Price Synchronization Pilot Set to Conclude Next Month

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A pilot program evaluating the synchronization of pricing data between trading partners -- long sought by the food industry -- is expected to be completed by mid-April, said Greg Zwanziger, director of ecommerce, Supervalu, Minneapolis. Zwanziger provided the update yesterday at the Food Marketing Institute‘s Distribution/Supply Chain Conference here. The pilot includes 10 suppliers, 11 retailers and eight data pools; retailer participants include Piggly Wiggly, Supervalu and Ahold. Launch of a price synchronization standard under the auspices of the Global Data Synchronization Network, Brussels, is slated for mid-June. A price standard is expected to reduce invoice discrepancies and improve order accuracy, among other benefits. “Retailers and suppliers look at price synchronization as ‘something I can take to the bank,‘” Zwanziger said. -- Michael Garry