8,500 ARMENIAN GOODS HAVE BAR CODES

Armenpress
Dec 06 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Since 1996 254 Armenian companies
and enterprises have joined the GS1 system, which is a set of global
standards, enabling the unique identification of all trade items,
processes, services, shipments, assets, companies and locations at
any point in the supply chain. Meantime the number of Armenia-made
products with bar-codes has reached 8,500.

Pap Aslanian, head of IAN Armenia agency that deals with bar-coding
of Armenian goods, said the number of Armenian companies seeking to
have bar codes increases 12-13 percent every year. The majority are
companies producing foodstuff, strong alcoholic drinks and medications.

He said in the first years when the system was introduced there were
attempts to fake bar codes. Now, these sort of attempts have slashed
radically, he said. The reason why some companies try to fake bar
codes is the big membership fee. Now a company has to pay 125,000
drams to become a member of the system and 125,000 drams as annual
membership fee.

Pap Aslanian said the system can be used by all industries to
facilitate trade by combining unique identification numbers with
data carriers and electronic commerce processes. The GS1 System
is administered by GS1 Global, based in Brussels. With member
organizations in over 100 countries, the integrity and compatibility
of the system worldwide is ensured.

Nearly one million organizations in over 145 counties use the system.