Key Takeaways from the GS1 UK Industry Conference

EDI Plus were pleased to participate in the recent GS1 UK Industry Conference in London. The event focused on “supporting vital transformation in healthcare and retail” and, as usual, the presentations and dialogue did not disappoint.

There was stimulating debate on a wide range of topics and some key themes emerged for both sectors. In case you missed it, here’s a quick summary of some of the key takeaways.

Key Takeaways – GS1 Healthcare Plenary

• The Department of Health’s eProcurement Initiative, including Scan4Safety and PEPPOL, is proving very important to all contributors to the development of the NHS (see Lord Philip Hunt, President GS1 UK).

• The growth in Scan4Safety within Trusts can deliver significant benefits for all parties including substantial cost savings and improvements in background theatre activities which can, quite literally, be lifesaving (see Kevin Downs and Keith Jones of Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust).

• GS1 standards are also playing a vital role in genomic medicine where precise tracking, prompt processing, data sensitivity are critical (see Professor Sue Hill, Chief Scientific Officer for England).

• The humble barcode has been an enabler for change and efficiency across all industries – especially the charity sector where the ability to easily share and access data streams allows for faster reaction to major catastrophes (sourcing equipment, medicines, etc.) (presentation by HRH The Princess Royal).

• GS1 UK partnerships within eProcurement, especially PEPPOL, are proving very important.  

Key Takeaways – GS1 Retail Plenary

• Bar coding and electronic data interchange are contributing significantly to improving the customer experience - so important in the highly competitive world of retail.

• Creating a strong link between online and offline is key to allowing retailers to adapt to changing customer needs and expand the online channel while still maintaining footfall in stores – as demonstrated by The John Lewis Partnership (See Dino Rocos, Operations Manager, John Lewis).

• Retailing continues to make excellent use of the standards that are developed and managed by GS1, enabling organisations of all sizes to improve their trading relationships with suppliers and, most importantly, with customers.

The quality of the presentations was outstanding and we look forward to attending more GS1 UK events in the future.

Details of all the presentations and videos from the event can be found here https://www.gs1uk.org/gs1-uk-industry-conference/videos-and-presentations and general information about the standards work of GS1 here http://gs1.org.uk.