GS1 US and GS1 Germany Complete Joint Venture

Jörg Pretzel, CEO of GS1 Germany, and Bob Carpenter, CEO of GS1 US, made a joint statement: “Brand owners and other businesses will benefit from this venture as we create a proven leader in the development and implementation of solutions to build a better-informed world. The sharing of product information beyond the traditional business-to-business model has rapidly become a flashpoint for businesses, and 1WorldSync will be at the forefront of this major shift.”

1WorldSync’s chief executive officer is Nihat Arkan, formerly the CEO of SA2 Worldsync.

“This is a very important coupling of talents, as 1WorldSync combines 1SYNC’s strengths across multiple industries with the global reach and strategic partnerships of SA2 Worldsync,” said Arkan. “1WorldSync accelerates our vision for consistent, authentic, high-quality product data to manage industry and consumers’ expectations successfully.”

Uniting the strengths and complementary visions of both firms, 1WorldSync will continue development and global expansion of solutions for product data management and data synchronization. The company starts with more than 15,000 customers, directly or indirectly, in more than 40 countries. It offers solutions and services across a range of industries, including healthcare, grocery, hardlines, foodservice and consumer packaged goods.

GS1 US and GS1 Germany will provide equal representation to the 1WorldSync board of directors, whose voting members are Carpenter, Pretzel, and the following external directors:

• Otmar Debald, managing director, Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH;
• Frich Harsch, chairman of the board, dm-drogerie markt GmbH;
• Rodney McMullen, president and chief operating officer, The Kroger Co. in the U.S.; and
• Joe Pleasant, chief information officer of the Premier healthcare alliance in the U.S.

Several current customers of 1SYNC and SA2 Worldsync have offered guidance to the companies in support of the joint venture’s creation and strategic direction.

“Ensuring that information about each trade product remains consistent across the entire supply chain, all the way to the customer, is a key success factor for retail businesses,” said Silvester Macho, CEO of Metro Systems, the internal information technology service provider of Germany-based retailer Metro Group. “This joint venture will provide a global platform from which brands and retailers can manage and synchronize all product and trade information, and therefore it represents an important step in achieving these goals.”

“In an increasingly information-rich world, we’re excited by the prospects of 1WorldSync and its drive to help brands and trading partners manage their product and trade information through a single platform,” said Melvin Landis, the chief retail sales officer of Coca-Cola Refreshments and a member of the GS1 US Board of Governors. “This is indeed the perfect combination to drive new innovation for data management and sharing. 1WorldSync will provide dynamic industry leadership around this vision.”

In addition to Arkan, the new company’s management team will include chief marketing and administrative officer Katy Theroux, currently a SVP at GS1 US; CIO Ulf Adebahr, currently COO of SA2 Worldsync; Daniel Wilkinson, managing director, Americas; and two regional managing directors yet to be named.