SAF Wednesday E-Brief - 08/08/2007 (Plain Text Version)
|
||
|
In this issue: |
GTIN Floral Pilot System Launches
The Floral Logistics Coalition, a group of floral companies and associations, launched a pilot program last week as a step toward improving the movement of products through the supply chain. Through the use of Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) barcodes, floral industry wholesalers and suppliers will be able to save a substantial amount of money and, in turn, pass those savings along to retail florists, according to wholesaler Clay Sieck, president of The Sieck Company and chairman of the Floral Logistics Coalition. Jim Wanko, WF&FSA executive vice president, says that with universal barcodes, incoming and outgoing floral products can be scanned directly into a computer system, making it easier to order, invoice, track and categorize goods. Now, most of that has to be done manually. "We're always looking to cut costs out of the system," Wanko says. "This will clearly take [some of the] cost out of the system. It should save wholesalers tens of millions of dollars." Sieck says the easiest way to quantify the time savings is to imagine a grocery checkout where every item gets keyed in manually, instead of scanned. "Labor costs are lower and your ability to trade information is much easier," Sieck says. The move toward using GTINs began in June 2007 when members of the coalition along with other members of the supply chain gathered in Miami to create industry standards that will be used for product identification. Coalition members include: SAF, Association of Floral Importers of Florida, Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association, Produce Marketing Association, California Association of Flower Growers and Shippers and California Cut Flower Commission. The kick-off meeting for the pilot project was held on Thursday, Aug. 2, in Houston. Sieck says attendees discussed the details and obligations of the 25 participating companies who will be testing the GTIN standards created in Miami for the following floral categories: bouquets, basic flowers, tropicals, specialties and novelties. The pilot program will last approximately four months, after which the coalition will publish a report on its findings and discuss the possibility of mass adoption of the system. Sieck says, although the system is designed for shippers and wholesalers, retailers stand to benefit if a universal barcode for the floral industry is widely used.
The following companies are participating in the pilot project: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Safeway, Greenleaf Wholesale, Inc., The Sieck Company, Vans Floral Products, Pikes Peak of Texas, Inc., Pennock Company, Hardin's Wholesale Florist Supply, The Seagroatt Companies, Delaware Valley Wholesale Florist, Dole, Bouquet Collections, Falcon Farms, VistaFlor, The USA Bouquet Company, Passion Flower Company, Continental Flowers, Sole, Natural Flowers, Inc., Sun Valley Group, Ocean View Flowers, Brand Flowers, Inc., Uninflor S.A. C.I./Liberty Bloom, P&F Ornamentales, Jardines Del Chaparral, Agricola Papagayo, Flores la Conejera, Armellini Industries Inc. and Prime, Inc.
--Kori Kamradt
|
|