Oslo, Norway, September 17, 2020 – Kezzler today announced the signing of a new Master Service Agreement (MSA) with Bayer.
To roll out a supply chain solution providing transparency on the origin of seeds.
Kezzler, a global leader in supply chain traceability and serialization technology, and Bayer, a Life Science company with a more than 150-year history and core competencies in the areas of healthcare and agriculture, have had an existing working relationship for the last 4 years. Under the agreement, Bayer will leverage Kezzler’s managed SaaS platform to provide supply chain visibility, traceability and enhanced affiliate management. The signing of the MSA will help strengthen the collaboration between the two companies in protecting farmers from counterfeit seeds and the unacceptable risk they pose to public health and the environment.
“Achieving transparency on the origin of seeds and the supply chain to farmers is the first step in delivering full traceability.”
“Consumers are increasingly demanding farm-to-fork visibility for the food they consume,” commented Unnikrishnan Nair, Digital Transformation / IT Business Partner Lead APAC, Crop Science Division at Bayer. “Achieving transparency on the origin of seeds and the supply chain to farmers is the first step in delivering full traceability. The Kezzler platform will support our efforts to eliminate the risk of counterfeit goods, which can lead to substantially lower yields and have a detrimental effect on the environment. We are pleased to work with Kezzler, as they share our commitment to finding better solutions to address food and environmental challenges.”
Unnikrishnan continued, “The MSA lays the foundation for our cooperative work moving forward. It sets out for both parties the necessary guidelines to ensure we achieve our goals with a joint focus and as efficiently as possible. The extended cooperation and pooling of resources allow us to be more agile and deliver our solutions to market faster. A single platform with a single-code repository that allows data to be stored in multiple locations, provides a standardized approach that is scalable and adaptable to national needs and requirements. In addition, it opens up new channels to engage directly with consumers and retailers.”
Christine C. Akselsen, the CEO of Kezzler, added, “Over the past 18 years, Kezzler has deployed digital solutions to support food traceability and authentication across the globe, from sweet potatoes in the US to infant formula in China. We are proud to continue our work with Bayer, a market leader with a global commitment to protecting sustainable farming. Integrating with Kezzler’s state of the art traceability platform empowers Bayer’s solutions to provide full supply chain visibility and product authentication in real-time.”
“It is very rewarding to be part of this extensive project as trusted partners with the Bayer team. Through our continued cooperation, we are able to expand delivery of our track and trace technology to smallholder farmers worldwide. Unit-level product traceability and authentication provide a solid foundation for resilient and agile supply chains, a key necessity during the current times of uncertainty and beyond,” commented John B. Beerens, CSO of Kezzler.
About Kezzler
Kezzler makes every single product unique, traceable and interactive. For over 18 years unique digital Kezzler identities have helped solve real-world problems in a sustainable way in multiple markets and sectors. Kezzler provides a cloud-based traceability platform that brings value to brand owners by securing supply chains and elevating the consumer experience.
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2019, the Group employed around 104,000 people and had sales of 43.5 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.9 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com