GPOs begin issuing GLNs as standard location IDs.

For more permission information, see page 2. Materials managers are almost evenly divided on how protective apparel prices will change in the coming year. Depending on the contracts they are using, they foresee prices staying level or dropping by as much as 10%. None believes they will rise. Most respondents to this month’s HMM price survey reported prices were unchanged overall last year, despite some predictions that increases were on the way. Multi-source contracts and volume discounts helped, as did some long-term price protection that remained on the books even after the industry began changing to shorterterm contracts. Expect a bit of a shake-up next year, as some of those contracts are about to end, paving the way for renegotiation of prices.