What do Jan 1, 2010 and February 17, 2009 Have in Common?

The other day at Loftware a bunch of us were sitting around the conference room recalling the whole Y2K fiasco. The point of the conversation was whether or not we could get people as aware of the GS1 global deadline as people were aware of the Y2K problem.

Speaking of Barcodes: Part 1 of 3

I will stray a bit afield of the immediacy of GS1 labeling in medicine and the healthcare supply chain to talk about what’s possible now and what’s possible for healthcare and barcodes in the future. This was spurred, as many blog entries often are, by reading someone else’s blog.
An old colleague of mine, and a talented, savvy individual who is [...]

HSCSC Joins Forces with GS1

This news from just last week, showing that the momentum continues for the GS1 global standard:

Can NDC or NHRIC Be Used for GTINs?

Interesting question in that headline, don’t you think? Turns out, the answer is yes. Before reading how it is done, if you want to brush up on your terms, here’s the link to the FDA’s National Drug Code (NDC) Directory and here’s the link to their National Health Related Item Code home page.
Now, courtesy of [...]

“Producing a good product… no longer enough…”

The headline on this post comes from a statement made by Mr. Kofi M. Essuman, Chairman, GS1 Ghana. Ghana?
In this article about using GS1 on election ballots – an interesting idea in its own right — Mr. Essuman and others in Ghana make some of the most lucid and compelling statements I’ve seen anywhere, by [...]

Is a Global Product Data Standard Really All That Radical?

The average person upon hearing about yet another standards initiative can often wonder, “Is this really going to happen? Do we really need to define and master yet another standard?” But lately I’ve been thinking that this kind of skepticism or reluctance runs counter to what we all know on some level about the history [...]

Why Global Data Standards in Healthcare Supply Chain Matter

This link takes you to a 136-page, September 2007, report from Michigan State University’s School of Packaging. It is entitled, “The Business Case for Global Data Standards in the Healthcare Supply Chain.”
Yes, you can discount the findings if you wish on the basis that the study was commissioned by GS1. But if you take the [...]

Return on Investment, Return on Inspiration?

This week I got an early draft of the GTIN Toolkit intro documentation. In this latest version of a work in progress there’s a table of contents placeholder headed ROI. But there’s no copy yet. Well, its understandable. Everyone in marketing knows how tricky and elusive those numbers can be, especially when finance needs the [...]

The ‘Mysterious’ Surge in GS1 Interest Among Medical Products Companies

Did I use the word ‘mysterious’ in that headline? My bad. It is true that for some it feels like GS1 came on the scene abruptly. It is still for some not a well-understood global standard. And yes, I have heard from more than one medical devices and products company that while there is widespread [...]

2008 GS1 US Healthcare Site Featured Content

I find it useful to periodically check the GS1 Healthcare US site. In case you may have missed it, currently there is a fairly prominent top of page notice that says: 2008 GS1 Healthcare US Draft Work Plans Now Available. It’s a ten page pdf file you may want to examine.

Earning an Entry-Level Certificate in Traceability from GS1

Searching the web I came across this site identified as LEARN.GS1.org. As I understand it, this is about obtaining an entry-level certificate in the Traceability Standard propelled by GS1. What’s that, and why was it fostered? Here’s what they say:
Safety, security and traceability are currently at the forefront of both government regulations and industry concerns [...]

GS1, ‘Sustainability Strategies’ and the Green Movement

The genesis for this post comes from an article this month about the GS1 UK annual conference. It’s a rather long article, written by Simon Holloway, a Senior Analyst at Bloor Research, but it represents the first time I’ve seen GS1 global standards mentioned in support of sustainability by GS1 officials. Mr. Holloway, in fact, [...]

GSRN? Great, Superior Nurse? Not exactly…

You’re familiar with GTIN (Global Trade Item Number). You know GLN (Global Location Number). But have you heard of GSRN? I just learned about it from GS1 US via its explanation of what can be identified using the GS1 identification system and numbers. Turns out, services are included (see last item in list below):
What can [...]

GS1 Community Room?

‘Community Room’ sounds like a term used to describe a parlor at the senior center, doesn’t it? Well, maybe. But in this case, it is a place sponsored by GS1 for companies, as they put it …to influence the development and implementation of GS1 standards for in the supply chain to ensure that they meet [...]

How Many Countries are GS1 Members?

I saw this news report out of Canada, courtesy of The Globe and Mail, in which Paul Osland, Vice President of Business Development for GS1 Canada, is quoted as saying that there are 108 member countries of GS1. Canada, of course, is one of them. But it got me wondering how many countries there are [...]

GS1 Barcode Demo?

I found this site called mibuso.com where they seem to be discussing a GS1-128 barcode demo that generates an SSCC barcode for a Logistic Label according the GS1 Standards. It’s a little too far under the hood than I’m comfortable going, but it may be of interest to more technical people who actually make all this [...]

Check out the GS1 US Board of Governors

Don’t get me wrong… I think joining the board of a popular, well-known goodwill organization because, in part, it adds to one’s celebrity status is not such a bad thing. Plus, good things get done. But do you think any busy corporate VIP signs onto the board of governors of GS1 US because he [...]

Medical Device and Product Litigation: The Lawyers Watch, Wait…

If you’re in the medical device and products manufacturing and distribution business, this little item is going to raise your blood pressure. It goes like this: In one of last week’s articles about the industry’s growing impatience with the FDA to announce product identification requirements, one of the online reports I saw (this one, in [...]

Will it take an Act of Congress to make Drugs Safe?

Congressman Steve Buyer (R-IN) and Congressman Jim Matheson (D-UT) have introduced proposed legislation in the House to safeguard the prescription drug delivery system. Here is an abbreviated overview of their legislative proposal in their own words (italics):
“Safeguarding America’s Pharmaceuticals Act Authors: Steve Buyer (R-IN), Jim Matheson (D-UT) Americans are concerned about the safety of their [...]

GS1 Offers New Explanatory Brochure in Simple Language

At the end of last month, GS1 announced the availability of a new brochure the organization says provides an overview of our activities and the important role that global standards play today. You can access this online at this link.