Page 17 - BOSS Today Issue 24

customers search and compare), of the industry, both now and in Synergy is trying to address is
technical and environmental the future. of a dry and esoteric subject. As
information are increasingly That body is the BOSS Wallington points out, nothing
demanded for members’ own Standardisation & Technical can be further from the truth:
business systems, customers Committee, now known as the “The provision of standardised,
and end user requirements. Synergy Team, and its Chairman high quality product data
Unfortunately, OP dealers is Richard Wallington. Having and the use of consistent
struggle on a daily basis with the worked for many years with coding systems are vital to the
variety and methods of receiving Wiggins Teape (now Antalis), effective sales and marketing
this data. It is costly, both in Wallington is well known to of products across increasingly
terms of the time required for many in the industry, and – varied and multiple channels of
a dealer to sort it all out, and more importantly – is able to distribution.”
also in terms of the cost of offer an experienced ‘hands Indeed, for Synergy, the
putting right the results of data on, non-technical’ perspective bottom line is all about the
mismatch (eg wrong product within Synergy, which also bottom line: “The central aim
sent, no product sent etc). includes representatives of all of this is to improve
from all areas of the industry, sales revenues, reduce the
One Ring To Rule including technical input from proliferation of data standards
Them All? manufacturers, wholesalers, and reduce costs for all
Since ‘stuff’ does happen, dealers and systems providers. members – in short, to improve
what is needed is someone profitability.”
or something to oversee the The Bottom Line The committee also supports
whole process of creating Is The Bottom Line and advises members on
and transferring product data However, despite the classification systems for
industry-wide. As NASA’s importance and urgency of its organising products and the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory work, Wallington is ready to effective use of product data
administrator Tom Gavin said: acknowledge that Synergy is and technical standards across
“People make errors. The not without its challenges: “One the industry.
problem here was not the error. problem is that the importance “The central
It was the failure of us to look at of the work of Synergy – and the Constant Change
it end-to-end and find it.” benefits it can deliver – are not Is Here To Stay aim of all of
So what is needed by the OP well understood by the BOSS But hasn’t this all been done
industry, if you like, is “one ring membership, nor by the wider before? Surely BOSS has been this is to..
to rule them all” – a body which industry.” working on data standards and
can produce product data and Indeed, the image perceived product classifications for years? improve
technology standards which will by BOSS members of the As Wallington points out,
meet the needs of the majority fundamental issues that this has indeed long been a profitability.”

October/November 2014 | BOSS TODAY 17

Industry Standards.indd 3 25/09/2014 14:38