Qatari companies have been invited to purchase the Qatari barcode by the Head of Export Development Department of Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and CEO of Qatari Coding and Tracking Office, Ali Sultan Al Kuwari. The barcode is to be used on their products with the aim that this would bring about a qualitative leap in the local economic sectors. Al Kuwari pointed out that adopting the unified international standards system for Qatari companies and institutions will contribute to standardizing the global language of business, facilitating exportation and building a reliable global database of Qatari products and services.
He emphasized that this step would make a difference in terms of increasing the gross domestic product (GDP) of Qatar by marketing Qatari products and services locally and globally, pointing out that the GS1 Qatar Office is a non-profit organization that aims to safeguard the unified international standards including the barcode. GS1 Qatar Office was established in June 2021 as a member of GS1 with the aim to collaborate in building a developed infrastructure that is capable of serving national industries and responding to their future needs. Al Kuwari thanked Qatar Chamber for hosting the workshop and joining hands with QDB and GS1 Qatar to introduce the office and the services it offered among the Qatari business community.
The specialist in the global standards system, and a certified auditor for global tracking systems, Ibrahim Assaf, introduced the GS1, a Belgium-based global standards organization, aimming to unify the global language of business. He said that there are 250 million products that carry the organization's barcode GS1, and more than 2 million companies use their standards.
Assaf said that the GS1 Qatar, which was established under the QDB's supervision, with the aim of granting membership to local manufacturers, retailers, producers, commercial markets, and others to use the international standards system for coding. It also aims to introduce international standards and mechanisms for their use at various stages through supply chain, provide technical advice to improve supply chain operations, hold specialized training courses.
He also discussed the mechanisms of registration and obtaining membership in the GS1 Qatar, and the rules for granting international barcodes, as well as the most important challenges facing commercial partners and the proposed solutions.
In collaboration with QDB and GS1 Qatar, Qatar Chamber held the workshop under the title, 'Introducing the global standards for numbering (GS1) and the global standards system (GS1 System) and the various applications for using barcodes and their role in developing the business sector for Qatari companies.'
The workshop featured introducing the global standards for coding and the mechanisms of their use in various barcode applications, which cover important sectors such as retail trade, health care, transportation and logistics services, and other sectors.
