ConneCting trusted ProduCt data everywhere 1

Case study

Golbon utilizes 1WorldSync and GS1 Standards to provide valuable product information to their Distributor Members!Opportunity

With more than 900,000 Foodservice

locations in the United States, there

has always been a high demand for

new products and improvements in the

manufacturing techniques of existing

products. The ability to provide new

and creative meal choices to diners is

critical to the long term success of every

Foodservice Operator. These operators

have traditionally depended on their

distributors to provide information about

products and to make them aware of

new items or changes as they become

available. The demand for extensive

product information has increased

dramatically over the last twenty five

years, fueled by the rapid development

of mobile technologies. A distributor’s

ability to provide easy access to extensive

product information is a competitive

advantage in today’s information-based

marketplace. Foodservice operators

and consumers alike are demanding

information well beyond the traditional

product identifiers like UPC numbers or

weights and measures. Today’s buyers

want to know the country or region of

origin, a complete list of ingredients,

nutritional values, allergens and even want

to see a pictures of the products.

Golbon is a Premier Foodservice

Marketing Group, based in Boise, Idaho.

With distributor members all over the

United States, they offer programs

to meet the needs of independent

Foodservice distributors. Their members

serve diverse segments of the industry,

such as convenience stores, retail, club

stores and specialty distribution, in

addition to the traditional Foodservice

market. Golbon’s mission is to help

their members succeed by providing

programs that create a competitive

advantage in the marketplace. Golbon

has identified an approach to help their

members achieve sales growth and

improved profitability by engaging in

the GS1 Foodservice initiative, which

offers extensive product information.

Larry Lipschultz, Golbon’s Chief Financial

Officer, commented, “Golbon’s member

distributors will leverage GS1 Standards

to proactively provide their customers

with comprehensive product information,

enhance their traceability programs, and

reduce their operating costs.”

“Golbon’s member distributors

will leverage GS1 Standards

to proactively provide their

customers with comprehensive

product information, enhance

their traceability programs,

and reduce their operating

costs.”

– LArry LIPSChULTz

Chief Financial Officer

Solution

In early 2012, Golbon engaged 1WorldSync

to define a program to allow the Golbon

community to take full advantage of the

benefits of the GS1 Foodservice initiative.

The focus was to enable their members to

engage in the Global Data Synchronization

Network (GDSN), see value in the use of

the GS1 standards and begin conversion

of their internal item numbers to Global

Trade Item Numbers’ (GTIN). 1WorldSync

and Golbon jointly developed a phased

approach to the program.

· Phase one: Develop an online Catalog

for each individual distributor for View,

Search and Printing of Spec Sheets,

including nutritional and other product

data.

· Phase two: Collaborate with each

Member to begin integrating GDSN data

to take full advantage of supplier GTINs

and Global Location Numbers (GLN).

A pilot study was completed for Phase

One of the program that included Golbon,

1WorldSync and SpecPage, a 1WorldSync

Solution Partner based in Warwick, rhode

Island. The timeframe for the pilot was

December 2012 through April 2013 and

the participating members were Favorite

Foods, Somersworth, New hampshire; S&L

Produce, Centralia Illinois; Superior Foods,

Grand rapids, Michigan; and Teri Nichols

Institutional Food Merchants, Brooklyn,

New york.

Golbon, partnering with 1WorldSync

and Specpage, worked with each of the

participating members to implement a

secure, extensive, personalized product

catalog populated with information from

the GDSN. This holistic approach to

capturing, displaying and utilizing data

from the GDSN enables Golbon members

to easily gain the advantages of the GS1

Foodservice Initiative.

To access the catalog data, each

Golbon member first must obtain a GS1-

certified, 13-digit GLN. Once a GLN is

established and the member has joined

the GDSN through this unique Golbon and

1WorldSync engagement, the member can

begin the process of receiving data via

the GDSN through their trading partner

relationships.

One additional component of the pilot

was the inclusion of Dot Foods, Inc., based

in Mt. Sterling, Illinois. Dot Foods, Inc.

is the largest Food redistributor in the

nation and a founding member of the GSI

Foodservice initiative. They have been at

the forefront, driving industry adoption

while implementing GS1 Standards

throughout their organization. As an

important trading partner for each of the

participating distributors, Dot Foods, Inc.

became the first to publish information to

the individualized catalogs.

Dot Foods, Inc. and Golbon share a

belief that providing comprehensive,

standardized information to customers

gives an edge to provide better service.

“We are excited to be part of this new

program with Golbon and their members,”

said Debbie Bower, E-Commerce Manager

at Dot Foods, Inc.

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Results

After obtaining product lists, 1WorldSync

and SpecPage deployed custom product

catalogs to each participant within

seven days. The initial catalogs included

extensive product information (some with

pictures) from over 2,200 items provided

by Dot Foods, Inc. These custom catalogs

are available to distributor sales reps,

purchasing agents, marketing staff,

and even customers, and are all easily

accessible via the Internet. Integrated

search functions enable quick links to

product spec sheets which may then

be viewed, printed or emailed. This

variety of comprehensive, readily-

accessible information ensures that both

the distributor and operator have the

information they need to achieve goals for

product innovation, as well as to comply

with both local and national food safety

regulations.

Although no quantitative sales figures

were shared as part of the pilot, it is

universally agreed that the end result of

this new information source is a better

educated and more productive sales force

along with an improvement to the overall

customer experience. Based on the early

success of the pilot Golbon are continuing

to expand the number of trading partners

publishing information to the catalogs

and expanding the availability to the

rest of the Golbon Member Companies.

Dan Wilkinson, Managing Director

of 1WorldSync Americas said “The

Foodservice industry is a very important

segment for us and their need for

information is critical. It is being driven

by consumer demands along with the

regulatory requirements around food

safety and traceability. We are very happy

to be part of this important solution.”

Suppliers and Golbon Member Trading

Partners can find all the necessary

information in order to publish their

product information at http://pdm.1sync.

org/customers/golbon, or by contacting

your local Golbon representative for

additional information.

“The Foodservice industry is a

very important segment for us

and their need for information

is critical. It is being driven

by consumer demands

along with the regulatory

requirements around food

safety and traceability. We are

very happy to be part of this

important solution.”

– DAN WILkINSON

Managing Director of 1WorldSync

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About Golbon

Golbon was formed in 1963 to provide

Foodservice distributors premium frozen

fruits, vegetables, and potatoes through

forward warehousing programs.

Since the organization’s inception,

Golbon has transitioned into a full service,

broadline purchasing and marketing

group for independent Foodservice

distributors. Today, as one of the country’s

fastest growing buying groups, Golbon

is at the cutting edge of the Foodservice

industry. They have addressed the needs

of independent Foodservice distributors

with an array of targeted business building

programs and services. Golbon’s staff is

comprised of experienced Foodservice

individuals committed to assisting

distributors in reaching their goals. With

both an internal and external commitment

to the advancement of its distributor

members and the industry, Golbon is

positioned to assist distributors in their

future growth and enhanced profitability.

About 1WorldSync

With more than 15,000 customers across

54 countries, 1WorldSync is the industry

leader in global product data management

and data pool solutions certified for

the GS1 Global Data Standardization

Network™ (GDSN®). 1WorldSync solutions

and services allow companies to share

trusted product information with one

another and with consumers, driving

business and convenience for everyone,

all around the world. 1WorldSync is a

joint venture of GS1 Germany and GS1 US,

which are member organizations of GS1,

the organization that develops global

standards for identifying, capturing,

and sharing product information.

www.1WorldSync.com

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