The global language of business Making the GS1 Vision a Reality Annual Report 2004/2005 www.gs1.org See One Vision Speak with One Voice Act as One Organisation Around the world, the people of GS1 - our users and Member Organisations - are making our vision a reality. 2 Making the GS1 Vision a Reality Introduction 5 • Joint Message from the Chairman and President & CEO • The GS1 Launch Key Activities 11 • The Global Standards Management Process (GSMP) • The Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN) • EPCglobal Inc. • Building New Solutions, Opening New Horizons • GS1 Learn • GS1 Global Events GS1 Member Organisations: Leading Examples 25 GS1 Consolidated Financial Statements 31 Boards of Directors and GS1 Global Resources 35 • GS1 Management Board • GS1 GDSN Inc. • EPCglobal Inc. • GS1 Global Organisation GS1 Member Organisations’ 41 Services & Contact Information 3 4 Introduction • Joint Message from the Chairman and President & CEO • The GS1 Launch 5 Making the GS1 Vision a Reality Tim Smucker, Chairman and “Simplicity is the See One Vision Miguel Lopera, President and CEO ultimate sophistication.” Speak with One Voice • We are user-driven and governed These words, first spoken by Act as One Organisation •We serve all companies, both Leonardo Da Vinci, are as relevant Today, GS1 proudly includes over Multinationals and Small and today as they were centuries ago. one hundred Member Organisa- Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Most of us would agree that the tions from around the world that • We are a platform for demands on our business and are committed to uniting around a collaborative agreements personal lives continue to grow common vision and direction. between businesses and finding clarity and simplicity in We’ve embraced a common name • We believe our people – both the midst of the noise is a constant around the world - GS1 - and our employees and associates – are challenge. GS1’s goal is clearly Member Organisation CEOs, our most important asset aimed at simplification of global Presidents and Staff are working commerce by connecting the flow tirelessly to develop common Increased of information with the flow of solutions for the benefit of the Communication and goods. Global commerce is multi- global community, rather than any faceted and the complexities Visibility single user. innumerable; however, GS1 has It is essential that we have ongoing Achieving this vision together is a focused its mission at the core of communication and increased long-term effort and we are the challenge. GS1 will: visibility into and across the making steady progress. We thank Lead the design and implemen- organisation. tation of global standards to our constituents, most especially improve the supply and demand our Member Organisations, for We have made progress in both chain. their dedication and the many these areas over the past year as contributions over the past year. evidenced by this annual report Making Our Vision a These have contributed to our which for the first time, includes Reality joint success. detailed financial reporting (pages 32-33). We are pleased with our The realisation of a bold vision Unwavering Core accomplishments in these areas, begins with a single step. With our Beliefs but we recognise that vision clearly before us, GS1’s improvements are still needed, and efforts over the past year have GS1 continues to grow, adding will remain focused on these been focused on taking those new members and users around opportunities in the year ahead. single steps, which collectively, are the globe. We also remain open to making our vision a reality. In change as we work toward our Management Board Led practical terms, this means that we vision and learn from our progress. by Global Business are doing the important work of At the same time, a set of core building the organisation, beliefs continue to act as our Leaders infrastructure, processes and compass, guiding who we are, 2005 has been a year of technologies that will serve as the what we do and how we do it: tremendous success with respect foundation and growth engine for • We are a not-for-profit to the leadership and infrastructure both GS1 and global standards for organisation of GS1. We have long said that years to come. • We are neutral with respect to GS1’s vision and solutions are our business partners positioned to meet business 6 challenges, not technology EPCglobal and GDSN A Year of Progress challenges. Today, the Boards Strengthen GS1 As we look back on this year, we composition of our Management are proud of what the GS1 Board ensures that we will not lose Leadership organisation has accomplished this focus (pages 37-38). We are EPCglobal and GDSN are critical to together. We also find that in very fortunate to have a group of both the foundation and growth of many important ways, we have global, cross-industry business GS1. Significant milestones were evolved - and continue to evolve - leaders who bring to GS1 both achieved this past year when we into a different organisation. breadth and depth from the established Boards within the GS1 Today, we are proud to be: regions around the world where governance to guide these two • One global organisation with a they serve as CEOs, COOs, CFOs organisations (page 38). With these single corporate brand identity and other executive leaders of three Boards - the GS1 • Maturing into a standards and their respective organisations. Management Board, the EPCglobal (related) services organisation Our Board Members routinely Board and the GDSN Board - firmly • Offering a diversified portfolio of challenge us to think differently in place, we are well positioned to products and services and remain flexible to change. remain engaged with the ongoing • Operating in multiple sectors and During our General Assembly this and dynamic needs of our users industries past May, one of our Board around the world. • Enhancing our capabilities to a Members, Bob McDonald, Vice- complement of technical and Chairman Global Operations for GS1 Organisation and marketing skills the Procter & Gamble Company, Infrastructure put this challenge to us simply. He The Journey Continues said, “Organisations must renew Positioned for Growth As a single, global organisation we themselves. Any organisation, as In addition to progress with our continue to make steady progress with any organism which is Boards, we are pleased to report on standards and technologies growing, must renew itself. success over the past year in filling that will serve as a strong Growth, by definition, requires several key leadership positions at foundation for improving business change. Change requires renewal. our Global Office in Brussels and decisions that affect global The standards of perfection which within the GDSN and EPCglobal commerce through the supply and are acceptable today, will be organisations with talented and demand chains. Stronger Boards, unacceptable tomorrow.” experienced managers poised to led by influential and global Perspectives such as these are vital guide GS1 through the next phase business leaders, guide our to GS1. They instill a mindset that of its development. direction. We have accomplished a great deal, but our focus over the is open to change so that we can These leaders are already making next year will remain on “Making continue to meet the current and important contributions to GS1 as Our Vision a Reality” because there emerging opportunities facing evidenced throughout this annual is still much more to do. business. report. The support of our Board Members is invaluable and we thank them for their devotion to GS1, and to improving commerce for customers around the world. Tim Smucker Miguel A. Lopera Chairman President & CEO 7 The GS1 Launch Organisation and services we offer. However, some- times the overarching message Branding and benefits of who we are and The spirit behind See One Vision – what we are trying to achieve is Speak with One Voice – Act as One lost in our diverse portfolio of Organisation must be demonstra- products and services, specifically ted in everything we do. These in the details of the technologies words guide our decisions and and standards that enable them. behaviours. Our new brand architecture was born out of the desire to bring Communicating clearly and clarity and unification to the consistently to our users and other multiple dimensions of GS1. constituents around the world is as important as anything we’re doing Our new brand is more than a and is at the core of what we mean name or visual identity with logos by “Speak with One Voice.” This and taglines. It brings our various past year, we adopted a new brand products and services together architecture to better clarify our into a simple, easy-to-understand GS1 products and services and to architecture that is both the visually unite our messages across external face of the GS1 strategy the globe. and the foundation for our internal identity. In addition, the brand The new GS1 organisation is architecture helps us define the building on its strong barcode individual offerings within the GS1 foundation and is clearly focused family as well as the relationships on broadening the products and among them. 8 In one year’s time this will change to: 9 10 Key Activities • The Global Standards Management Process (GSMP) • The Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN) • EPCglobal Inc. • Building New Solutions, Opening New Horizons • GS1 Learn • GS1 Global Events 11 Progress on GS1 Global Standards Management Process (GSMP) and a growing demand for Data Accuracy: The Data standards development to keep Accuracy team, launched in pace with the changing business 2004, is developing a set of environment and to meet GS1 standards to evaluate opportunities that arise. product data quality in an unambiguous way. Key GSMP • Upstream Initiative Accomplishments in The Upstream GSMP Team was 2004-05 launched in September 2004.