Manufacturers and Retailers Expedite Product Sourcing

Minimize Supply Chain Impact Without Compromising Data Needs

By [ Mette Pedersen ]
05/21/2020

This is a guest blog post from UL.

During these challenging times, retailers have worked hard to keep products on store shelves. As retailers contact new suppliers and distributors to meet increased consumer demands, the need to acquire critical supply chain data to ensure products are handled appropriately throughout their lifecycle remains as critical as ever.

From the product design and manufacturing phase to end-of-life considerations, thousands of data points are needed in order to move products through the supply chain safely and efficiently. Critical items like safety data sheets, regulatory and sales restriction data, slotting logic for distribution centers and stores, transportation information for all modes (road/rail/air/boat), product safety and quality data, disposal requirements, recycling and other stewardship data; all play an important role in keeping the supply chain safe and functioning.

Product Lifecycle Information Needs

For more than a decade, retail merchandising, compliance, sustainability and logistics/transportation teams have relied on UL WERCSmart® to capture the critical product data highlighted in this short video.

To minimize supply chain disruption, many manufacturers have taken advantage of a free database to help identify new ingredient suppliers due to product shortages as a result of the pandemic. UL has partnered with industry by providing free Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for World Health Organization (WHO) hand sanitizer formulas. And, when there is a need to create or modify an SDS quickly, self-authoring solutions have also been made available to manufacturers at no charge, allowing retailers to get products on store shelves and ecommerce websites faster.

For more details on how UL helps manufacturers and retailers meet their supply chain needs visit msc.ul.com. For more information on UL’s COVID-19 support and services, visit https://www.ul.com/ul-covid-19-support-services.