Industry Standards
Rapid supply chain collaboration can be achieved through the implementation of industry standards. Industry standards actually reduce the cost of collaboration among trading partners and increase confidence levels among those who participate in the use of those standards. In addition, industry standards enable interoperability among trading partners worldwide.
Here is a sampling of standards and standards bodies which could be relevant to you.
| Accredited Standards Committee X12 | Accredited Standards Committee X12 (ASC X12) is responsible for developing American National Standards for Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). |
| American National Standards Institute | The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) designates standards submitted by ANSI-accredited Standards Development Organizations (SDOs). The ANSI designation is awarded after the opportunity for public review and comment, and a certification by the SDO that due process was followed in the development of the standard. |
| CPFR (Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment) | A set of business processes that entities in a supply chain can use for collaboration on a number of retailer/manufacturer functions towards overall efficiency in the supply chain. |
| EAN.UCC System | The specifications, standards, and guidelines co-administered by EAN International and the Uniform Code Council, Inc.? (UCC?). |
| EbXML (Electronic Business eXtensible Markup Language) | Enables a global electronic marketplace to conduct business between trading partners through the exchange of Extensible Markup Language (XML)-based messages. ebXML supports an open communications infrastructure offering interoperability and security. |
| Global Standards Management Process | A collection of procedures, methods, and practices that EAN International and the Uniform Code Council, Inc.? (UCC?) employ to develop and maintain EAN.UCC System standards. |
| Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) | An organization dedicated to accelerating the adoption of product-independent formats based on public standards, including Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), and Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM), as well as others related to structured information processing. |
| United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) | United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) is open to participation from member states, intergovernmental organizations, and sectoral and industry associations recognized by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC). The Centre's objective is to be inclusive, and it actively encourages organizations to contribute and help develop its recommendations and standards. |
| The Uniform Code Council, Inc.? (UCC?) also known as UCCnet | The Uniform Code Council, Inc.? (UCC?), based in the United States, is a membership organization that jointly manages the EAN.UCC System with EAN International. The UCC also administers the EAN.UCC System in the United States and Canada. |
| The World Wide Web Consortium | The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable technologies (e.g., specifications, guidelines, software, tools) to lead the Web to its full potential. W3C is a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding. |
| Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Standards Association (VICS) | A non-profit organization focusing on the improvement of product and information flow throughout the supply chain. |
| Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Standards EDI | Retail industry conventions and implementation guidelines for Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) based on the X12 standard. |
Source: The Uniform Code Council website at www.uc-council.org