Global Data Synchronization as Easy as 1-2-3
Over the last decade, Global Data Synchronization (GDS) has been evolving as a standard practice for businesses to share product data. This practice is greatly improving the accuracy of product data, increasing the speed to market for new products and reducing the costs in the supply chain. Within the last year, we've seen Global Data Synchronization move into new phases:
- The early adopters have integrated GS1 Item Alignment into their everyday business processes.
- More industry verticals are selecting GS1 Item Alignment as their standard method for exchanging product data.
- An expansion to new regions and product synchronization across regions is becoming more common.
As testimony to the widespread adoption, the use of GTINs (Global Trade Item Number) continues to expand and the Global Registry has now reached 7 million strong. In the Consumer Product Goods space, GS1 Item alignment is mature and this is influencing the later adopters. A lot of lessons have been learned and the keys to success center around GS1 Item alignment integrated into core business practices.
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Supplying the Flip side – The Case for a Supplier Portal
eCommerce… the opportunity to promote and sell your products online to customers; enabling them to check their order and shipping status, review their account details, and more. The potential benefits are easy to identify: better customer service, reduced administrative tasks (when properly integrated), quicker to market with new/updated products and, most of all, increased market share through the additional Web sales channel, 24*7 availability and cross selling.
But what about the flip side of the order processing chain?
Many companies still have mostly manual procedures for supplier communication and procurement. For instance purchase orders are manually generated and mailed, invoice inquiries are handled by phone, and supplier product catalogues are received and stored in inconsistent formats that don't allow for any automated procedures.
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The Information Explosion (and the case for Business Process Integration)
"These vast size of data being generated, archived, managed and exchanged is driving the need for business process improvement and business process integration."
Rollin Ford, Wal-Mart’s CIO, earlier this year stated “Every day I wake up and ask….how can I flow data better, manage data better, analyze data better”. Not surprising when you consider that Wal-Mart processes over 1 million client business transactions every hour and manages databases over 170 times the size of the entire Library of Congress (the largest library in the world). However, Wal-Mart is not an isolated phenomenon. We are in an era that has been referred to as the “Industrial Revolution of Data”. The Economist calls it the “Data Deluge” and describes data as “the new raw material of business, on a par with capital and labor”.
In 2005 we created 150 billion gigabytes (or 150 exabytes) of data globally and this year (2010) a whopping 1,200 billion gigabytes (or 1,200 exabytes) of information is projected to be generated. Digital data is increasing at a compounded growth rate of 60% per year and this growth rate is expected to increase dramatically going forward. Google now manages 35,000 queries each second and processes more data in half a day than the US Postal Service is expected to manage and deliver all year (about 5 petabytes worth, or 5 million gigabytes). Corporate America is expected to archive 27 billion gigabytes (or 27 exabytes) of data this year alone.
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The State of Global Data Synchronization
My introduction into Global Data Synchronization started in 2002 as an IT manager for an early adopter of Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) standards in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry. At the time, CPG companies were the only sector actively synchronizing item data in the United States. Since then, GDSN adoption has expanded to many other sectors with the latest entrants being Food Service and Healthcare. (If you are new to GDSN, check out our Jargon Buster page.)
LANSA folks at U Connect 2010
I’ve just returned from a very busy, well attended U Connect 2010 conference held in San Antonio where this increased activity was evident.
As GS1 US celebrated their 10th year for the conference, it was obvious that there were a lot of new companies in attendance. It was exciting to see how the momentum has picked-up for the GDSN initiative and how the standards are being adopted by more and more companies as a better way of doing business. There are now more than 5 million GTINs (unique trade items) in the GDSN network, exchanged between 92 countries! (Find the latest stats by opening this PDF version of the GS1 Global Registry Statistics report.)
The LANSA team met throughout the week with companies at all stages of adopting Data Synchronization methods and tools. We have many customers that have been using the standards for a number of years that are looking to expand the use of attributes, increase the use of integration with their ERP and/or PIM (Product Information Management) systems and increase the number of trading partners they exchange item data with. For the newer entrants, they are learning from the companies that have come before and are looking for integrated, smart solutions right out of the gate so they get the most value for their investments.
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