GS1 UK seeks to broaden its Barcode Standards and Implementation Group

The COVID-19 crisis and demands of the new trading relationship with the European Union are continuing to shape the way that we do business.

With the rapid growth in online purchasing and contact-free deliveries adding pressure onto supply chains, accurate data is at a premium – and the humble barcode, and the technology behind it, has never been more important to businesses large and small.

That is why GS1 UK is seeking to expand its Barcode Standards and Implementation Group (BSIG), the UK member forum for all things related to GS1 barcoding standards and implementation, including identification and RFID.

It is BSIG members that provide the ideas and feedback to help shape the development of new and existing standards, in line with changing user requirements. BSIG members are on the frontline of activity to ensure efficiency and improve usability of barcoding standards throughout the domestic and international supply chain.

Any concerns or queries flagged by the BSIG here in the UK which cannot be addressed locally, are progressed to GS1’s international Global Standards Management Process (GSMP) community for further input or changes if required.

BSIG facilitator, Geoff O’Connell, said of the move to widen the franchise of the group: “As consumers in the pandemic with a greater number of items delivered to our doorsteps than ever before, we’ve probably never seen more barcodes. As businesses, we’ve never been more reliant on those black and white picket fences.