The Chamber of Commerce and Industry to assist business with coding

Business is concerned about the introduction of a coding system for a number of reasons: problems in regulatory processes; the risk of high costs, removal of the usual business processes at various stages in the delivery chain of coded goods. Small companies are especially at risk, and entrepreneurs are already talking about having to close their businesses. There are working teams under the coding provider, CRPT. But they involve those companies that have joined the pilot projects of the coding provider. The bulk of entrepreneurs, without access to legislators and market regulators, remains outside the boundary of decision-making. The CCI of Russia has volunteered to listen and help. Conference "Implementation of the national system of digital coding and traceability of goods. Tasks and problems" was the first dialogue between business and regulators.

Ekaterina Priyezzheva, representative of the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Russia (Deputy Director Of the Department of Domestic Trade Development, Digital Coding and Legalization of Product Turnover), emphasized the critical importance of dialogue with business and assured that her Department will consider the proposals of the CCI on optimization of the requirements and regulations of the system as a priority.

The center for advanced technology development, the coding provider (CRPT), was represented by several delegates. Revaz Yusupov, Deputy Managing Director, as well as project managers for product coding, reported on the implementation of coding in the footwear and clothing segments, on pilot projects for coding perfumes (Sergey Parfyonov) and tires (Kirill Volkov).

Experts of the logistics group of companies ART Delivery warned the participants about the risks associated with the increase in delivery times, about the spasmodic growth of costs for coding individual items for goods imported to Russia. The Managing Director of ART Delivery, Ramil Suleymanov, proposed a solution for the coding of consolidated goods, which would save manufacturers and importers from increasing delivery times and, most importantly, from enormous costs, disastrous for both small business and the market as a whole. The proposal aroused the interest of the participants, and the representatives of the RF CCI requested an official letter from ART Delivery with a proposal for further discussion.

Andrey Kreventsev, Deputy Director for Logistics at L'Etoile, and Alexey Timchenko, a leading analyst at Sportmarster, shared their experience in the implementation of coding in distribution and trade. Market participants spoke about the difficulties they encountered, and ways to overcome them.

Albina Gitchenko, expert on coding systems at Federal IT developer SKB Kontur, spoke about the electronic document management and coding services that the company offers for businesses of any size. The solutions have already been tested by large retail companies and take into account the expertise of ART Delivery on foreign trade and logistics. By the end of 2019, the Russian retail market will receive a comprehensive solution by SKB Kontur for a complete coding system from ordering codes to their implementation.

Representatives of the National Union of milk producers, Ozon, Yandex and others took part in a vivid discussion on coding. Business representatives called on the authorities to make balanced decisions, to seek solutions together. To analyze, on one hand, the benefits and advantages that digital coding provides, including financial aspects. On the other hand, to evaluate the cost of equipment, software, calculate the payback period; also take into account time costs in case of changes in business processes during the coding implementation process. Only on the basis of an expert assessment of all the pros and cons, taking into account all costs and revenues, will it be possible to make balanced decisions about the feasibility and coding rules for each industry.

Alexander Antonov, Deputy Director of the Department of Digital Development of the RF CCI, assured participants of the meeting that a letter with business proposals would be sent to the Russian Ministry of Trade and Industry.