Scottsdale, AZ October 23, 2002 In a bid to keep up with the latest standards, Trax Software & Consulting Inc. this week announced that its SmartStore suite of software products now meets GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) compliance. According to the company, the software is designed to enable accurate supply chain management throughout retailers' operations.
Established by the Uniform Code Council, GTINs provide an approach to managing the flow of products throughout the retail supply chain. Recently, the length of GTINs was extended to 14 digits in order to accommodate varying lengths and structures in global commerce.
"Retailers are asking software and hardware companies if their systems are capable of meeting the new GTIN standard," observed Trax Software CEO and president, Larry Miller. "This is not unlike the Y2K problem for retailers computer hardware and software programs have to change, and retailers need to prepare for it by requiring diligent compliance by their suppliers. If not, systems serving manufactures, warehouses and retailers will not be able to accommodate the coming 14-digit UPC codes, and significant disruption will occur in their supply chain."
Trax stated that the UCC promotes the standard as a way for retail companies and their supply chain partners to keep accurate track of how much has been sold to whom, and when and where the transaction took place. The company added that having a global, open standard allows system-to-system integration, enables end-to-end automation, lowers costs, reduces errors and protects technology investments.
