Leading Companies in the Retail and Consumer Goods Industries Support the Transition to QR Codes with GS1 Standards

HONG KONG, June 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On the 50^th anniversary of the barcode being scanned for the first time, 22 industry champions – including marketplaces such as Alibaba.com, retailers like AS Watson and manufacturers like Procter & Gamble, are calling for the global adoption of QR Codes with GS1 standards. Powered by GS1, the leading standards organisation behind the barcode, these QR Codes can give access to a wealth of product information easily accessible via smartphones – which is expected to completely revolutionise the consumer experience.

Since the first scan in 1974, the collaboration between retailers and manufacturers through GS1 has led to the widespread adoption of the original barcode. Today, this technology is the trusted universal method for product identification, with over 1 billion items carrying barcodes that are scanned more than 10 billion times daily, enhancing supply chain efficiencies worldwide. Today, global industry leaders are again uniting in the transition to QR Codes with GS1 standards, a 2D barcode also known as QR Codes powered by GS1.

"The first barcode scan forever changed how we buy and sell products," said Renaud de Barbuat, President and CEO of GS1. "Fifty years on, industry champions have come together calling for the transition to QR Codes powered by GS1. This collaborative effort is set to transform in new ways how we shop, eat, and live. We believe this marks the start of a second barcode revolution – making products more traceable and transforming the consumer experience, thereby unlocking the future of retail."

Revolutionising the consumer experience  

Unlike traditional barcodes, QR Codes powered by GS1 can connect consumers to extensive amounts of product information to elevate their experience – including usage and recycling instructions, safety, nutritional information, and industry certifications.

"As our customers have become increasingly digitally-savvy, adopting QR Codes with GS1 standards inside is important in providing a seamless O+O (Offline plus Online) customer experience. These QR Codes enable customers to easily access detailed product information with a simple smartphone scan, empowering them to make more informed purchasing decisions. At AS Watson, we are delighted to support this transition, and I'm confident that it will unleash a wealth of new opportunities ahead", said Malina Ngai, Group CEO of AS Watson Group.

With information easily accessible via smartphones, this opens a range of new possibilities for consumers, manufacturers, and retailers alike – giving access to all the information consumers need and desire, improving traceability, and driving efficiencies through the supply chain, while still enabling scanning at checkout.

Companies will need to evaluate their internal technology and processes to make the most of QR Codes with GS1 standards. Adding more detailed product information into QR Codes can be done gradually, allowing businesses to plan changes at their own pace.

QR Codes with GS1 standards should be widely adopted by the end of 2027 

This industry initiative is a groundbreaking, collaborative effort to advance global standards for efficiency, safety, and sustainability across the retail and consumer goods industries. The companies who have joined forces with GS1 are a combination of leading brand owners, retailers and marketplaces that have a combined market value of over $1.5 trillion USD. These companies operate in over 160 countries and reach billions of consumers worldwide – paving the way for the project's success.

The goal of this collaboration is that by the end of 2027 QR Codes with GS1 standards should be widely adopted. To achieve this, a coordinated effort is necessary between manufacturers and retailers: manufacturers should start implementing QR Codes with GS1 standards on product packages, while retailers should ensure their point of sale (POS) scanners are equipped to read the new barcodes.

The shift has already begun with the new technology being tested in 48 countries across the world, representing 88% of the world's GDP.

The complete list of companies that have signed the global joint statement is the following: Alibaba.com (Taobao & Tmall Group), AS Watson, Barilla Group, Carrefour, 7-Eleven (CP ALL Thailand), Dr. Oetker, IGA, JD.com Group, Lidl International, L'Oréal, Master Kong (Tingyi Holding Corp.), Mengniu Group, Metro, Migros Ticaret A.S., MondelÄ“z International, Nestlé, The Procter & Gamble Company, Savencia Fromage & Dairy, The J.M. Smucker Co., Tsingtao Beer Group, WH Group (Henan Shuanghui Development Co.), and Yili Group.

You can access the global joint industry statement here.

There are several types of next generation 2D barcodes. The QR Code is the most widely used in retail, while the GS1 DataMatrix is commonly used in healthcare. To learn more about QR Codes powered by GS1's, please visit this page.

About GS1

GS1 is a neutral, not-for-profit organisation that provides global standards for efficient business communication. We are best known for the barcode, named in 2016 by the BBC as one of "the 50 things that made the world economy." GS1 standards improve the efficiency, safety and visibility of supply chains across physical and digital channels in 25 sectors. We enable organisations of all types and sizes to identify, capture and share information seamlessly. Our scale and reach – local Member Organisations in 118 countries, more than 2 million user companies and 10 billion transactions every day – help ensure that GS1 standards create a common language that supports systems and processes across the globe. Find out more at www.gs1.org.

About GS1 Hong Kong

Founded by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce in 1989, GS1 Hong Kong is the local chapter of GS1^®. GS1 Hong Kong's mission is to empower businesses of their digital transformation, improve supply chain visibility and efficiency, ensure product authenticity, facilitate commerce connectivity and enable sustainable value chain through the provision of global supply chain standards (including GTIN & barcodes), and a full spectrum of platforms, solutions and services.

GS1 Hong Kong currently supports close to 8,000 corporate members from 20 sectors including retail & consumer packaged goods, food & beverage and food services, healthcare, apparel & footwear, logistics & ICT. By working closely with communities of trading partners, industry organizations, government, and technology providers, we can foster a collaborative ecosystem, paving the way for "Smarter Business, Better Life".

As a non-profit organization, GS1 develops and drives global adoption of supply chain standards. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, GS1 has 118 national chapters in 150 countries.

For more information, please visit www.gs1hk.org.

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

Leading Companies in the Retail and Consumer Goods Industries Support the Transition to QR Codes with GS1 Standards

Vivity is expanding globally, landing customers in the United States, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, as heavy industry customers span geographies yet work similarly around the world.

SAN ANTONIO, July 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan assessed Industrial AI for heavy industry, and based on its findings, recognizes Vivity AI Inc. with the 2024 Global Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award. The company offers industry-specific AI products with its data expertise in the heavy industry. It developed an end-to-end AI platform based on 3 pillars: Vivity Edge to identify and track processes, Vivity Analytics to analyze data and obtain actionable insights, and Vivity Studio to manage and operate AI. It offers incremental steps—from Edge to Analytics to Studio, helping customers set up their own data science or AI team once they are ready to proceed. Vivity Edge is lightweight and focuses on point use cases initially so that customers can quickly deploy it in a few months without having to set up a whole data collection pipeline.

Vivity Edge provides highly reliable failure detection with a low false alarm rate and cost-effective deployment, whereas Vivity Analytics comes with state-of-the-art generative AI and LLM. The built-in data quality analyzer of Vivity Analytics relies on understanding the heavy industry's metal working processes. Focused on heavy industry customers, Vivity has found a blue space opportunity where it leverages AI to help transform this sector. Vivity's multiple algorithms work in extreme video stabilization under different conditions, such as sunlight, shade, and extreme vibration because the environment is often harsh. The company leverages its connections and expertise to create good reference cases and develop its AI technology for heavy industry.

Sankara Narayanan, Industry Director, Frost & Sullivan, observed "General-purpose MLOps or out-of-the-box AI platforms designed for the manufacturing sector cannot solve the kind of problems that heavy industries face. Here is where Vivity excels. The company built its AI platform from the ground up for particular verticals of heavy industry, making many of the technologies' core features competitive differentiators, including extreme video stabilization, multi-modal response, smart and dynamic ROI computation, operation condition identification, and hyper-feature detection."

Vivity has a fairly large computer vision team with staff from leading companies such as Cognex and Samsung, and technologies horizontally applicable in construction and logistics. Its data science team focuses on predictive analytics and uses data for tracking and optimization of product quality and workflow. From cloud and micro-servers to on-premises deployment, Vivity offers a wide range of customizable options to meet its customers' various infrastructure needs. Its drone-based image analysis and sensor technology enable real-time awareness and advanced ML-driven scheduling optimization while a highly scalable industry approach supports the company's coherent vision.

"Vivity's customizable deployment options; seamless AI adoption journey; task-oriented, domain-specific AI modules and user-driven use cases such as workplace safety and critical equipment monitoring, enhance customers' operational efficiency and value proposition. The company has grown significantly in the last 18 months and continues to expand globally on its way to become the AI platform of choice for heavy industry customers worldwide," added Sankara Narayanan. Vivity earns Frost & Sullivan's 2024 Global Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award for its strong overall performance in the industrial AI for heavy industry space.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents a Company of the Year award to the organization that demonstrates excellence in terms of growth strategy and implementation in its field. The award recognizes a high degree of innovation with products and technologies, and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in various regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analyses, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About Frost & Sullivan
For six decades, Frost & Sullivan has been world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders, and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models, and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:
Lindsey Whitaker
P: 1.210.477.8457
E:Lindsey.Whitaker@frost.com

About Vivity AI Inc.

Founded in 2022 by experienced industry professionals, Vivity AI Inc. is at the forefront of AI applications within heavy industry. Providing solutions to world-leading enterprises in shipbuilding, energy, heavy manufacturing, construction and beyond, Vivity AI is advancing a more efficient and sustainable future for all. Contact us: Revolutionize Heavy Industry.

Contact:
Divya J. Singh
P: 1.925.523.0007
E: Divya.Singh@vivity.ai

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

Vivity AI Applauded by Frost & Sullivan for Addressing Inefficiencies and Risk Mismanagement in Heavy Industry and its Market-leading Position