Through the network, GS1 South Africa provides a vehicle for clean, accurate and maintained data, which is critical to the long-term sustainability of the supply chain, connecting business-to-business, business-to-government and business-to-consumer. Geographically, the region has been expanded to include Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Newly appointed CGCSA CEO, Gwarega Mangozhe, said that changes in the supply chain and the necessity for expanding the local system to incorporate additional industry sectors, including general merchandise, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and consumer electronics, were the main reasons for the partnership.
"Recognition must be given to the South African FMCG industry which, for the past two years, has had a major impact on the success of the new system's roll-out. Suppliers, particularly Pick n Pay, member of the GS1 Council and active participant on the GS1 working groups, have been actively involved in developing a dynamic system for supply chain efficiencies as well as meeting regulatory requirements," says Mangozhe.
Tasked with leading the design and implementation of global standards in improving the supply and demand chain, GS1 South Africa has simplified global commerce by connecting the flow of information with the flow of goods through the GDSN. Over the past decade, the organisation has familiarised the FMCG industry with the value of data synchronisation through the Product Data Catalogue.
Data synchronisation is the loading, registering and publishing of trade item characteristics, such as brand name, product variant, pack size and supplier packing hierarchies, in a centralised environment. This data undergoes stringent data quality checks and is then publicised to a private retailer/wholesaler or retailer group.
Historically, the data synchronisation process was aimed predominantly at FMCG, was restricted in features and functionalities for companies who import products and resulted in duplication of data locally that already resided in the global network.
Collectively, the FMCG industry has supported CGCSA in its role of mobilising solutions that address supply chain issues as well as serving as the bridge between trading partners, government and associations.
1SYNC represents more than 83% of the world's GDSN volume and plays a key role in assisting industries to adopt and implement GS1 standards.
In addition to the 1SYNC Data Pool, the GDSN system will incorporate a front end hosted by GS1 South Africa, called DATAnet.za, through which access to specialised services will be available, such as retailer listing and product data forms, as well as auto and manual quality control checks based on global rules. Published data will then be made available through the imminent Bar Code Verification and Item Measurement (BVIM) Service.
