Behind the Barcode: Enhancing Supply Chain Efficiency with GS1 US Data Hub

[00:00:00] If you can't get enough supply chain, join us in Orlando for GS1 Connect.

[00:00:04] One of the leading supply chain conferences where you can connect with colleagues, interact

[00:00:09] with industry experts, tap into the latest best practices and discover how to use data

[00:00:15] most efficiently to optimize your operations and grow your business.

[00:00:19] Be one of our over 200 attending companies and engage with over 120 speakers and over

[00:00:26] 120 trading partner roundtables to expand your knowledge on supply chain management best practices.

[00:00:32] Check out the agenda to learn more about our keynote speakers and sessions.

[00:00:36] We hope to see you there.

[00:00:38] When you think about the importance of having accurate and consistent data, it's really

[00:00:43] at the foundation of any of the benefits that GS1 enables for the supply chain.

[00:00:48] It could be product traceability, right?

[00:00:51] So I want to be able to understand how a product has moved from the manufacturer to the warehouse

[00:00:57] to the receiving dock to the store shelf for sustainability.

[00:01:01] I want to be able to understand the materials that went into creating a product because I

[00:01:04] want to understand the recyclability of it.

[00:01:06] I want to understand whether the material has been ethically sourced, locally sourced

[00:01:10] for inventory management.

[00:01:11] So if I'm a retailer making sure that I have the right products in stock to meet

[00:01:15] the consumer demand, making sure that it goes beep at point of sale, engaging the

[00:01:18] consumer, right?

[00:01:19] And giving the consumer the ability to access additional sources of data like nutritional

[00:01:23] information.

[00:01:24] All of those examples depend upon accurate information about products and locations.

[00:01:30] And accurate product and location information enables trust.

[00:01:35] Hello and welcome to the next level supply chain with GS1 US, a podcast in which we

[00:01:40] explore the mind bending world of global supply chains covering topics such as automation,

[00:01:45] innovation, unique identity and more.

[00:01:48] I'm your cohost, Reed.

[00:01:50] And I'm Liz.

[00:01:51] And welcome to the show.

[00:01:54] Hello everyone.

[00:01:55] I hope that you're having a great day.

[00:01:56] Today's guest is one of our own.

[00:01:58] We have the vice president of product management with us.

[00:02:01] Jess is joining us today to talk about Data Hub.

[00:02:04] It's a product SaaS offering that we actually have.

[00:02:07] And if you've ever wondered, how do I create G-tins?

[00:02:11] Manage them.

[00:02:12] I have 100,000 of them or 200,000 or 10 or 10,000.

[00:02:17] Or if I wanted to validate a G-tin, it's one of my own or it's actually a product from

[00:02:22] someone else.

[00:02:23] I want to make sure the product is what the product says it is and it's coming from

[00:02:27] the company that I thought it was coming from.

[00:02:30] Data Hub helps you do that.

[00:02:31] So without any further ado, let's jump right into the conversation.

[00:02:34] Jess, welcome to the show.

[00:02:37] We are so excited to have you.

[00:02:38] We talk all about Data Hub on our podcasts and all the information that it can give.

[00:02:43] Before we get started and jump in, tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at

[00:02:47] GS1US.

[00:02:48] Sure.

[00:02:49] Jess Uriola.

[00:02:50] I'm the vice president of product management at GS1US.

[00:02:52] I lead a team of product managers who support our business applications and customer applications.

[00:02:59] Our business apps are from our back office tools like our CRM system and our finance

[00:03:04] system.

[00:03:05] And our customer apps or customer facing tools.

[00:03:07] The main ones are our e-commerce platform, the GS1 store, and our data services

[00:03:12] platform, which we know as Data Hub.

[00:03:14] I've been with GS1US for a little over a year now and I've spent the majority of my career

[00:03:19] working on B2B SaaS platforms at companies such as ADP and Dunham Bradstreet.

[00:03:25] Excellent.

[00:03:26] We're glad that you can carve out some time with us here today, Jess.

[00:03:29] So for some of the viewers or listeners that aren't aware of what Data Hub is,

[00:03:34] what is Data Hub?

[00:03:36] Why and when should we use it?

[00:03:39] Data Hub is a SaaS platform that supports data sharing between brand owners and the

[00:03:45] trading partners.

[00:03:47] Brand owners use the Data Hub Create Manage module to assign GS1 identifier numbers to

[00:03:55] products or locations.

[00:03:56] They can enter and update product and location data and they can even use the platform

[00:04:02] to create UPC barcodes.

[00:04:04] Brand owners can create individual identifiers through the Data Hub user interface and that's

[00:04:10] typically leveraged by smaller businesses, whereas larger brands upload identifiers in bulk or

[00:04:16] they would integrate with our API.

[00:04:18] Trading partners such as retailers, wholesalers, marketplaces, and others use the Data Hub

[00:04:23] View Use module to query product and location identifiers via the user interface, pile

[00:04:29] export, or API.

[00:04:32] Folks can learn more about subscribing to Data Hub on the GS1 Store at gs1us.org.

[00:04:37] You talked about two sides of this, it's kind of like a Data Hub inside, right?

[00:04:42] We're creating our UPCs and stuff in a Data Hub outside.

[00:04:47] Why would people use Data Hub out?

[00:04:50] Yeah.

[00:04:51] Well, when brands share their product information with GS1 US through Data Hub, the information

[00:04:57] gets uploaded to the GS1 registry platform.

[00:05:00] We call it the GRP.

[00:05:01] And the GRP is a global registry that consists of nearly 500 million records and it's available

[00:05:07] to trading partners in over 110 GS1 member organizations around the world.

[00:05:13] So whether a brand owner is a mom and pop or if they're a global brand, having their

[00:05:18] product information in the GS1 registry allows any trading partner anywhere in the

[00:05:24] world to authenticate core product attributes.

[00:05:27] And when we talk about core product attributes, we mean the identifier, the G10, global trade

[00:05:31] item number, the company name, the brand name and product description.

[00:05:36] There's other attributes that Data Hub stores that can store net content, target market,

[00:05:40] global product classification.

[00:05:42] But our retail partners have told us that the core attributes are most relevant to

[00:05:47] support product authentication.

[00:05:49] This product authentication helps retailers, especially the online retailers and marketplaces

[00:05:55] to combat G10 misuse.

[00:05:57] So some examples of G10 misuse would be G10 hijacking.

[00:06:01] So that's when the same G10 is applied to multiple products or G10 duplication, which

[00:06:06] is the same product having different G10s in different listings.

[00:06:11] Well, what happens is you could have a product and you have a second or third

[00:06:15] or fourth generation of the same product and new people.

[00:06:19] All we need more G10s to kind of get out there.

[00:06:21] We have to apply more and do we need a new one?

[00:06:24] So they just created one.

[00:06:25] And do people use Data Hub to help manage their G10 existence?

[00:06:31] Absolutely, yeah.

[00:06:32] So the large brand owners can leverage the Create Manage module to create new G10s either

[00:06:38] directly through the UI or what some of the larger brands will often do is they may be

[00:06:43] managing creation of G10s in a separate system that could be their own in-house product

[00:06:49] information management system.

[00:06:51] Then they may be sharing that information through data pools.

[00:06:55] And the data pools support a much broader depth and breadth of product data coverage,

[00:07:00] which is still important to trading partners.

[00:07:03] But their ability to then share that information back into Data Hub,

[00:07:09] because Data Hub is uniquely positioned to provide that authentication

[00:07:13] to tie the product identifier, the G10, back to the licensed prefix holder.

[00:07:19] And that is really something that's unique to us.

[00:07:22] So in order to have any type of an identifier,

[00:07:26] a brand must have a licensed prefix through GS1.

[00:07:30] So only through Data Hub can you confidently get that validation

[00:07:35] with the identifier tying back to the owner of the identifier through that

[00:07:39] licensed prefix.

[00:07:40] And that's what some of the larger retailers have told us they're looking

[00:07:43] for to have that confidence that, in fact, the identifier does, in fact,

[00:07:48] belong to the entity that is claiming to own it.

[00:07:51] So it really improved the trust that the data that they're getting

[00:07:55] is accurate.

[00:07:56] The products that they have have a prefix or a G10 that is accurately

[00:08:01] assigned to them, and it's not some rogue organization that's selling

[00:08:04] product on their behalf or pretending to be somebody else.

[00:08:08] Exactly right.

[00:08:09] When you think about the importance of having accurate and consistent data,

[00:08:13] it's really at the foundation of any of the benefits that GS1 enables

[00:08:18] for the supply chain.

[00:08:20] It could be product traceability.

[00:08:23] So I want to be able to understand how a product has moved from the manufacturer

[00:08:28] to the warehouse, to the receiving dock,

[00:08:31] to the store shelf for sustainability.

[00:08:33] I want to be able to understand the materials that went into creating

[00:08:36] a product because I want to understand the recyclability of it.

[00:08:38] I want to understand whether the material has been ethically source,

[00:08:42] locally sourced for inventory management.

[00:08:45] So if I'm a retailer making sure that I have the right products in stock

[00:08:48] to meet the consumer demand, making sure that it goes beep at point of sale,

[00:08:51] engaging the consumer and giving the consumer the ability

[00:08:54] to access additional sources of data like nutritional information.

[00:08:57] All of those examples depend upon accurate information about products

[00:09:02] and locations, and accurate product and location information enables trust.

[00:09:07] As you said, trust is ultimately foundational to supporting all that

[00:09:11] and ultimately to supporting supply chain efficiency.

[00:09:13] I mean, Reed, this is what we keep talking about that you want to me

[00:09:16] to stop talking about sometimes is that super important data quality

[00:09:20] and having that foundation to start from and Data Hub can help facilitate that.

[00:09:25] Yeah, and we started to get into what I would say GS1 speak,

[00:09:29] prefix and G10s.

[00:09:31] And so for like just regular people out there,

[00:09:35] what happens is when you become a member of GS1

[00:09:39] and you get a prefix, which is kind of like for a lack of a good analogy.

[00:09:45] It's like getting a surname.

[00:09:47] It's like here's the name with the surname.

[00:09:50] You create the full name of all of your products behind it.

[00:09:53] So your prefix is kind of like that beginning of the number,

[00:09:57] but prefixes range in size too.

[00:10:00] And then you have like what does your UPC size need to be?

[00:10:04] Like so you have a G1012 and a G1014.

[00:10:07] And this is the number of digits that are in there.

[00:10:10] And unless I'm wrong, though,

[00:10:12] I thought that Data Hub was created to kind of help demystify all of that

[00:10:17] and create a foolproof way of creating the correct UPC

[00:10:23] and creating the right environment and then managing that environment.

[00:10:26] Right? So if I have a prefix for some folks that don't realize

[00:10:30] you can buy a prefix that can handle 10 different G10s

[00:10:33] or buy a prefix that can handle 100 different G10s

[00:10:38] or 10,000 or 100,000.

[00:10:41] And these are all unique.

[00:10:42] Like you said, yes, they're all unique for the trust factor

[00:10:45] to the company and to the product.

[00:10:48] And then that's mean they're never reused.

[00:10:50] It's not like, oh, this product has been retired

[00:10:52] and we're going to reuse this number.

[00:10:54] It's like a license plate to a car.

[00:10:56] It's not reused.

[00:10:57] It is deregistered and registered and gone through it that way.

[00:11:02] Am I off the park there on this or is that?

[00:11:05] Not on.

[00:11:05] So when you talk about the smaller prefix license holders,

[00:11:09] typically your smaller companies could be your mom and pop shops.

[00:11:11] And like any small business,

[00:11:13] they're just looking to try to chase their dream

[00:11:14] and grow their business.

[00:11:15] They don't really understand the nuances of how

[00:11:18] to properly construct an identifier

[00:11:20] and what are the associated attributes

[00:11:22] to make sure that you're assigning it correctly.

[00:11:24] But that's where Data Hub can come in

[00:11:26] because it has a very intuitive workflow

[00:11:28] that as a user comes in and walks the user step by step

[00:11:31] through the process of entering the product name,

[00:11:34] the description, the net content

[00:11:37] and following the GS1 standards in each step of the process

[00:11:39] to make sure that it's being enumerated correctly.

[00:11:41] Whereas some of our global brands

[00:11:44] who may be licensing prefixes in blocks of 10,000

[00:11:47] or even 100,000, they have a whole team dedicated

[00:11:50] to just supporting that.

[00:11:51] They don't necessarily need the Data Hub tool

[00:11:53] to enumerate the identifiers.

[00:11:56] But where there's still value to the market

[00:11:58] is in making sure that that data

[00:11:59] is still coming back into the Data Hub database

[00:12:02] and ultimately to the global registry platform

[00:12:05] because the retailers, in order to support

[00:12:07] that core product authentication use case,

[00:12:10] still need to see the product data within our platform

[00:12:13] so that they can match the G10 back to the license holder.

[00:12:17] And that's only possible when all brands,

[00:12:19] regardless of size, are sharing their information

[00:12:21] back into Data Hub.

[00:12:23] So one of the projects that we're actively pursuing now

[00:12:25] is talking to some of our larger data pool partners

[00:12:29] to try to raise awareness back to the brand owners

[00:12:32] as they're operating within the data pools

[00:12:35] around the benefit of publishing their information to GS1.

[00:12:39] So just as they are publishing regularly

[00:12:42] to their trading partners, the Walmart's

[00:12:43] and the Target's and the Kroger's

[00:12:45] and the Amazon's the world,

[00:12:46] make sure you're also including GS1

[00:12:48] as part of that recipient list

[00:12:50] and then we'll seamlessly be able to take in that data

[00:12:52] and then updates to that data over time

[00:12:55] so that brand owners don't have to go to two places.

[00:12:57] They have that integration within the data pool,

[00:13:00] it's automatically coming to us

[00:13:01] and then we're in a position to be able to support

[00:13:03] that product authentication use case

[00:13:05] for the retail partners.

[00:13:06] That connected the dots for me

[00:13:08] and really helped me pull it together

[00:13:10] because like you said,

[00:13:11] you have large companies that have their own systems

[00:13:13] and they're doing it internally

[00:13:15] and then you'll have smaller companies

[00:13:16] and let's just be honest,

[00:13:17] everybody knows that somebody out there

[00:13:19] is that's a backup spreadsheet

[00:13:20] where they're using it all as well.

[00:13:22] But really it comes down to that GRP

[00:13:25] that you talked about as well, right?

[00:13:27] And for that global aspect

[00:13:30] and GRP is the global...

[00:13:32] It's the GS1 registry platform

[00:13:35] but it is a global platform.

[00:13:36] Right, so this is where

[00:13:38] if you start to register your product

[00:13:40] here in the United States

[00:13:42] or if you created a product in Germany

[00:13:45] or in Mexico and then it's just going up

[00:13:47] and everyone will have access to it.

[00:13:50] Right, so anytime anybody queries a G10 from Data Hub

[00:13:54] they will query initially the local database,

[00:13:57] the US database

[00:13:58] and if it doesn't find the record there

[00:13:59] then it's going up to the global database.

[00:14:01] So you're always getting the ability

[00:14:03] to query all the records

[00:14:04] within the entire GS1 network.

[00:14:06] We're really kind of getting into the weeds here

[00:14:08] but it really is like for the lack of a better analogy

[00:14:11] is it's a license plate for your product

[00:14:14] and for everyone to kind of have this global aspect

[00:14:17] and not have fraudulent environments

[00:14:20] and really maintaining the authenticity.

[00:14:22] Am I mistaken by that or is that's what we're really providing?

[00:14:27] Spot on, that is the core value

[00:14:28] that we can drive in the market right now

[00:14:30] is around that core product authentication.

[00:14:32] We're not trying to replicate what the data pools are doing

[00:14:35] or what other systems may be doing.

[00:14:36] They have their place in that breadth and depth of data.

[00:14:39] We don't really want to play there.

[00:14:40] We want to really focus in on the core data attributes

[00:14:43] associated with the product

[00:14:44] to support that core product authentication.

[00:14:46] And you've touched on something earlier about location.

[00:14:49] So we've been talking a lot about product

[00:14:52] and I know we're running out of time.

[00:14:54] So I just didn't want to not touch on the global location number

[00:14:57] or the importance of location within Data Hub,

[00:15:01] especially as we start talking about different regulations

[00:15:04] whether it be the drug supply chain security

[00:15:07] after food safety modernization Act Rule 204.

[00:15:10] You just dive a little bit deeper into how Data Hub

[00:15:14] can help identify locations and create GLN.

[00:15:17] Yeah, GLN global location number.

[00:15:19] It's another GS1 identifier.

[00:15:21] And as you mentioned, it's gotten a strong adoption

[00:15:24] within the healthcare space

[00:15:26] and it's growing within the food space.

[00:15:28] And it supports that use case around traceability.

[00:15:31] So particularly in the healthcare space

[00:15:33] with the Drug Supply Chain Act,

[00:15:35] there's a need to understand as drugs move

[00:15:38] from the manufacturer's site to the warehouses,

[00:15:42] to the pharmacies or to the hospitals

[00:15:45] and then even locations within the hospitals,

[00:15:48] you want to be able to track that flow

[00:15:50] and you do that by assigning location numbers

[00:15:53] to each of those unique locations.

[00:15:55] And it can be granular, like I said.

[00:15:57] So even you can have a GLN for a hospital

[00:16:00] but then even within the hospital

[00:16:01] you can have GLNs for different storage facilities

[00:16:04] within the hospital.

[00:16:05] So you can really get granular

[00:16:06] and understand exactly where the specific drugs are stored.

[00:16:09] And so it helps us stay compliant

[00:16:11] from a healthcare perspective

[00:16:12] and similarly with the Food Safety Modernization Act

[00:16:14] 204 being able to trace food from the source

[00:16:18] from the actual farmer field to shipping to packaging

[00:16:22] and then ultimately to the storefront.

[00:16:24] Obviously if there's ever any sort of foodborne illness

[00:16:26] and something needs to be recalled

[00:16:28] to be able to trace it back to exactly where it came from

[00:16:30] becomes incredibly important

[00:16:31] and that's where GLNs can help.

[00:16:33] And you can get your GLNs from your prefix as well, right?

[00:16:36] Like you don't have to buy extra.

[00:16:38] You buy prefix, you're getting G-tins,

[00:16:41] you're getting GLNs in the same quantity

[00:16:43] as you move along.

[00:16:44] So I always remind people, I'm like,

[00:16:46] GS1 really fundamentally does three things.

[00:16:48] We identify companies, we identify things, your products

[00:16:52] and we identify locations.

[00:16:54] And it really comes into play with the supply chain.

[00:16:57] And so data hub, as you said,

[00:16:59] the view use comes when I purchase a prefix,

[00:17:03] I get access to that free of charge.

[00:17:05] Well, I get access to create manage free of charge

[00:17:07] when I purchase the prefix.

[00:17:08] So I can assign, I can create G-tins,

[00:17:10] I can create GLNs.

[00:17:11] If I want to query the database,

[00:17:13] that's where the view use module comes in.

[00:17:15] I have to sign up for a view use subscription.

[00:17:18] And I don't have to be a licensed prefix holder

[00:17:21] to access view use.

[00:17:23] We've got universities that are subscribed to our view use

[00:17:26] because they want to be able to query our database

[00:17:29] and use that as an input for some other data analysis

[00:17:31] or some other studies that they're doing.

[00:17:33] But the classic use case for us would be retailers,

[00:17:36] primarily, right?

[00:17:37] Or wholesalers who want to be able to validate

[00:17:40] the products that they're receiving

[00:17:41] and the G-tins associated with those products

[00:17:42] that in fact they do match what we have

[00:17:44] within our database.

[00:17:45] Got it.

[00:17:46] And you mentioned, so on this data outside,

[00:17:48] there's kind of three ways to get access.

[00:17:51] I thought I heard you say web interface.

[00:17:55] Yep.

[00:17:56] And then export.

[00:17:57] File export.

[00:17:58] Right, and then an API.

[00:18:00] Or API, correct.

[00:18:01] And the API, you can access it for companies,

[00:18:04] for locations and for products themselves.

[00:18:07] Also, Jess, I'm glad that you had the time to carve out

[00:18:11] and drop a little bit of knowledge on us here.

[00:18:14] Liz, did you want to ask him?

[00:18:16] He's a tech guy.

[00:18:17] I mean, I have to.

[00:18:18] So Jess, we end our podcasts with a question for our guests.

[00:18:23] So today, personally or in your work life,

[00:18:26] what is your favorite technology

[00:18:28] that you're using right now?

[00:18:29] I'm so addicted to my iPhone.

[00:18:31] I need to get back into the habit

[00:18:33] of using my Calorie Counter app

[00:18:35] because in my year plus at GS1

[00:18:37] I've conservatively put on 20 pounds.

[00:18:40] So that's one of my goals for 24

[00:18:42] is to get back down to free GS1 weight.

[00:18:46] And there's some good apps that I've used before

[00:18:47] on the phone that if I'm disciplined about it,

[00:18:49] make me very mindful of what I'm putting in my mouth

[00:18:51] every day.

[00:18:52] So that's probably one of the ones

[00:18:53] I need to get closer to.

[00:18:54] Excellent.

[00:18:55] Well, thank you again.

[00:18:56] And if anyone wants to find out more information

[00:18:59] about Data Hub, they can go to gs1us.org.

[00:19:03] GS1us.org.

[00:19:04] And we have a couple of pages on Data Hub

[00:19:06] that talk a little bit more about the specific use cases

[00:19:09] and some of the key personas

[00:19:10] that can benefit from using it.

[00:19:11] So yeah, please check it out.

[00:19:12] Well, thank you so much.

[00:19:13] Thank you.

[00:19:16] Thank you for joining us on this episode

[00:19:18] of the Next Level Supply Chain with GS1US.

[00:19:21] If you enjoyed today's show, please subscribe to our feed

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[00:19:30] Thanks again, and we'll see you next time.