The first day of the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute's Information Technology forum in July focused on the initiative by retailers to synchronize data via a global database and have a common format for presenting their products. Presentations on data synchronization were made by: Mark Healy of Home Depot, Matt Deeter of Lowe's, Greg Lenard of Ace Hardware Corp. and Kristen Mascenik of UCCnet.
Home Depot, Lowe's and Ace Hardware use the global platform provided by UCCnet, a subsidiary of the Uniform Code Council that developed UPC bar codes. UCCnet provides a global item registry, EAN*UCC system standards validation and item data synchronization.