Rapid and GS1 US Collaborate on Global Location Number Initiative for U.S. Farms

New Identification Program Designed to Enable Agriculture Industry to Achieve Economic Benefits of Standardized Electronic Commerce.

Washington, DC/ Lawrenceville, NJ (PRWEB) May 29, 2008 --- GS1 US and RAPID, the not-for-profit standards setting organization that enables and facilitates e-business for the North American Agri-Business industry, today announced a comprehensive program to identify farm businesses utilizing the global standards of the GS1 System.

Under the RAPID program, every farm business will be assigned a GS1 Global Location Number (GLN), a 13-digit identification number which provides globally unique identification of physical locations, functional entities, or legal entities for e-commerce applications. These farm businesses will include those that grow and provide produce, grains, forestry products, and other agriculture products. RAPID expects to assign approximately 5.5 million Global Location Numbers to U.S. farms and farm supply businesses.

The use of the GLN will enable the U.S. agriculture industry to establish a standardized means to identify farm locations and expand the use of electronic commerce to improve supply chain operations. The assignment of the GLN to each farm community will also establish the groundwork for more detailed and visible tracking and traceability within the farming industry.

The GS1 System is the worlds most widely used supply chain standards system, providing globally unique and standardized identification of products, physical locations, assets,

shipping containers, and related electronic communications. More than one million companies in 25 major industries, from raw materials to retailers, use these standards to conduct business efficiently in over 150 countries around the world.

Ron Farrell, the Executive Director and President of RAPID, said, The adoption and use of standards has become essential in helping the agricultural industry improve its supply chain and distribution processes and track and steward product responsibly. The collaboration between RAPID and GS1 US to assign Global Location Numbers to farms and farm supply entities is another important step in that effort. The GLN will become the foundation point of common, consistent industry identifiers that will help our members achieve the benefits of efficient, global e-business."

John Terwilliger, GS1 US Vice President, Barcodes, said: The GS1 System will assist the agricultural industry to achieve greater supply chain efficiency, and we are please to partner with RAPID on this effort. We share a common vision that standards, such as the Global Location Number, help companies unlock value in their businesses and enable them to be more competitive and efficient in their trading partner relationships."

About RAPID

RAPID is a not-for-profit organization that enables agriculture businesses to achieve the economic and stewardship benefits of electronic business. It develops and maintains the quality of commonly supported electronic standards, procedures and databases in order to meet its members supply chain eBusiness needs. RAPID's efforts are centered on the e-commerce needs of businesses and educators in crop and plant protection products, plant nutrients, grain, feed, seed, ag machinery, ag petroleum, animal health, other ag products, and the specialties industries (lawn care, turf, ornamentals, and indoor pest control). RAPID has developed and promoted a broad selection of standards and guidelines for effective exchange of e-commerce transactions, as well as databases to enable product, regulatory, and environmental stewardship. Additional information can be found at www.rapidnet.org.

About GS1 US

GS1 US Inc. is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the adoption and implementation of standards-based, global supply chain solutions. GS1 US operates subsidiaries EPCglobal North America, RosettaNet, and 1SYNC. GS1 US manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC®) for the UN Development Programme. GS1 US-based solutions, including business processes, XML standards, EDI transaction sets, and the bar code identification standards of the GS1 System are currently used by more than one million companies worldwide. For more information, visit www.GS1US.org.

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