplychain system designed to eliminate any risk ofa repeat disaster. In 2001, the NCHCD was setup to create a more effective supply chain thatwas simple to manage and measurable.Making people responsible for each step in thesupply chain reduced risk and is a cornerstoneof the new service. Technology was identifiedas a crucial enabler. It was important to stepaway from paper-based processes that make ithard to collect information accurately.Recognising that performance measurementsin other industries were technology enabledand in real time, Dr. White felt that health carehad to be the same. “If you can’t see what ishappening, you can’t change outcomes.”Applying these principles to haemophiliactreatment was made more difficult becauseover 60% of all medication is carried out in thepatient’s home and the pharmaceuticalcompanies that supply the drugs don’t usebarcodes.

Using bar code scanning

To measure and monitor the entire supplychain the NCHCD turned to bar code scanningtechnology, guided by GS1 Ireland. At present,each patient pack is over-labelled with a GS1128 bar code containing a serialised GTIN, aswell as batch and expiry data. This data set has

since become the ‘standard’ for medicationtrack & trace solutions, for example the recentBRIDGE and EFPIA pilots, but is now beingreplaced with a GS1 data matrix code appliedby the manufacturers. Using a unique identifierand bar codes to tag and label the coagulantfactor concentrates (CFCs), the NCHCD rolledout a complete stock management and supplysystem that operates down to vial level. “Weuse GS1’s unique identifiers (GSRNs) to trackthe patients and the clinicians, as well as GLNsfor each location, including the patient’s home,so we can trace who is treating what patientand where,” explained Dr White. This data isintegrated with an Electronic Patient Recordthat has comprehensive information onprimary diagnosis, bleeding history and otherkey information. The final link in the supplychain is a cold chain delivery service whichuses AIDC (automatic identification and datacapture) to scan products and their location,including deliveries to the patient’s fridge.

Every single step is now recorded, explains DrWhite, from the point of prescription, topicking the product off the shelf, putting it in avan and delivering it to the patient’s home.This helps makes product recall possible withinminutes at every stage in the supply chain,something that was sadly lacking in thecontamination crisis. With objectivemeasurements in place throughout anoptimised supply chain, Dr White was able todemonstrate how the NCHCD had significantlyimproved performance as well as patientsafety. “Just by measurement alone and simplecorrections we were able to reduce waitingtimes for appointments from months to anaverage of two weeks,” he said, “and withoutany additional staff we have been able toincrease the number of patients going throughthe system by 40%. Staff own the process andby changing behaviour and throughmeasurement they have reduced waiting timesin the clinics from 60 minutes to 5 minutes.”

Summing up, Dr White said that thepurpose of the improved end-to-endprocess was to decrease medication errorand allow for rapid recall, but additionalbenefits had been an increase inproductivity and a much-improved service.The biggest benefit, however, is asignificant improvement in patient care andpatient safety. An added bonus is that theinvestments in technology have seen ahealthy return, highlighting how IT andcutting-edge solutions can make a realcontribution to healthcare in difficulteconomic times.

7

“If you can’tsee what ishappening,you can’tchangeoutcomes”Dr Barry White

8

Unique identifier is a vital firststep

Making the case for e-health and drivinglegislative change is a crucial part oftransforming healthcare in Ireland

The value of having Electronic Health Records (EHR) has longbeen recognised in Ireland but legislative changes are requiredto realise the benefits. This will happen in the first quarter of2010, according to Professor Grimson, when the HealthInformation Act will pave the way for the assignment of aUnique Health Identifier (UHI). A single number allocated toevery citizen in the country, the UHI is a vital stepping stonetowards the implementation of an EHR. The complex piece oflegislation will cover consent and information governancepertaining to issues around freedom of information and dataprotection.

The Professor made the case for better information sharing bypainting a picture of a health service that was reliant onfragmented data. Information flows reasonably well up anddown the vertical pillars of the individual care sectors but alack of integration made it hard for patients to navigatebetween the different entities. Part of the problem is “a verystrange healthcare system”, according to the Professor, amixture of public and private, where the public system hasbeen subject to much restructuring, with eleven health boardsconsolidated down to four.

Currenlty, with no UHI and different systems operating in silosaround the country, patients can only by tracked on anepisode-by-episode basis. “With a couple of exceptions, such asthe National Cancer Registry, information does not accompanythe patient as they move through the system,” she said.Another exception is the NCHCD and its use of electronic barcoding technology, recommended by GS1. This was a crucialbuilding block for a complete track-and-trace system thatincludes Ireland’s first single patient record.

As far as Professor Grimson is concerned, establishing sets ofhealth records is a big part of the HIQA remit. “The possibilitiesare there for detailed research and improved outcomes,” shesaid, describing a virtuous circle which would be enabled byinformation sharing across the sector. Adhering to classicprinciples of “collect once, use many times”, the heavy costsassociated with gathering health information could bealleviated, although she acknowledged that the pursuit of anEHR was never going to be cheap. “If you think of it as an ITsystem exclusively you will probably miss the point,” shewarned. “With most health information systems, 25% of thecost is hardware and software, 75% is the cost around thesystems, the changes in process which are potentially verysignificant.” She said it would cost many millions but HIQA

studies showed other countries had recouped their capitalcosts within a few years. These findings were part of a reportsubmitted to the Irish Minister of Health that recommends thebest approach for implementing a UHI, highlighting theimportance of developing standards and making sure it isuniversally adopted.

Technology challenge

A potential obstacle to the proposed plan is a particularly lowlevel of IT investment in Irish healthcare. One of the reasons isthe aftermath of an aborted attempt to roll out a centralisedsystem to handle Personnel, Payroll and Related Systems(PPARS) for healthcare workers. There was a collective gaspfrom delegates when Professor Grimson said that the projectwas budgeted at around €10m and ended up costing €150m.“You can imagine there was a lack of confidence about thehealth system’s ability to deliver appropriate ICT solutions,” shesaid. On a positive note, she said that the experience had atleast highlighted the importance of trying to set standards andhad given HIQA the breathing space to do the groundwork fora UHI. “We are doing this in the right order so we will havegovernance arrangements in place before the roll out,” sheadded.

A big part of the preparatory work has been looking at thecharacteristics of the UHI, and the appropriateness of using theexisting social security number – the PPS in Ireland. The HIQAreport concluded that it was not ideal for a number of reasonsand even argued against an enhanced or modified PPS infavour of a brand new number. Nothing is agreed yet and thereis still discussion to be had on precisely what data sets thenumber should cover. Privacy concerns over a national IDnumber were not an issue if the UHI was properly governed,argued Professor Grimson, and it could in fact strengthensecurity and confidentiality around personal healthinformation.

By looking at international best practise, HIQA has built up acompelling case for the best way to implement a UHI and thebenefits that will be realised through an EHR. Streamliningrecords management to relieve the administrative burden, areduction of repetitive and unnecessary tasks, and the abilityto monitor the population and aid medical research were justsome of the wins that were mentioned, along with thepotential to dramatically reduce costs. HIQA had also carriedout a survey of public attitudes and received a very positiveresponse - 96% of interviewees favoured some sort of numberacross all health settings and 86% thought all medicalinformation should be linked up. “Attitudes were a lot morepositive than we thought which gave us a lot ofencouragement,” said Professor Grimson.

Professor Jane Grimson is Director of Health Information in HIQA (HealthInformation and Quality Authority).

8

9

Richard Alvarez is President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada HealthInfoway, an organisation funded by the federal government and chargedwith accelerating the development and adoption of EHR systems across thevast North American country

Rolling out Electronic HealthRecords

Canada is in the middle of a massive e-healthimplementation that gives a fascinating insightinto the challenges and a first taste of thebenefits.

For Richard Alvarez, Electronic Health Records (EHR) are a ‘live’project, a massive implementation that offers an insight into ajourney that every healthcare organisation either wants to takeor has taken already. The size of his task becomes clear whenyou consider the scale of the Canadian healthcare system. Thedeployment covers 10 provinces, 100 health regions and 700hospitals, and involves almost half a million practitioners.While the scale of the challenge is daunting, Alvarez is in nodoubt that Canada’s healthcare system is unsustainable in itscurrent form. It faces an aging population and stretchedresources on one side, and growing patient expectations onthe other. The good news is that 88% of Canadians supportthe idea of electronic health records, no doubt encouraged bya catalogue of statistics that make a compelling case for EHRadoption. For every 1,000:

- hospital admissions, 75 people will suffer an adverse drugevent

- patients with an ambulatory encounter, 20 will suffer aserious drug event

- laboratory tests performed, up to 150 will be unnecessary

- emergency room visits, 320 patients will have aninformation gap, resulting in an average increased stay of1.2 hours

“Paper kills,” was Mr Alvarez’s chilling assessment of existingprocesses. He said the principal challenge was aboutredesigning processes and getting information to the rightplace using ubiquitous EHR systems. Basic wins would beimproved quality in patient care, improved productivitythrough reducing duplication of data and wait time fordiagnostics. The capital cost for EHR will be $10-$12 billion, butthe estimated benefits are $6-$7 billion annually. By 2010 hehopes that 50% of Canadians will be have an EHR, which willrise to 100% by 2012. Cutting to the quick of theimplementation challenge, he talked about the importance ofstakeholder involvement, from the ministry down to regionalhospitals. He said they were all expected to put “skin in thegame” and contribute to the funding of the projects. HealthInfoway was able to play its part and make investments morepalatable and less risky by leveraging existing investments.Entire applications are proven and then rolled out, oneterritory at a time. Not only does this mean a consistency ofservice and common standards, it can save significant moneyon procurement. Three provinces bought their diagnosticimaging systems together and saved around $70m.

Change challenge

The change management component of the project is not tobe underestimated, warned Mr Alvarez. “It’s not a technologygame; it’s a transformation and change management gamewith clinicans. If you don’t engage with them from the get-go,you have no chance of these systems succeeding.” Heacknowledged that big IT projects had a terrible reputationand were intrinsically high risk, exposing all sorts oforganisations to expensive project overruns. Health Infowayaddresses this by withholding payments to health bodies untilthe results are delivered. “We pay for results. No deliverables, nomoney,” he said. Underpinning Canada’s EHR is service-oriented architecture, a standards based technology platformthat enables the complex sharing of multiples databases andthe integration of disparate systems. “We are trying to bringcoherence to the systems,” explained Mr Alvarez. It enablesinformation to be seamlessly shifted between differentlocations, linking hospitals and doctor systems on a commonnetwork. New vendor solutions are only added if they fit withthe system.

The work of Health Infoway has triggered a flurry of activity.Five years ago there were around 50 IT projects underway, nowthere are close to 300. Some are already delivering benefitssuch as the roll out of diagnostic imaging which replacestraditional X-rays. Digitals images can be transmitted overnetworks and are much better suited for a country like Canadawhere a huge landmass and remote regions make traveldifficult and slow down diagnosis times. Currently, around 76%of imaging is film-free and digitised. Radiologist productivityhas seen productivity improvement of between 25 and 30%,which is equivalent to taking on 500 additional specialists. MrAlvarez said Canada could expect to see a billion dollar returnon a process that has “got rid of filing cabinets” and that is noteven taking into account the improved patient care. Anxiousnot to underplay the challenges in the wider EHR project, hereminded delegates again that stakeholder buy-in was vital.“We are a still a long way from where we want to be becauseit’s so complex. Some jurisdictions are pulling their weight;others are falling behind.” To better measure progress, HealthInfoway built an evaluation framework with 23 indicators,partly because it was surprisingly hard to attain anyquantitative data from countries that have already rolled outan EHR.

Summing up, Mr Alvarez conceded that the project was “a realslog”. He reeled off other challenges - vendors who claim theirtechnology is interoperable when it isn’t; skill shortages inhealthcare that forced them to poach technical expertise fromother sectors – but believed the public appetite for changewould drive it through. “Canadians are sick and tired of havingto repeat their medical histories over and over again,” he said.“And they don’t even know about the quality improvementsthat these systems can deliver, the improved access for ruralcommunities, the reduction in waste and waiting times.”

10

New medicine coding system to help addressthe growing risk of counterfeit medicinesEFPIA Pilot Coding ProjectEFPIA (The European Federation ofPharmaceutical Industries and Associations),the voice of the research-basedpharmaceutical industry in Europe, recentlyunveiled its pilot project to verify medicinesand so help reduce the risk of counterfeitmedicines being dispensed to patients.

The coding pilotproject, launched inSeptember, involvestesting a pharmacy-based verificationsystem using a smalldata matrix on eachmedicine packdispensed. This willrun for approximatelyfour months in 25pharmacies, and willassess more than100,000 packs. Theproject uses a two-

dimensional barcode, similar to those found on airlineboarding passes. This contains a unique productidentifier, allowing pharmacists to verify the status ofevery pack in the pilot at the time of dispensing.Scanning the data matrix code with a simple barcodereader will also allow the pharmacists to automaticallydetect the product expiry date and the batch number.This will increase confidence that the product beingdispensed is safe.

Background to the EFPIA Pilot

The project is a response to the European Commission’sDraft Directive on counterfeiting, aimed at reducing therisks of counterfeit medicines entering the legitimatesupply chain. The proposals set out a legal basis forensuring that safety features are obligatory on packs,allowing them to be authenticated and traced.

The logic of the Commission’s proposal is indisputable.Europe’s citizens need to be protected from theinfiltration of counterfeit medicines, for their own safetyas well as to maintain confidence in the legitimatesupply chain. Improved identification of medicine packsentering the pharmacy and being dispensed to patientswill make a valuable contribution to tackling this threat.

However, this cannot wholly eradicate the problem;other measures are also required. To eliminate

counterfeits and protect public health means having acomprehensive series of measures. These includeharmonised product serialisation, the universal use ofsafety features and a ban on repackaging.

Ensuring Product Integrity

The use of safety features on the packaging, to show thepack has not been opened or tampered with, along withverification at the point of dispensing will ensure packintegrity. Where existing safety features have beenremoved it becomes easier for counterfeits to enter thesupply chain undetected. The simplest method ofavoiding this would be a ban on repackaging, as thiswould help guarantee that the integrity of the originalpackaging has been preserved throughout the entiredistribution chain and the product has not beentampered with. However, to date the Commission doesnot wish to see such measures. EFPIA strongly believesthat, should repackaging be allowed to continue, robustinspection and audits by regulatory authorities arerequired to ensure that this activity is strictly controlledand scrutinised.

An Optimum Approach to Product Verification

Of the measures proposed, a product verification systemat the point of dispense (i.e. Pharmacy or Hospital) offersgood scope for improving both supply chain securityand patient safety. The Commission has not set out howthey envisage traceability working, but there are clearcriteria required to ensure success. Paramount is that thesystem is harmonised and interoperable across Europe. Ifthe free movement of medicines across borders is to besafe, a coordinated approach to identification andverification is essential. This needs all national codingsystems to be interoperable and based on commonstandards such as those defined by GS1.

This way, any pharmacist in any country can verifywhether a pack with the same serial number has beendispensed before,irrespective of itscountry of origin.Accredited full-linewholesalers wouldalso be able tohave the option toaccess thedatabase to checkthe status of theproduct at anytime if in doubt,

11

either before sending a product to the pharmacists orupon return of the product by the pharmacists. Withoutstandardisation and interoperability, there is a risk thatthe national identification and verification systems willbe fragmented. This will limit verification of a product’sprovenance to national product codes and create theproblem of identifying counterfeit products crossingborders. With parallel trade accounting for around 10%of all pharmaceutical sales in Europe, the ability to verifyproducts that have moved cross-border is essential.

Furthermore, the solution needs to garner the supportof all stakeholders by addressing their needs effectively.Imposing high-end or expensive solutions throughoutthe supply chain is likely to generate resistance. Theproposed EFPIA solution is realistic, proportionate andcost-effective. This pilot project encompasses bothwholesalers and retail pharmacies in the trial process,and will generate learnings from all actors.

Finally, the solution needs to be timely. The Commissionproposals mean that Member States will have toembrace mass serialisation, but without settingtimelines or guidelines on the appropriate technology.This could create a situation where the numbers ofcounterfeit medicines in the supply chain continues toincrease, while Member States initiate potentiallyincompatible solutions at different speeds, withoutaddressing the needs for interoperability andstandardisation.

The EFPIA project will provide proof of concept; a systemusing proven technology that can be deployed rapidly. Itwill also address the key requirements of interoperabilityand standardisation in a proportionate and affordablemanner. This is a practical solution to the challenge of

implementingunique packverification that allactors can embrace.It will not offer thetotal protection thata ban onrepackaging wouldprovide, but offers apractical, pragmaticand achievableapproach that provides citizens with additionalprotection from this threat.

Preliminary results

The pilot project will not be completed until the end ofthe year but early results have been very encouraging:

• No operational problems reported by pharmacies

• New scanners are well accepted by pharmacists

• More than 1000 packs verified and dispensed duringwork days

• Pharmacy log file entries show that the majority ofpharmacies do not have any significant issues;

• Ca. 9900 packs sold (as of 5 Oct) which is ca. 9 % ofpacks coded

• Excellent system response times, 99 % oftransactions completed in < 1.0 sec.

PharmaManufacturer Wholesaler Wholesaler Patient

Pharmacist/Hospital

Product Flow

Verification

UniqueSerialization

Verification

Dispensing

Data Transfer

ProductSerialization

Database

2D DataMatrix on 2o pack

✓ ✘

12

Filling gaps in ‘farm to fork’ traceabilityA report on the Meat Traceability Conference recentlyheld in Dublin.Organised by the Food Safety Authority ofIreland (FSAI), in association with GS1Ireland, the conference entitled “MeatTraceability – everyone’s business”highlighted the need for standards, bestpractice and a willingness to shareinformation as crucial steps forward.

The 2008 pork dioxin crisis that led to a total recall ofIrish pork products was the first and final topic to bediscussed at the conference. The FSAI Chief ExecutiveOfficer, Professor Alan Reilly, kicked off proceedingswith a candid overview of the incident and said it wasimportant to learn lessons because something similarwould almost certainly happen again. While there iscountry of origin labelling and other mechanisms tofacilitate ‘farm to fork’ visibility, the supply chain

complexity that goes into food production challengesthe concept of complete traceability, according toProfessor Reilly. The ingredients of a single pork sausage,for example, could come from 25 different animals, 15different farms and six different countries.

Professor Reilly was the first of a number of speakers torefer to EU food law178/2002, the ‘one-up, one down’legal requirement whereby a food production facilitymust know who supplied them and where or to whomtheir product has gone. “In the dioxin crisis everybodyhad complied with this. So now it’s time to go a stepfurther,” he said. It took three weeks to recall all porkproducts using the EU Rapid Alert System, a timelinethat he suggested could be improved if information wasable to flow more freely through the supply chain. “Weknew it was a crisis but because we were just seeingpieces of a jig-saw we did not see the extent of it at first,”he said.

Speakers at the Conference(L-R): Dr Wayne Anderson - Director of Food Science and Standards, Food Safety Authority of Ireland; MrJimmy O’Connor - Technical Manager, Rosderra Irish Meats Group, Ltd; Mr John Keogh - Senior Vice President, Traceability & EPCglobal,GS1 Canada; Mr Niels Peter Baadsgaard - Senior Project Leader, Veterinary Research and Development, Danish Pig Production; Mr JimBracken - Chief Executive Officer, GS1 Ireland; Prof. Alan Reilly - Chief Executive, Food Safety Authority of Ireland; Mr Denis O’Brien -Information Technology Consultant; Mr Justin Carton - Director, Carton Group; Mr Garry Hartley - GS1 New Zealand’s Manager forStrategic Initiatives.

Numbers game

When it came to a practical approach to traceability,numbers are the name of the game. Justin Carton,Managing Director of the Carton Group, Ireland’slargest poultry processing company, said his firm hadgone beyond the basic requirements and instigated asophisticated numbering system that coveredeverything from the chicken feed to the different cuts ofmeat that are delivered to supermarkets. With reliableidentification of every item, it was possible to build asystem with complete traceability. Initially designed as away to deal more effectively with customer complaints,it is part of the company’s strategy to make customerservice a differentiator.

Following examples from the technology world, andDell in particular, every supplier is classified and codedto give the company end-to-end control. Carton evenbuilt its own feed mill and keeps an archive of feedsamples, which means it can identify what every birdate. The company is a big user of IT and has adopted a‘gather data once’ approach that has made the businessmore efficient and competitive in a crowdedmarketplace. “It’s not a traceability system per se, but it’san integrated system with one set of data that coverseverything from raw materials to finished goods,” saidCarton.

Another example of a company that has gone beyondthe basic legal requirement is the Rosderra Irish MeatsGroup, a pork processing company that had its systems

put to test with the dioxin crisis. Technical ManagerJimmy O’Connor outlined how its slaughterhouse track-and-trace system worked, using an elaboratenumbering system to facilitate the processing of 26,000pigs every week. The process starts with the ‘slap mark’,the ID tag that records the species, farm and county ofeach pig and is part of a national tracking system. Moredata is captured in the slaughterhouse as each part ofthe carcass is classified and the information entered intothe company’s business management software.Comprehensive information about each product is thenembedded on a 10-digit barcode as well as on theproduct label.

On the day of the dioxin crisis the phones startedringing from customers across Europe. One Frenchcustomer had €500,000 worth of pork that it wanted toknow if it could be released to market. By analysing itstraceability data, Rosderra had a comprehensive view ofhow the contamination could have affected its productsby the next morning. It was able to tell the Frenchcustomer that he was good to go. O’Connor said therewas certainly room for improvement in the way therecall was carried out, an issue that was later addressedin some detail by representatives of GS1.

John Keogh, Senior Vice President of GS1 Canada,spoke about developing a food safety recall networkwhere participants would publish product informationon a web site. It would become a single trusted sourceof data, where items are identified and visiblethroughout the supply chain. The challenge is

Jim Bracken - CEO, GS1 Ireland & Prof. Alan Reilly - ChiefExecutive, Food Safety Authority of Ireland

13

14

persuading companies that their commercially sensitiveinformation would be secure in the system. The benefitwould be a database that could be accessed in a crisisand used to instigate a comprehensive and timelyproduct recall.

“We’re not telling people how to do their product recall,we’re doing the piece in the middle,” explained Keogh.He left no doubt of the need for improved procedures.In the US, 67% of companies had experienced recallsthat had cost on average $20 million. Further researchshowed that a recall typically takes 42 days and only43% of products are traced. “It’s shocking,” said Keogh, “and we need to see improvements by using informationthat translates just as easily for someone running a storein the mid-west of America as to a multinational chain.”

Boosting brand value

The drivers for organisations to improve traceability aretwofold, according to Keogh. There is federal regulatorypressure and there is brand value. He argued that therisk of negative brand impact should be the best reason,encouraging organisations to improve traceability anduse it as a way to differentiate and create competitiveadvantage. He also identified simple market realities as agreat way of moving companies along. Canadian firmslooking to trade with China, for example, must havestrong traceability processes in place.

GS1 is also working with IT consultant Dennis O’Briento develop an application for sharing information. Thedatabase could be interrogated like Google, with anindex search service for pulling up data by batchnumber and other criteria, for a complete picture of thesupply chain. Reminding delegates that delays in thedioxin recall were caused by missing information,O’Brien emphasised that such a track-and-trace systemwould only be as good as the data it contained. He alsotalked about the evolution of the barcode, pointing outthat the new generation of GS1 data matrix and GS1databar carry much more information and could play avital role in a recall. Even if a product had slippedthrough and made it to the shelves, O’Brien explainedthat it could still be caught at the point of sale, as thescan would be alerted by a number that was on therecall list.

There was tangible evidence at the event that the barcoding technologies and infrastructure are there; it’s justa matter of standardising the data set. This was the keymessage from Jim Bracken, CEO of GS1 Ireland, whoexplained that GS1 has over 30 years experienceimplementing best practice in supply chains and hadpreviously worked with the Irish Beef industry indeveloping a best practice traceability solution basedon GS1 standards.

(L-R): Mr Jimmy O’Connor - Technical Manager, Rosderra Irish Meats Group, Ltd; Prof. Alan Reilly - Chief Executive, FoodSafety Authority of Ireland; Mr Justin Carton - Director, Carton Group

15

Jim highlighted the importance of standardisingbarcodes and the need to create a shared datapool for a more timely and effective access to data,“the current labelling system in the industry is nonstandard but the technology is there and a GS1standard label format could be quickly and easilyimplemented”. He also discussed the role ofscanning solutions and the rise of RFID tagging,which was explored further by two internationalspeakers.

Gary Hartley, GS1 New Zealand, and Niels PeterBaadsgaard, project leader in Danish PigProduction, were both working on pilot projectsusing ultra high frequency (UHF) RFID for tagginglivestock. They claimed that low frequency tagsand readers could be superceded by technologythat would allow details of livestock to becaptured more quickly and efficiently. Their trialshad shown high success rates with prototypeequipment over distances of up to five or sixmetres and both were looking to extend the lifeand reach of their pilot programmes.

The projects had other things in common. Bothwere using technology to protect internationaltrading interests by improving traceability on keynational exports. And both elicited an angryresponse from other players in their industries,who, for various reasons, had settled on theexisting solution and were reluctant to pursueanother, even though the benefits were tangible.

The political dimension of trying to improve onold ways of doing things was touched on in theroundtable discussion that concluded the event.While all the speakers had reinforced the idea thatstandards and common practices are pivotal in aheavily regulated sector like the food industry,there was recognition that everyone needed tochange and work more closely together tominimise the fallout from future incidents.

Acknowledging that nothing had happened in thelast year to prevent a similar crisis from occurring,Cormac Healy of IBEC assured delegates thatthings were starting to change. “The industry isworking with the Department of Agriculture andwe are close to standardising a format forinformation that would make things easier in thefuture,” he said.

GS1 Ireland and the Irish meat industry are indiscussion on the application of a standards labelapplication to help improve traceabilityrequirements and ensure the repercussions of amass product recall are minimised in the future.

GS1 Training is designed to get you up to speed on theGS1 Standards as quickly as possible, saving you time,money and energy.

Our courses are conducted in an informal classroom-stylesetting, delivered by experts in their field. Each coursebreaks down the Standards into easy to manage steps,ensuring you can put them into action immediately uponyour return to the office.

GS1 Ireland Training dates for 2010

FebruaryBarcode training Feb 2nd Dublin

EDI training Feb 10th & 11th Dublin

MarchBarcode training March 4th Galway

AprilBarcode training April 15th Dublin

MayEDI May 11th & 12th Dublin

Barcode training May 27th Cork

JulyBarcode training July 13th Dublin

EDI training July 21st & 22nd Dublin

SeptemberBarcode training September 14th Limerick

OctoberEDI training October 5th & 6th Dublin

Barcode training October 14th Dublin

NovemberBarcode training November 18th Dublin

For registration, please log onto www.gs1ie.og

2010 TrainingCourses

Examples of three types of existing caselabelling

Codico carried out sample testing usingthe Domino C6000+ high resolutioninkjet printer system on the exact casetype that Lakeland had selected for thisproduct.

Lakeland then presented the inkjetcases printed with the Domino C6000+system and succeeded in gettingapproval for this type of bar coding buteach printed box had to be verified on-line.

Lakeland Dairies, a longstanding customer ofCodico won an order to produce fresh milk potsfor a catering contract from a UK Dairycompany.

In order to produce the product to the requiredstandard, Lakeland had to develop all newpackaging and coding to meet existingcustomers standards in the UK.

One area of concern for Lakeland was theapplication of a label that contained variableinformation such as GS1-128 bar codes on thecase that contained 100 pots, as they had

previous poor experience with this type oftechnology in a fast production area.

Lakeland had existing Domino outer-case inkjetcoders employed to place the production andexpiry dates on similar boxes but they nowwanted a high resolution inkjet coding solutionthat could guarantee them all bar codes wereup to standard.

Tom Brady, Production Manager for LakelandDaries in Killeshandra then contacted Codicofor a possible solution.

The Testing:-

How Codico solved for Lakeland DairiesThe Problem:-

ADVERTORIAL

The Solution:-

Codico then installed our Domino C6000+ case codingsolution on a prepared line in Lakeland

This system is capable of printing variable data on eachconsecutive case such as time of production, case number andall GS1 bar codes, such as the GS1-128 bar code.

GS1-128 bar code was utilised as the end customer neededthe expiry date to be included in the bar code for stockrotation purposes.

Codico also installed a verification system on-line that checkedthe quality of each GS1-128 bar code and has the ability tostop the line, repurge the Domino C6000+ printer and releasethe line into production again.

example oftypical coding ona production line.

example of how verifier scans barcode on production line.

example of an installation.

Codico installed a Domino C6000+ highresolution bar code printing system to print thehuman readable data plus the GS1-128 barcode standard that included the expiry date oneach case. The in-line verification system thatwas connected to the printer and theproduction line ensured that the cases were ofthe required standard for the customer.

Lakeland duplicated this same system on afurther production line to keep up withincreased orders for product. Example ofDomino C6000+ print quality below and GS1-128 bar code.

The Result:-

GS1-128 bar code issue

Please contact Codico Distributors Ltd for furtherinformation on 051 379933 or visit us at www.codico-distributors.com.

18

Data CrunchGS1 UK’s study provides invaluable data on thebusiness case for implementing a Data Pool Service.The UK retail industry is behind the curve inaddressing the challenge of poor product supplychain data. The size of the quality problem is farworse than expected, with data shown to beinconsistent in over 80% of instances. It isestimated that this will cost the industry at least£700m over the next 5 years, and a further £300min lost revenues.

Furthermore, given the increasing demands ofconsumers for better product information and labellingfor nutrition, health and lifestyle and pending Europeanlegislation related to packaging and the environment,manual work arounds and pragmatic fixes employedcurrently by retailers are no longer sustainable. Thetime has arrived for the UK grocery industry to addressthe data quality issue head on, and reap theconsiderable benefits.

Accurate product data – the bedrock ofefficient supply chains UK retailing is a highly competitive, fast-moving andrapidly changing industry. The major supermarketchains have developed supply chains that service adiverse range of outlets with an impressive andgrowing selection of products and merchandise.Margins and profits are under pressure as consumerspending is curtailed in the economic downturn. Thesupermarket groups are in a fiercely competitiveenvironment.

The retail sector is under constant pressure to innovate– introducing new ways for consumers to buy (e.g. fromthe web and mobile devices), providing extendedproduct ranges and addressing increasing demandsfrom consumers and legislators.

In this context, the flow of information is even more critical.Anecdotal evidence has suggested that product data in thesupply chain is of poor quality. To prove (or disprove) the‘bad data’ argument, GS1 UK compared the data on groceryproducts held by four of the largest supermarket retailersand matched this against product data from four majorsuppliers.

The study has revealed that retailers are working with datathat is inconsistent in well over 80% of instances. Given thecurrent overall health of the grocery retailing industry, itwas surprising to discover such a high level of poor qualityproduct data currently being held by retailers.

Bad data has a severe cost impact on the industry in threemain areas:

• the cost of manual workarounds to source missing dataand correct errors

• administrative shrinkage costs in areas such as orderingand invoicing

• lost consumer sales through shelf stock- outs.

The estimated financial impact on retailers and suppliers of£1 billion over the next 5 years is believed to beconservative. This arises from a combination of processinefficiencies, duplications and workarounds across theretailer and supplier’s supply chains, together withadministrative shrinkage and shelf stockouts thatinaccurate data causes.

The averagelevel of

industryproduct datainconsistency80%

19

Manual workarounds untenable withdata requirements set to grow The consumer and regulatory information demandsmultiply the volume of data that grocery retailers willneed to hold for the products they sell – from anaverage of 66 product attributes today to an estimated250 attributes in future years. This will make themanagement of product data by suppliers and retailerseven more challenging.

Without efficient processes to obtain, store, update anddeliver accurate product information, retailers willcontinue to incur rapidly increasing internal costs topatch up deficiencies in product data, and potentiallysuffer sanctions from legislators, pressure groups andconsumers.

Industry best practice from around the world tells usthat product data should be input once, and in mostcases, this should be by the supplier. The good news isthat sample checks of product dimension data carriedout during the project have indicated that in 4 out of 5instances the supplier data is more accurate than theretailer data.

The solution – Global DataSynchronisation (GDS)The conclusion of the Data Crunch Project is thatretailers and their suppliers should consider adoptingGDS techniques already in use in other countries such asthe USA, Australia and mainland Europe. Albert Heijn,the leading Dutch supermarket operator, automated themanagement of its product data as a precursor to fullGDS. The results were greater data accuracy, improvedsupply chain processes and greater collaboration withtrading partners.

Wegmans Food Markets pioneered GDS in the USA. Itmade quantum improvements in the accuracy ofproduct data and cut several days out of theadministration processes needed to bring new productsinto stores.Similar techniques can deliver benefits in theUK. However, for GDS to become the de facto way ofworking in the UK industry, major retail groups will needto move away from tactical solutions and embrace anew industry standard for managing product datawhere one single, accurate, master source is used by allparties.

Product data describes the characteristics of every item,case and pack bought and sold. It exists and is stored,duplicated and manipulated across departments fordifferent purposes across business functions (e.g. buying,

warehousing, distribution, merchandising and stores)and across retailers, distributors and suppliers. Althoughthe data may relate to the same products, it is rarelymanaged in a cohesive and consistent manner withinindividual retailers, let alone across the wider industry.

The systems and processes in place to handle productdata are basically the same as those designed when thegrocery market was much smaller, slower and lessdynamic. After a new product is launched, there areinadequate processes to check the accuracy of data. Ifmanufacturing processes, product content or packagingattributes change, there are no mechanisms to updatethe many usage points within each of a supplier’s manyhundred trade retail customers. In the majority of cases,no-one in the supplier or the retailer organisation ischarged with ensuring the ongoing quality of data, orfor removing obsolete information from master datafiles.

The supply chain continues to function because eachretailer, lacking trust in the suppliers’ data, has allowedits many stores, warehouses and trade buyers todevelop a multitude of spreadsheets and smalldatabases, each containing local product data createdand tailored for particular departmental needs.

This keeps the supply chain operating. However, as oursurvey reveals, it has contributed to enormous datainaccuracies and inconsistencies which are having animpact on retailer and supplier profits anddowngrading on-shelf availability. Apart from theproblems caused by inaccurate product data, the cost ofbuilding and operating these local silos of productinformation imposes a large and unnecessaryoperational cost penalty on the supply chain.

SummaryThe supply chain continues to function andsatisfy the needs of consumers but at a high financial costin manual workarounds, a high incidence of lost sales andsignificant product ‘shrinkage’.

In the past, rapid market growth and the expansion of thelarge supermarket chains have compensated for thehidden costs in keeping the supply chain functioning.However, growth cannot continue at current ratesindefinitely, and supermarket chains will need to placemore attention on raising efficiency levels andstreamlining activities. Improving the quality of productdata and reducing the time and effort it takes to obtain,manage and distribute consistent and accurateinformation across the business will play an important partin delivering these benefits.

As the grocery industry becomes more complex, productlife cycles reduce and consumer outlets become morevaried, the demand for faster delivery of more diverse and

accurate data will increase. Additional pressuresare being imposed by consumers, governments,regulators and pressure groups placing increasingdemands for greater information on nutritional,environmental, packaging and other productattributes.

To keep pace with these demands, and manageproduct information efficiently and economically,retailers and suppliers will need to collaborate inautomating and centralising the sourcing,maintenance and distribution of accurate productdata.

Proven solutions exist in the form of GDS andimplementations of this technology are deliveringvalue in many countries. To date, grocery retailersin the UK have resisted adopting GDS. Althoughthe attractions and benefits are self-evident, themajor UK grocery supermarket chains have viewedimplementation as too challenging, divertingfocus away from expansion and winning sharewithin a highly competitive and growing market.

As market growth slows and it becomes morechallenging to increase market share and profit, it’stime for the major UK supermarket chains to takeaction and start to enjoy the benefits of GDS thatare already proven in the grocery industries ofother advanced countries.

20

An Internet connection is now all you need to maximisethe significant business benefits of electronic trading -thanks to Atlas Fusion.For more than 15 years Atlas Products International hasestablished an enviable reputation for developing someof the most innovative EDI software solutions on themarket.Atlas Fusion has been operating successfully in Irelandfor the past four years and has now been brought to theUK by Atlas.Now, whether you are a buyer or a supplier, Atlas Fusionprovides a view of any document your company handles,be it paper or electronically originated, that is available,anytime, from anywhere in the world, using any InternetExplorer or other browser.Everyone agrees that the paperless office is a goal we allstrive for but are unlikely to attain. Atlas Fusion takes uscloser to that goal than any other system, whilst at thesame time reducing your carbon footprint and helping toachieve your sustainability objectives and policies.Aimed at organisations which want to improve orintroduce efficiency with electronic trading - but stillsend or receive forests of paper, Atlas Fusion is the idealtool to allow outbound documents to be 100%electronic, thereby slashing the costs of handling thedaily inbound paper avalanche.Rich in functionality, Atlas Fusion has been developed ina modular fashion with a core product supplemented bya wide range of additional features to enable users tobuild the ideal bespoke system for their own uniqueelectronic trading requirements.It can be integrated to your back office accounts or ERPsystems and work seamlessly with your current EDIsystem or with your existing Atlas EDI system.From just tens up to tens of thousands of documentsdaily, Atlas Fusion’s Scanning and OCR (Optical CharacterRecognition) system is completely scalable and can growwith your company’s needs.Also available as a stand-alone product, the OCR used byAtlas Fusion has the ability to convert whole rooms fullof arch files, filing cabinets and archived paper trails intoelectronic format, reducing up to 320,000 pages of A4onto a single DVD.

The Atlas Fusion modules include:

EDI• Back office Integration • Electronic documents includes but not restricted to

Statements, Payments, Orders, Invoices, CreditNotes, ASN's, Delivery Notes etc

• Suppliers can type in manually, upload CSV or XLSpreadsheet

Price Matching Engine• Will stop and / or warn of incorrectly priced

invoices. • Will stop and / or warn of incorrect invoice

Quantities • Buyers can decide prices • Buyers can add / delete / amend suppliers • Suppliers can add / delete / amend staff details • Suppliers can request price changes, deletions,

additions, description changes, pack-size changesetc

• Suppliers can match against Retailer’s master price& product list

• Fully secure – Suppliers can only see their ownprices.

Dispute Resolution Centre• Allows users to exchange comments and resolve

disputes in a common user forum • Disputes can be started anytime by supplier or

buyer, attached to an invoice, credit, delivery note,scanned POD or EDI GRN. Full tracking andresolution system. Option for buyers to create Debitnotes allowing disputed invoices to be paid up to alesser value until the dispute is resolved.

Statistics• Complete buyers and supplier’s a summary of all

transactions over any given time frame categorisedby product code, product group/type, value etc.

Document Search Engine, E-Mail, News letter andpromotions and manymore.

GS1 StandardsAtlas Fusion uses GS1 standard EDI messages to ensurethe same EDI message format is used throughout thesupply chain. For example, if a supplier uses Fusion tosend invoices to a retailer, the retailer will receive the

same EDI invoice message as though the invoice hadcome through from a traditional EDI message. Fusiontranslates the invoice into the standard EDI message asused by the retailer.

Fusion also uses the standard GS1 numbering system –GTINs that uniquely identify products and GLNs thatuniquely identify trading partners within the EDI world.

Who uses Fusion?Atlas Fusion has been rolled out to some of Ireland’s topretailers in the FMCG and Hardware / DIY sectors.It allows all suppliers to trade electronically with theirretailers regardless of their size. For example, Suppliers now have 3 methods of gettingtheir invoices to their retailers –1. “Traditional” EDI2. Manually enter invoices via Fusion3. Upload CSV of invoices via Fusion

Using Fusion, the length of time involved in gettingsuppliers trading electronically with their retailers is afraction of the amount of time using traditional EDI. Onone Fusion project with a major retailer, 220 supplierswent live in less than 3 months.

For more details about Atlas and our range ofproducts visit our website atwww.atlasproducts.com or call our Dublin salesteam on 01 511 1264. Alternatively, if you wouldlike to speak to our UK office, please call us on+44(0)87005011033.

Atlas Products Ireland, Digital Depot, Roe Lane,The Digital Hub, Thomas Street, Dublin 8.

Electronic trading that is 100% paperless, 100% EDI, 100% price-matched, 100% quantity-matched, 100% accurate and 100% visible

Atlas FusionADVERTORIAL

22

Tetra Pak adopts GS1 Global Standards

Tetra Pak has harmonised the design of pallet labelsacross all its facilities worldwide. This saves a great dealof time and money for Tetra Pak's customers. The nextstep will be the introduction of RFID tags as informationcarriers on pallets.

Tetra Pak is the world's leading supplier of packagingsolutions for foodstuffs. These products, one-timepackaging for milk, juice and other liquid foodstuffs, areused every day by millions of people across the globe.Tetra Pak has more than 21,000 employees andoperations in more than 150 countries. The company'slargest customers are giants such as Unilever, Coca-Colaand Nestlé.

For many years Tetra Pak used different types of palletlabels at its facilities in different countries. There haspreviously been no great need for harmonisation sincethe factories have traditionally focused on their localmarkets. Tetra Pak's exports from the individualcountries were normally very low.

That picture has changed. Many of the company'sfactories have customers in several countries. Individualcustomers often have, in turn, Tetra Pak facilities indifferent countries as packaging suppliers. In Germany,for example, there are customers who take deliveriesfrom facilities not only in Germany but also France andSpain. Customers like these found it difficult tounderstand why they got pallets from Tetra Pak with twoor three different types of labels, requiring additionaltechnical equipment and creating unnecessarilycomplex routines.

To address these problems, Tetra Pak has harmonisedthe design of pallet labels across all its facilitiesworldwide.

"A single pallet label designed to a global standard givesenormous advantages in the supply chain. The aim ofharmonisation is above all to give our customers whatthey want. They save a great dealof time and money thanks tocommon labels. Customerreactions have also been verypositive", says Ernesto Schroeder,global logistics manager at TetraPak.

Work began with a study to workout what could be done toimprove the system.

"We collected labels from all our facilities in everycountry", says Ernesto Schroeder. "We studied them herein Sweden. It needed a lot of observation and researchto understand why we had different labels."

The study resulted in a decision to design a single palletlabel at the global level which would satisfy thedemands of both Tetra Pak and its customers. Thecompany got in touch with GS1 Sweden, and a jointproject was started.

"Several of our large customers participate in the GS1system. We discussed with these customers and withGS1 what information should be on the label and where.Our cooperation with GS1 has gone smoothlythroughout and has not been expensive."

At the end of 2008, GS1 Sweden presented its proposal.The label was based on GS1’s global standard.

"Customers were pleased with the proposal as well asour own warehouses and factories. The information iseasy to understand and it is simple to scan thebarcodes."

It took roughly one year from the problem being statedto the pallet label being ready for rollout.

"The project plan was included in each factory’s ITresources and IT investments. We have invested inspecial equipment to print the labels. We have alsoinvested in the software recommended by GS1."

The project was rolled out to 30 factories worldwidewhich together account for 99% of Tetra Pak’s totalproduction. These are in Europe, North America, SouthAmerica, Africa and China. Tetra Pak has a total of 33factories globally. The remaining three were notincluded in the project since they produce a totallydifferent type of product.

23

"In only five months, from March toJuly this year, we succeeded in rollingthe system out to factories aroundthe globe," continues ErnestoSchroeder. "Customers can nowreceive goods from any factoryregardless of which country it is in."

The pallet label’s design is identicalfor the whole world with theexception of China. For the fourfacilities there, the label is printed inboth English and Chinese. In the restof the world the label is only printedin English.

"We got an immediate positivereaction from customers in Germany,Switzerland, France and Italy who were the firstrecipients of the rollout. They have been able to simplifytheir routines considerably. We have now received similarpositive responses from customers in the US, Mexico andSpain.

"How much our customers are saving throughharmonisation we don't know. It's possible that anindividual customer can save several hundred thousandEuros per year. Sooner or later, we will probably get somefeedback in the form of numbers."

The most important lessons from the harmonisationproject so far are, according to Ernesto Schroeder, thefollowing:

• A simple pallet label gives very big gains in thesupply chain if it follows a global standard.

• Never start a project without listening tocustomers’ wishes and opinions. The project mustgive them sufficiently large gains, otherwise it willbe irrelevant.

• It is possible to carry out big projects with wide-ranging and positive effects without costing afortune.

• Completing the project so quickly and smoothlywas due to a great extent to excellent cooperationwith GS1.

The next few years will see further development ofinformation carriers on pallets within Tetra Pak.

"We will be starting a project to put all pallet informationon RFID/EPC tags. All pallets going into or out of ourwarehouses will be scanned automatically. Ourcustomers will soon be able to save even more time bynot having to stand pallet labels. We expect to be usingRFID/EPC pallets throughout the group by 2012 at thelatest," says Ernesto Schroeder.

Facts about Tetra Pak

• Tetra Pak is the world's leadingcompany within process andpackaging solutions for foodstuffs.

• The company has more than20,000 employees and operationsin over 150 countries.

• Their products satisfy the needs ofmillions of people across theglobe.

• There are manufacturing facilitieson five continents.

• The largest factories are in Lund,Sweden, Spain, Germany, Mexico,Brazil, Japan and the US.

A & N Fuels LtdAlusi Europa LtdAndrew Ace ExportsBanaghan & Co (Stationery) LtdBeauty Results LtdBorn to BakeButton & Co Goldsmiths LtdC.O.H Suppliers LtdCafe Sol LtdCaffreys Natural StoneCapella Medical Devices LtdCatherines KitchenCharem LtdClever Box ClubDingle Farmhouse ProductsDoreen's Bakery LimitedDoreens Bakery LtdEco Friend IrelandEco InkEcopalFarbro Distribution LtdGiles BrosGlanbia AgribusinessGoatsbridge Trout Farm LtdGTO Marketing LtdHannoplasticsHartysHickey BrothersHi-Volt Ireland LtdInnovative Wine Solutions LtdIrish Bacon Slicers LtdIrish Tackle & Leisure LtdJasons Cottage home bakeryJim Casey BreadcrumbKandyco LtdKillarney Plastics LtdLa Charcuterie Irlandaise LtdLangans Cafe & Restaurants Ltd

GS1 Ireland would like to welcome thefollowing as New Members of theorganisation

Leo Dunne LtdLett Frozen FoodsLive4LessM & B Sweets LtdMD Product Innovations LtdMEASNatural Art ltdNeutrog FertilisersR & S Fine Food LtdRedRock Trading Co LtdRoyal County Products Ltd

Sean O'BrienShicon LtdSimplicitySleepySportzStafford Fine WinesThe Forge RestaurantThe Gluten Free BakeryThornton EcoFuels LtdTrona ProductsVincent Ryan Cooked Meats LtdYunan Natural Tea Company