GS1 standards ‘will boost businesses’

MANAMA – April 21, 2020: GS1 Bahrain has announced that GS1 standards will help healthcare, retail and transport, and logistics sectors emerge stronger than ever.

The official member organisation of GS1 in charge of allocating, managing, administering and promoting global company prefixes with the country prefix code 608, GS1 Bahrain was founded in 2000 with the support of the government and local industry.

Raed Al Samahiji, founder, president, and chief executive said, “We are experiencing an unprecedented global crisis that is connecting everyone, everywhere, like never before. As daily life and business become more complex, our priorities here at GS1 remain unchanged: to protect the health and safety of our GS1 family and to support our over two million members worldwide.”

“All around us are examples of how industries, governments, and organisations are collaborating for the greater good. As a neutral and not-for-profit organisation, we have more than 45 years of experience bringing the industry together to develop and implement interoperable, global standards.”

Mr. Samahiji added, “Supply chains are being stretched to their limit, sometimes under life-and-death circumstances. Whether it be disaster response, keeping store shelves filled with food, online shopping, or the efficient and seamless flow of vital healthcare products, GS1 feels an enormous responsibility to bring new (and renewed) value to the industry. On a foundational level, products and supplies need to be uniquely identified to reach their destinations and accurate data about these products must be shared openly and efficiently.”

GS1 standards help enable this.

This global pandemic has also resulted in a dramatic increase in digital communications.

“A true digital transformation is happening at a much faster pace than anyone could have imagined. Once we emerge from this crisis, people will have acquired new habits that involve virtual communications, remote work, and study – and shoppers who have come to rely on home delivery and online services are likely to continue to use them. This digital transformation has unlimited potential, but only if we can trust that the data driving it is accurate and up to date,” he said.