Australian coding and labelling specialist Matthews Australasia has launched a new online toolkit aimed at supporting Australian manufacturers who supply products to any of the major supermarkets
For small- or medium-sized businesses, it can be challenging to keep relevant staff up to date across the range of guidelines existing within the industry. In a collaborative project launched today, Matthews and GS1 have developed a range of barcode tools and resources designed specifically to support manufacturers supplying to any of the major Australian supermarkets including Woolworths, Coles, Aldi and Metcash.
The centrepiece of the new tool kit is a Barcode Learning Centre. This tool features distilled educational information covering each of the required barcode and label types used by the industry in Australia, from consumer unit, carton and pallet level standards.
“Talking about barcode compliance with many of our customers it became obvious that there was a significant opportunity to assist with improving education levels in a clear and easy to understand format in conjunction with GS1 Australia and the major retailers,” said Matthews CEO Mark Dingley.
“The data tells us that the number one cause for supplier rejects at supermarket distribution centres is errors relating to SSCC pallet labels. Using the tools and resources we have launched this week has the potential to save the entire downstream supply chain from manufacturer to distribution centre millions of dollars nationally by improving efficiency and compliance.”
Dingley said that the Learning Centre was a mark of the Matthews' unwavering commitment to delivering on its corporate vision: “Our vision drives us to improve safety and efficiency throughout the Australian manufacturing supply chain. Our goal with the launch of these new online educational tools is that we are one step closer to achieving that vision in supporting Australian manufacturing achieve improved supply chain efficiencies.”
Andrew Steele, retail account director for GS1 Australasia added: “GS1 Australia is proud to have worked alongside Matthews in the development of their online Barcode Learning Centre, which we see as an invaluable tool to assist companies in understanding the fundamentals of how to produce quality barcodes that will ‘scan first time every time’.”
In addition to the free tools and resources launched this week, Matthews also offers a complete package code management software solution through its iDSnet platform. According to Matthews, some of Australia’s largest manufacturers rely on iDSnet to ensure the right code is applied to the right product every time.
Matthews Australasia has been a long term GS1 Strategic Alliance partner alongside brands such as IBM and Telstra over the last decade.
