Data Pool Raising Hong Kong's Profile as Asian Logistics, Trading Hub

GS1 Hong Kong and GXS today announced the official worldwide launch of the GS1 HK Data Pool, designed to enable enterprises in Hong Kong and the Pan Pearl River Delta (PPRD) region to exchange accurate, GS1 standards-compliant product information with their global trading partners, Supply and Deman Chain Executive reported.

GS1 Hong Kong (formerly known as the Hong Kong Article Numbering Association or HKANA) is a not-for-profit industry support organization that helps Hong Kong enterprises optimize business efficiency through the provision of global supply chain standards and enabling technologies.

The GS1 HK Data Pool, Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN)-certified and based on the GXS Data Pool Manager (DPM), is one of 26 GDSN-certified data pools worldwide. It is intended to serve as a global gateway for enabling more efficient international collaboration between manufacturers and their retailer trading partners, with the goal of achieving improved business processes for globally sourced goods and services.

Trading Data

The Data Pool allows trading partners to exchange consistent data, based on common global standards of Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) and Global Location Number (GLN), with trading partners around the globe. GXS technology enables the GS1 HK Data Pool to interoperate within the GDSN to synchronize information about products with other global data pools in conjunction with the GS1 Global Registry, a global data directory managed by GS1.

According to GXS, the GS1 HK Data Pool serves as both a source and recipient data pool, and it provides enterprises with a platform to exchange accurate and up-to-date product information compliant with GS1 System standards. Companies connecting to GS1 data pools can benefit from fewer out-of-stocks, increased speed-to-market for new product introductions and reduced logistics costs, GXS said.

"The impact of this global initiative on global e-commerce will be profound," said Anna Lin, chief executive of GS1 Hong Kong. "The GS1 HK Data Pool enables trading partners to collaboratively achieve increased efficiency, improved productivity and superior economic benefit within and across sectors electronically."