With the logistics industry undergoing major changes due to Covid, extreme weather events, and a clogged supply chain, the industry-led National Location Registry is a welcomed initiative.
Sponsored by the federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications & the Arts, GS1 Australia developed and delivered the National Location Registry (NLR), an industry platform to complement the government’s Freight Data Hub initiative.
GS1 said the higher volumes of freight during and since Covid have put additional stress on distribution networks and transport providers.
“There have been changes to trading hours and increased safety requirements around COVID at pick-up and delivery points.
“For a transport operator to execute a delivery, they need to understand the specific parameters of the physical location. This information is currently held in separate systems and often not stored digitally,” GS1 said.
The NLR is designed to improve the digital capability of the logistics sector, providing data to help improve productivity in transport and logistics, and support smooth, delay free pick-up and deliveries.
The registry digitises the management, storage and sharing of information about physical freight locations. This data can then be shared between location owners and transport operators.
It provides a one-stop-shop of pick-up and delivery location information to support drivers deliver goods to businesses and consumers, including operating hours, weight and height restrictions for vehicles, truck entry and exit points, driver amenities and safety requirements for each site.
A national call to action is underway for location owners across all industry sectors to publish their location data on the registry at nlr.org.au.
It is a multi-industry solution supporting sectors such as healthcare, transport and freight, grocery, agriculture, and general merchandise.
The benefits of the registry will be maximised by adding as many organisational locations as possible.
This story first appeared in the August issue of Food & Drink Business magazine.
