Princeton, NJ August 19, 2002 The Uniform Code Council (UCC) has partnered with EFS Network, a supply chain network for the foodservice industry, to collaborate in accelerating the establishment of EAN.UCC standards for the foodservice industry.
The UCC aims to establish and promote multi-industry standards for product identification and related electronic communications in order to make supply chain management more efficient. EFS Network's members include food, equipment and supplies companies from all segments of the foodservice supply chain, including manufacturers, distributors and operators.
According to a statement from the new partners, a major goal of this alliance is to leverage the business and technical expertise of both organizations to better serve the needs of their common foodservice constituent companies. Combining the UCC's experience in open, multi-industry standards and EFS Network's supply chain track record in the foodservice industry, the alliance will enable companies to achieve improved levels of supply chain performance and efficiency, the partners assert.
Under this agreement, the two organizations will collaborate on a variety of industry initiatives to help foodservice companies adopt and utilize the standards of the EAN.UCC System. EFS Network will implement EAN.UCC supply chain standards and "keys" such as the global trade item number (GTIN) and global location number (GLN) into its electronic supply chain systems, enabling foodservice companies to improve business processes and reduce costs.
The UCC and EFS Network will work together to promote the value and benefits of standards through participation in the UCC's global standards management process (GSMP). To support this effort, the two organizations say they will provide increased user education and training so that foodservice companies can implement standards quickly and correctly to achieve maximum supply chain benefits.
"The foodservice industry is facing increased competitive pressures, and standards are needed more than ever before," said Steve Arens, senior director of market development for the UCC, in summing up the rationale for the alliance.
"The UCC's alignment with EFS Network is a natural fit," added Christopher Thorne, president of EFS Network. "EFS Network is focused on creating value for its industry members, and implementation of UCC standards increases the value potential."
