CENTERVILLE, Ohio -- A memorial service was held here last week for Harold Juckett, president and chief operating officer of the Uniform Code Council, Dayton, Ohio.
on. At that time his role was to administer the Universal Product Code used in the United States grocery industry.
He was appointed to executive vice president and chief administrative officer, and three years ago he was named president and chief operating officer.
Aside from encouraging the use of bar codes as a standard symbol in the food retail industry, Juckett worked closely with the Product Code Council of Canada and EAN International in pursuit of a standardized automated product-numbering system to support a global, integrated supply chain.
"Hal joined the UCC when it was small, where he focused on the food industry and the scan symbol," said David Jenkins, past chairman of the UCC and retired chairman for Shaw's Supermarkets, East Bridgewater, Mass. "The results of this focus have created a global agreement for worldwide adoption of a common scan symbol, and adoption of a uniform communication standard is expected."
Juckett will also be remembered for his tireless work in helping to launch the Efficient Consumer Response initiative, according to Jenkins.
"Hal saw the UCC could not only achieve its own mission, but could also assist the food industry in the development and encouragement of the Efficient Consumer Response application," Jenkins said.
"Hal Juckett had a significant impact over his career with the UCC," said Craig Schnuck, chairman and chief executive officer of Schnuck Markets, St. Louis, and chairman of the board of governors for the UCC. "He caused a significant expansion in the use of the code and fostered and encouraged the use of EDI. The benefit and impact of Hal and his work with the industry will be felt for a long time in the future."
Robert Rich, vice chairman on the UCC's board of governors and president of Rich Products Corp., told SN, "Many of us in the industry feel a heavy loss. Hal was a visionary in the use of electronic commerce to help move state-of-the-art technology not only to the grocery industry, but to industries throughout North America and around the world."
Juckett is survived by his wife, Carolyn, two children, Edwin of Springboro, Ohio, and Christie of St. Petersburg, Fla., and a sister, Carol Hillock.