Food and beverage companies generate extensive daily data that requires meticulous recording to ensure traceability and transparency. Research has shown that employees spend almost half of their professional lives on activities such as manually updating product information — tasks that can easily be automated and made more efficient by using the right tools and software.
Keeping up with the increasing use and influx of data requires companies to find more efficient ways to tackle the challenges in distributing product information online. The solution is to use an Enterprise Resource Management (ERP) tool with an integrated and automated interface to the GS1-GDSN network.
Many companies are using worldwide networks to make digitization of product information a reality. One such solution that many companies swear by is the GS1 Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN).
The GDSN is an interconnected global network that comprises 35,000 companies and 30 independent data pools like 1WorldSync, the largest GDSN data pool. Networks and tools such as these allow companies to upload pertinent product information online, optimizing their operations by reducing errors in product information.
Using these resources, companies can easily upload vital data, such as material specifications, labeling information, process-related data, and certifications. Retailers, suppliers, and third-party stakeholders can also use these resources to request specific product information from manufacturers and display it to their consumers.
Uploading this information helps companies meet regulatory requirements and gain a competitive market advantage through enhanced transparency.
To offer transparency to their consumers, food and beverage companies must first invest in the tools that will grant them access to features like data pools. Choosing the right ERP software will determine the success of your strategy and the level of transparency you can provide to your stakeholders.
When uploading data to data pools, companies need tools to automatically integrate their internal information resources into the global network. In the case of the GDSN, companies can use the SAP® add-on GTIN-Connector, which transfers the data from the user’s SAP® system to the GDSN.
For other ERP systems, the SpecPage from Revalize web-based GDSN Guide offers similar connectivity. These additional tools automate manually updating data, thus reducing the time, effort and resources the company spends on distributing information.
Some benefits of the SpecPage SAP® GTIN-Connector include
It’s easy to make mistakes when manually updating data — between thousands of product specifications, new product innovations, product recipes, and regulatory requirements, the person doing the entry has to account for tons of variables.
ERP tools reduce data discrepancies by automating the process of digitization and online distribution of product information. Tools such as the SAP® GTIN-Connector or the GDSN Guide save companies from creating additional databases by linking a company’s existing ERP system to the data pool.
