Arata, PALTAC, and Planet announced on October 20th that they will establish a new company with the aim of centrally managing product master data in the so-called general consumer goods sector, such as cosmetics and daily necessities, and jointly using it in the manufacturing, distribution, and sales processes.
<Role of the new company and product information flow>
The establishment of the new company is in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's "Study Group on Standards for Product Information Linkage" and the "Product Information Linkage Conference," aiming to promote the development of the entire industry by fostering unity and cooperation across the entire supply chain of general consumer goods, centralizing product master data management, and improving efficiency from both commercial and logistical perspectives.
Currently, product information is processed and registered manually for each trading partner due to a lack of standardized operational rules. Furthermore, the ambiguous rules for JAN code usage lead to a lack of uniqueness, resulting in challenges such as inefficient delivery and increased communication costs between companies.
We recognize that if we do not address these challenges and promote efficiency, it will be difficult to maintain the current level of service in the future, and there is a risk that consumers will not be able to buy what they want when they want it.
The three companies will participate in the "Study Group on Product Information Linkage Standards" and the "Product Information Linkage Conference," and have agreed to establish a new company with the aim of standardizing and centrally managing product information to achieve highly productive distribution, based on the premise of collaboration with a cross-industry registry. The All Japan Cosmetics and Daily Necessities Wholesalers Association has also expressed expectations that the establishment of the new company will be an initiative that will lead to the development of the entire industry.
The new company aims to improve convenience and efficiency across the entire industry by seeking broad support and participation from manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers involved in production, distribution, and sales, and by centralizing product information in accordance with the five principles of product information outlined in the "Product Information Platform Concept."
The five principles of product information are: "Accountability of product information to consumers," "Coordination through common information," "Single input by brand owners," "Collective acquisition and joint use," and "Use of a common ID that can uniquely identify products."
Regarding the new company, considering the short timeframe for company establishment and service launch, as well as the risks involved during the initial period of unstable business conditions, our three companies will primarily manage its operation until the business stabilizes (approximately 3 years). After that, we will reconsider investment and corporate management in light of the new company's purpose and other factors.
Overview of the new company
Company Name: Product Registry Services, Inc.
Head office location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Capital: 100 million yen
Shareholders (ownership ratio): Arata (30%), PALTAC (30%), Planet (40%)
Establishment date: November 2025 (Service launch: April 2026)
Business activities: "1. Centralized management through collection, storage, and maintenance of product information for general consumer goods," "2. Provision of the above product information to manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and information service vendors, and related consulting," "3. Infrastructure provision business to manufacturers and related consulting," "4. Construction of infrastructure for the management and provision of the above product information," "5. Business incidental to each of the above items."
