Wal-Mart to Use Data Accuracy Scorecard With Suppliers

MICHAEL GARRY

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart Stores here plans to use a data accuracy scorecard to monitor the accuracy of the product data provided by its suppliers, according to a letter sent to suppliers last month that is posted at www.1sync.org/walmart.html, part of the website of Wal-Mart’s data pool, 1SYNC.

The letter also advised suppliers that are not synchronizing data with Wal-Mart through the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) that they should select a data pool and provide Wal-Mart with a GLN (global location number) by Jan. 31, 2010, and complete an initial load of accurate product data by March 10, 2010.

According to a Wal-Mart presentation given last month and also posted at the 1SYNC site, just 46% of Wal-Mart’s suppliers have accurate cube (dimension) data for their products and 55% have accurate weight data. The website also states that more than 3,000 suppliers currently synchronize data via the GDSN with Wal-Mart, which represents 45% of suppliers and 42% of items.

Also at the 1SYNC site, Kroger, Cincinnati, has posted a letter sent last fall asking suppliers to begin using the GDSN to publish item data to Kroger as soon as possible.

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