The ceremonial opening of the Assembly was attended by a representative of the South Korean government, Mr. Young-Ju Kim, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy. In his speech, the Minister presented the most important economic and technological achievements of South Korea in recent years. He emphasized the significant role of the Korean government in building the best possible environment conducive to economic growth. He also expressed great appreciation for the achievements in implementing GS1 standards in South Korea. The second important guest of this year’s General Assembly was Mr. Sonny Singh, Senior Vice President of Oracle. Mr. Singh emphasized how important the ability to use new information technologies and mutual cooperation is for meeting competition today. He pointed out the necessity of using one common business language and global, open standards. He emphasized the role of GS1 in effectively developing and implementing these standards and the importance of cooperation with GS1 for Oracle.
The most important decisions made at the General Assembly include:
• approval of the organization’s new mission and vision
• approval of the 3-year and one-year action plan
• election of new members of the Management Board
• admission of new countries to the organization.
Vision and mission are very important for every organization, as they show what it is and what its goals are. The previous vision and mission, limited in their wording to the area of supply chain management, did not fully reflect the new GS1 services, such as GDSN or eCom, and the organization’s plans regarding activities in new sectors, such as healthcare or the military. The new vision and mission are much more inspiring and better reflect the new, changed character of the organization in recent years. In its vision, GS1 strives for a world in which goods, cargo, objects, and all other things and the information associated with them move efficiently and safely to ensure the greatest possible business benefits and influence the improvement of people’s lives, every day and everywhere. The mission of GS1 is to be a neutral leader, supporting business environments, enabling these environments to develop and implement standards that form the basis of tools and build the trust needed to realize the vision.
The three-year strategic plan for 2007-2010 and the annual plan for 2007-2008 approved at the General Assembly fully reflect the new goals and tasks that the organization sets for itself. The most important initiatives adopted include:
• GS1 DataBar Program
From January 1, 2010, new barcodes – GS1 DataBar – will begin to function at retail points of sale. As part of the program, GS1 is preparing the market for new codes, including helping national organizations prepare companies – participants in the system – to use the new symbologies. The program includes a broad information campaign, preparation of training materials and implementation guidelines, support for pilot implementations, and cooperation with hardware and software suppliers, both global and local.
• Increased use of GS1 identification numbers
The goal of this initiative is to expand the use of GTIN and GLN numbers in industries other than FMCG and to develop a uniform, global strategy for their assignment and management