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LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. and PHOENIX, June 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- GS1 US® recognized three companies yesterday with GS1 US Excellence Awards for their achievements in implementing GS1 Standards: Independent Purchasing Cooperative (IPC)/Subway, Mercy and Crane USA, Inc. Additionally, Ben Shanley, senior vice president of national foodservice operations, Coca-Cola North America was honored with The Roger Milliken Career Achievement Award. The awards were presented during a ceremony at the GS1 Connect® conference taking place June 5-7, 2018 at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona.

The companies recognized have demonstrated strategic vision and produced positive results in community engagement, customer satisfaction and/or process improvement in three distinct categories:

• GS1 US Innovation Excellence Award: IPC/Subway  
  The Innovation Award honors a company for their transformative use of the GS1 System of Standards to deliver an enhanced experience for businesses and customers. IPC/Subway, one of the first foodservice operators to initiate an automated inventory management and traceability program, leverages GS1 Standards to alert restaurants of product withdrawals, provide real-time inventory checks and improve the quality of their product information, yielding significant cost avoidance in truckload optimization and material handling throughout the supply chain.
  
  
• GS1 US Operational Excellence Award: Mercy
  The Operational Excellence Award recognizes a company that successfully applied GS1 Standards to improve business processes, operations, industry collaboration and/or the consumer experience. Mercy took a holistic approach to implementing GS1 Standards for improved inventory management, identification of a product expiry or recall, and accurate charge capture for surgical procedures, which ultimately helped Mercy improve patient care while also increasing efficiency.
  
  
• GS1 US Small Business Excellence Award: Crane USA
  The Small Business Excellence Award highlights GS1 Standards implementation from a small company, and demonstrates how standards helped drive their businesses forward. Crane USA worked with their partner, DiCentral, to evolve their use of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) standards from source to sale for a fully integrated supply chain and a more robust e-commerce platform.

"Realizing an opportunity to create better visibility and efficiencies, these companies leveraged the power of GS1 Standards to transform entire business processes," said Bob Carpenter, president and CEO, GS1 US. "We commend their innovative approach to making strategic enhancements that are driving growth for their organizations."

Roger Milliken Career Achievement Award

Ben Shanley, a veteran of the foodservice industry, has been a champion for consumer transparency, food traceability, and supply chain visibility throughout his 30+ year career. A true collaborator and valued member of the Foodservice GS1 US Standards Initiative Executive Leadership Committee, Shanley led his organization to become one of the first beverage suppliers to implement GS1 Standards for better traceability throughout its entire product line, driving efficient inventory management, accurate delivery, and visibility across their supply chain. He continues to lead innovative programs that extend the use of GS1 Standards for better data quality and greater supply chain efficiency.  

"Ben has been a passionate advocate for GS1 Standards and has been instrumental in spearheading positive change across the foodservice industry," said Carpenter. "His leadership and influence in standards-based initiatives has helped Coca-Cola North America implement innovative supply chain best practices while delivering best-in-class customer value."

The Roger Milliken Career Achievement Award honors individuals who demonstrate outstanding innovation and leadership in the application of GS1 Standards and industry best practices to improve supply chain collaboration. Roger Milliken was known for being a catalyst for transformational best business practices across multiple industries. Among his many achievements, Milliken revolutionized the design of the textile plant, transformed how businesses controlled their inventories, supported energy efficiency well before the green manufacturing movement, and developed quality initiatives that set the standard for modern-day operational excellence. The award program continues in his memory.

To learn more about GS1 Connect, visit www.gs1connect.org. For more information on GS1 US, please visit www.gs1us.org.

About GS1 US
GS1 US®, a member of GS1® global, is a not-for-profit information standards organization that facilitates industry collaboration to help improve supply chain visibility and efficiency through the use of GS1 Standards, the most widely-used supply chain standards system in the world. Nearly 300,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading partner collaboration that optimizes their supply chains, drives cost performance and revenue growth while also enabling regulatory compliance. They achieve these benefits through solutions based on GS1 global unique numbering and identification systems, barcodes, Electronic Product Code-based RFID, data synchronization, and electronic information exchange. GS1 US also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code® (UNSPSC®). www.gs1us.org

SOURCE GS1 US