AFS Technologies Partners with GS1 US to Drive Food Industry´s Clean and Accurate Data Initiative
Food Industry´s Leading Solutions Provider Teams with Global Standards Leader
For Immediate Release: (Phoenix, AZ) August 31, 2009. - AFS Technologies, the leading solutions provider to trading partners throughout the food and beverage channel, announced today that it has entered into a Solutions Partnership Agreement with GS1 US, Inc., one of the world's most respected and influential standards and global commerce organizations dedicated to the adoption and implementation of standards-based, global supply-chain solutions. The agreement between GS1 US and AFS Technologies also includes AFS´ membership in the Certified Solution Partner program with 1Sync, the leading Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) certified data pool providing advanced functionality and the ability for trading partners to synchronize product and company data globally. 1Sync is a not-for-profit subsidiary of GS1 US.
"AFS is keenly aware of the more than ten billion dollars of inefficiency and needless costs, previously identified in numerous studies by leading industry associations, that our industry has incurred each year due to the exchange of inaccurate, and inadequate, product information between trading partners", said Kurien Jacob, CEO of AFS Technologies. "AFS recognized the need for a common data base as early as 1985. AFS Technologies was also a pioneer in early efforts to connect the food industry with the development of the XPD Database in 1989.
"Working with the International Food Distributors Association (IFDA) and other industry committees in 1991, AFS created the original voluntary standards for data exchange, known as the IFDA Standard," continued Mr. Jacob. "And in 1996, as a key efficiency driver of the Efficient Foodservice Response (EFR) initiative, our company introduced PROFILE®, a comprehensive product information database for the food industry. The partnership with GS1 and the industry recognition for the need for common synchronized data should provide GS1 and PROFILE with a much needed boost to realize the savings possible."
Today, over a decade later, PROFILE is still the industry´s leading source of product information, featuring robust comprehensive data on over 60,000 products.
About AFS Technologies, Inc.
AFS Technologies Inc. is the leading provider of business enterprise and on-demand software solutions. The company serves over 800 customers across North America and the Caribbean with solutions designed to reduce costs, increase efficiency, increase sales and margins, streamline internal processes and assist in regulatory compliances. AFS offers the industry´s only complete end-to-end software suite utilizing service oriented architecture (SOA) and the Microsoft .NET framework. This unique modularly designed system offers solutions for Distribution, Sales & Marketing, Financials, Processing, Warehouse Management, Transportation, and Database Services, featuring the industry´s largest database of product information and recipes, the PROFILE™ Database.
For additional information, please visit www.afsi.com or call 877-821-3007.
About 1SYNC™
the largest certified data pool in the Global Data Synchronization Network® (GDSN®), is dedicated to the implementation of standards-based, global supply-chain solutions and is a not-for-profit subsidiary of GS1 US. The 1SYNC community currently consists of 50 leading retailers and more than 5,000 suppliers worldwide. These implementations comprise data for more than 5 million items synchronized in the GDSN. 1SYNC offers a robust, easy-to-use solution that can reduce costly data errors and increase supply-chain efficiencies for companies of all sizes. For more information, visit www.1SYNC.org
About GS1 US™
GS1 US is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the adoption and implementation of standards-based, global supply-chain solutions. More than 200,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading partner collaboration and for maximizing the cost effectiveness, speed, visibility, and traceability of their goods moving around the world. They achieve these benefits through GS1 US solutions based on GS1 global unique- numbering and identification systems, bar codes, Electronic Product Code-based RFID, data synchronization, and electronic information exchange. GS1 US operates the subsidiaries and brands 1SYNC™ BarCodes and eCom™ EPCglobal US™ GS1 Healthcare US; and RosettaNet. It also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC®) for the UNDP.
