Medical Device Link.

Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging News Magazine
PMPN Article Index

Originally Published November 2000

OUR VIEW

Packaging Synchronization

The Uniform Code Council Inc. (UCC; Lawrenceville, NJ) is a familiar face in the medical packaging industry. The organization has established and implemented UCC/EAN standards for product identification in the pharmaceutical and medical distribution channels, and is currently developing guidelines for composite symbology to aid in the product identification of dispensed healthcare units.

This July, the UCC introduced its product identification standards to the world of e-commerce. UCCnet, a not-for-profit subsidiary of the UCC, has begun to bring the same standardized product information communicated through coding symbologies to the growing world of e-commerce. UCCnet's universal trading community allows companies to communicate and to access standardized product life cycle information in real time.

By introducing standards into e-commerce trading information, UCCnet is able to globalize a company's trading scope and bring efficiency to its supply chain. UCCnet's universal trading community creates these business advantages through its four foundational services.

Industry Standards–Compliant, Synchronized Data. The UCC has implemented standard business practices across numerous industries, and UCCnet's foundation is the synchronization of industry standards–compliant data. The goal is to ensure all internal and external usages of information are synchronized, accurate, and compliant with industry standards. As a subsidiary of the UCC, UCCnet is linked to the technical standards development for the industry. Standards such as extensible markup language (XML) schemas, global trade item number (GTIN), and product classification are all included within UCCnet's services.

UCCnet enables supply-side companies to publish and update their product data among their trading partners, thereby allowing these trading partners to use the same current item information. The synchronization process facilitates the matching of purchase orders to invoices, and improves speed to market and accuracy of pricing, helping subscribers to cut costs associated with paperwork, miscommunication, and incorrect information.

A Universal Foundation for E-Commerce. In addition to connecting individual trading partners, UCCnet links trade exchanges, assisting members in finding information and resources outside a partner's designated exchange. The universal trading community supports open visibility, securely connecting independent repositories across one e-commerce platform. UCCnet acts as a map, providing pointers to those within the supply chain and thus linking data within an industry.

Industry-Defined Application Requirements. UCCnet facilitates clear definition of application requirements by thoroughly reviewing common business practices. These requirements enable solutions providers and trade exchanges to develop compliant business applications and services that best serve industry.

An Electronic Trading Community. UCCnet provides improved trading opportunities for partners not in other exchanges, as well as access to applications other exchanges may not offer.

Additional services UCCnet plans to add are advance shipping notices (ASNs), point-of-sale data, and promotion management. Future applications will also encompass imaging; collaboration, collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment (CPFR); and scan-based trading.

Through UCCnet, subscribers are well equipped to identify a broader range of potential suppliers, which results in lower material costs, improved product quality, and better predictability of demand for more-efficient planning across the supply chain.

The medical packaging industry will move more of its business on-line as the Internet emerges as a mainstream business channel. While UCCnet's e-commerce platform is currently working in the grocery and retail industries, the organization is moving toward providing its standards-based, e-commerce services for trading partners within all 23 industries served by the UCC.

To learn more about UCCnet, visit http://www.uccnet.org, call 609/620-4580, or contact the organization at Princeton Pike Corporate Center, 1009 Lenox Dr., Ste. 115, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648.