Object Solutions Software plc, a leading provider of product management software solutions for the food and beverage (F&B) industry in Europe, today announced that it has acquired the majority share in SpecPage LLC, based in Warwick, RI in the United States. SpecPage is a GS1-GDSN specialist and leading provider of product information and online catalogues for the foodservice and jan-san industries.
Object Solutions with headquarters in Switzerland and branch offices across Europe is a company specialising in the development of comprehensive product management software solutions for F&B producers, including Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Product Data Management (PDM), Laboratory Information and Management System (LIMS), and Environmental Health and Safety Administration (EHSA). The company’s suite of product management software allows food producers to be more efficient, improve quality and reduce time to market as well as to comply with REACH and European food laws, which are increasingly impacting US producers.
Object Solutions’ strategy is to serve food manufacturers worldwide. The investment in SpecPage is part of this strategy and allows Object Solutions to offer its existing global customers such as Glanbia Nutritionals, Nestlé-Wagner, Campbell Soup and Dr. Oetker enhanced services in North America as well as to offer North American food manufacturers a global product management solution. It will also enable the company to provide its customers with a range of complementary marketing solutions offered by SpecPage.
US-based SpecPage specialises in the electronic publication of foodservice and jan-san product information through the standardised Global Data Synchronisation Network (GDSN). Along with the GDSN onboarding service, SpecPage also offers Buyer’s Guides and Seller’s Guides, two online catalogues for the user-friendly and efficient publication, distribution, and marketing of product information. The company also operates the online platform Anything4Restaurants.com where over 980,000 US restaurants can easily access detailed product specifications and locate regional distributors from whom to purchase the products.
Severin Weiss, CEO Object Solutions said: “We are a growing company with a global customer base. This acquisition strengthens our presence in the US market and enables us to further enhance our services for locally based customers. In addition to providing a dedicated support team on site, we are able to offer existing SpecPage customers an integrated product information system to boost efficiency in R&D as well as in product information management.”
“In SpecPage we have found a partner with expertise in GS1-GDSN, which we can leverage for our European customers looking to export their food products to the US, whilst we can assist SpecPage’s US customers with fulfilling European food legislation”, added Weiss.
“Object Solutions provides us with a pool of experienced software developers and system engineers, which we can utilize to offer our customers an integrated product information solution for both GS1-GDSN and comprehensive recipe and specification management”, explained Paul Meunier, President, SpecPage. “Additionally, US food producers can take advantage of Object Solutions’ expertise in compliance with REACH and European food laws including the new Food Information Regulation 1169/2011.”
Meunier further commented: “Overall, this acquisition will broaden our product line and greatly strengthen our ability to provide additional, easier-to-use and more flexible industry-proven technology solutions for the product data challenges facing the foodservice and jan-san supply chains.”
The software companies intend to operate globally under the name “SpecPage” and Object Solutions will rename its subsidiaries in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, and Slovakia accordingly in the coming weeks. The software suppliers’ portfolios will merge gradually over the coming months enabling customers to take advantage of a range of comprehensive product data technology.
