The Inevitability of Global Traceability…Is Everyone Really Going to Adapt?
Uncertainty seems to be the natural default position for many of us when contemplating the possibilities or probabilities of new things, including emerging technologies. Will they or won’t they catch on? Is everyone really going to adapt to it? This kind of thinking puts decisions into neutral which is sometimes a good thing. Why? Because...
Meat and Poultry Traceability Guidelines Release by GS1
While we tend to have a focus here on product marking standards that are evolving in healthcare, the fact is Loftware customers span a broad cross-section of industries worldwide. Our customers make perfume, beverages, truck parts, nuts and bolts, semiconductors, coolers and dispensers, cosmetics, flavorings, payment and transaction systems, fuel stabilizers, telecom equipment, paper products… well… you...
Are You Ready? GS1 Healthcare US Wants to Know!
GS1 Healthcare US is inviting healthcare providers, suppliers, group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and healthcare software suppliers to voluntarily provide their progress achieved in meeting — or getting ready to meet — the GS1 Standards initiatives in U.S. healthcare. GS1 is most specifically interested in your progress on Global Location Numbers (GLNs) in advance of the 2010 sunrise date?...
Mobile Devices Evolving to Highly-Integrated, Real-Time Supply Chain Product Tracking Solutions
In an article entitled Mobile Technology and the Supply Chain, author Mary Shacklett who is the founder and president of Transworld Data, presents a great overview of how far mobile technology has come in the past five years in support of supply chain efficiencies across multiple industries and involving many new applications. Her piece details how companies are...
Higher Percentages of Loose Veggies and Fruits Now Barcoded Says GS1
Kim Leonard of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wrote a very interesting roundup story the other day about how many businesses throughout the region are adopting and adapting barcodes to streamline their business, elevate their marketing, and increase speeds. Interestingly, she included some information she got from GS1′s Jon Mellor who handles a lot of the organizations media relations tasks. The...
AHRMM President States Reasons for Continued Support of GLN Standard and 12/2010 Target Date
The Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM) is the leading national association for executives in the healthcare resource and materials management profession. They count more than 4,000 active members. So when the organization’s president, Ray Moore, gives his reasons for the group’s continued advocacy for the GS1 Global Location Number (GLN) standard and the 12/31/2010...
GS1 US Releases 2010 Annual Overview
GS1 US recently announced the availability of its 2010 Annual Overview. It includes case studies and descriptions of important industry and GS1 US initiatives, such as food safety, data accuracy, and sustainability. I checked it out, and you should too if there is time, because it contains a great deal of useful and timely information. In case...
Where's the Beef? At GS1 Event, the USDA says Traceability Guidelines Coming this Month
Reporting recently from San Antonia where GS1 is sponsoring the U Connect 2010 conference, Supermarket News noted the comments of Douglas Bailey, chief information officer, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to the report, Mr. Bailey said that an organization called the mpXML group, which consists of meat and poultry suppliers and...
Poll of Nurses Identifies 6th Leading Cause of Medication Error
Jim Chrzan, the Associate Publisher at Packaging World recently reported about the outcome of a poll which asked nurses to identify the leading causes of medication error. Not surprisingly, as reported by Mr. Chrzan, the poll revealed this: Sixty percent of nurses polled identified look-a-like drugs and packaging as the sixth-leading cause of
GS1 Healthcare US Makes Progress on Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Model for Serialized Track-and-Trace
Thanks to Claire Swedberg writing for RFID Journal, we’re able to get a great, in-depth overview of the developing pharmaceutical supply chain model that is part of the GS1 Healthcare US 2015 Readiness Program. It has been a big effort involving many people and the results so far should be of interest to a wide range of...
A Detailed Summary of how GS1 and SAP Provide Secure Tracking and Tracing in Healthcare
Stefan Weigand is a Solution Manager for SAP for Healthcare. In a blog post on The SAP Community Network he’s written an informative overview — complete with useful graphics – showing how the implementation of GS1 with SAP’s Open Event Repository provides secure tracking and tracing throughout the complete healthcare supply chain, from the drug manufacturer...
Will Looming FDA UDI Mandates in Healthcare Lower Supply Chain Risks?
Writing for Logistics Viewpoints, Steve banker poses an interesting point based on a common assertion among supply chain professionals. Here’s how he puts it: Supply chain managers often bemoan increasing regulation, and how new regulations or overly stringent oversight increases supply chain costs and makes their day-to-day jobs more complex. Sound familiar? But is it...
GHS and Regulatory Labeling Challenges in the New Era 
