GS1 GDSN hits 15 million global trade items

The GS1 Global Registry has reached an important milestone: 15 million global trade items. The registry is a directory that helps companies synchronise standardised product data with trading partners worldwide.

“Increased speed to market, improved accuracy and a more efficient supply chain were the main reasons for our adoption of global data synchronisation. GDSN [Global Data Synchronisation Network] not only means that we and our trading partners are using the same data, but GS1 has also given us the data quality that we are looking for,” said Roman Coba, chief information officer at McCain Foods Limited.

When the GDSN was first launched in 2004, the registry contained only 74,000 items shared among trading partners in 13 countries. It hit the 10 million mark in 2012.

“The 15 million-item milestone indicates the ever-growing success of GDSN as well as demonstrating data quality standards going from strength to strength globally. In the last two years many organisations have recognised the benefits of scale that adoption of GDSN brings to their business processes, which showcases the advantages of the uptake of GS1 standards,” said Maria Palazzolo, GS1 Australia’s CEO.

In March 2014, GS1 Australia entered into a multiyear contract with certified data pool provider 1WorldSync to provide the Australian and New Zealand markets with a new ‘next generation’ platform for the enhanced delivery of the GS1net Australasia GDSN certified data pool.

Looking to the future, GS1 expects to see an overall increase in usage of GDSN in industries such as healthcare, retail, food service and others. GS1 predicts there will be a growing demand for data around how a product is delivered to market, including handling instructions, traceability attributes, nutrition information, regulatory compliance and classification.