31 August 2004 — GXS today announced a joint initiative with the International Foundation for Automatic Identification (IFAI) to develop and manage Russia’s country data pool, RusDP1®. Part of a long-term agreement between GXS and IFAI, RusDP1, a multi-industry electronic product catalogue and data synchronisation service, will enable Russian retailers, manufacturers and suppliers to quickly and easily trade with partners worldwide. Once live, the Russian data pool will become part of a growing global network of synchronised data, enabling easy access to trading partners.

The world’s largest retailers, including Metro AG, Tesco and Wal-Mart, have mandated that all consumer goods manufacturers send item data electronically to data pools in order to ensure that accurately described and consistent product information is synchronised between trading partners. In the retail industry, data inaccuracies contribute to increased expenses due to errors in purchase orders, invoices and logistics systems, as well as shipment returns. Country data pools serve as a single source for the secure exchange of accurate and updated product information, allowing all supply chain partners to share and synchronise common standardised data. As a result, manufacturers are able to improve catalogue maintenance, order management and fulfilment, while reducing the time it takes for goods to get to market.

“With the continuing maturity of data pool technology, led by improvements in interoperability and industry standards, the promise is being fulfilled of operational savings from wider data synchronisation efforts that can take advantage of early supplier investments in the technology,” according to The AMR Research Alert, “Now Is the Time To Make Data Synchronisation Real in Retail,” August 5, 2004.

RusDP1 will be the first data pool in the Russian Federation to comply with global supply chain standards, created by a broad EAN initiative involving over one million member companies in 133 countries.

By leveraging its expertise in developing data pools within Australia, Canada, Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, GXS will enable IFAI to take full advantage of its involvement with the Global Data Synchronisation (GDS) initiative, leveraging the Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN), the standards which all future supply chain technologies will be built upon. With the introduction of its country data pool, Russian manufacturers and suppliers will be well-positioned to leverage advanced technologies such as RFID and collaboritive Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR) systems in order to remain competitive in the global market.

“Cooperation with GXS, one of the world’s leaders in creating global electronic communities, marks a significant step forward for IFAI,” said IFAI executive director Sergey Surkov. “We regard this as an extremely important and timely project that can help resolve a large number of supply chain management issues and will introduce a much-needed spirit of cooperation in the relationships between manufacturers and retailers.”

“Providing a proven framework to enable global data pools to facilitate data synchronisation within their communities is a key aspect of our overall strategy,” said Larry Rushing, GXS director of product management for data synchronisation and product information management. “The Global Data Synchronisation initiative is opening up a wealth of opportunities for local and global retail markets alike, and GXS continues to make this vision a reality.”

UNISCAN/EAN Russia, an industry organisation focused on data identification and transmission within the Russian Federation, is comprised of more than 10,000 Russian companies, which are poised to leverage the benefits of the Russian data pool.

According to George Nasonov, deputy general director of UNISCAN, “Taking into account the extensive international experience GXS has in developing country data pools, we have no doubt that the joint initiative of GXS and IFAI will enable our members – leading Russian and foreign companies – to find new customers, suppliers and manufacturers, reduce expenses caused by inaccurate product information and participate in the global exchange of information.”

Nasonov continued, “The data pool will not only connect manufacturers, suppliers and vendors, but will also help develop the retail industry. GDS is integral to Russian business if companies intend to use more advanced supply chain technologies in the future.”

About UNISCAN/EAN Russia
UNISCAN/EAN Russia is the Member Organisation of EAN International in the Russian Federation and as such is responsible for administering the global system of EAN.UCC standards in Russia. These are open, global multisectoral information standards, based on best business practices. By driving their implementation, EAN International and its Member Organisations play a leading role in the supply and demand chain management improvement worldwide. For more information please visit: www.ean.ru , www.ean-int.org

About IFAI
The International Foundation for Automatic Identification is a Moscow-based international not-for-profit organisation established in December 2000 to promote Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) technologies in Russia, CIS and Baltic countries.

About GXS
GXS is a leading global provider of B2B e-commerce solutions that simplify and enhance business process integration and collaboration. Organisations worldwide, including more than 75 percent of the Fortune 500, leverage GXS Trading Grid® to achieve balance between supply and demand. Active in the global standards arena, GXS solutions enable customers both large and small, to connect with global partners, synchronise product information, optimise inventory levels and demand forecasts, and accelerate the execution of supply chains.

Headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., GXS provides sales and support to businesses and their partners worldwide. For more information about GXS visit www.gxs.co.uk.