Coles and Matthews collaborate to deliver industry education at the Retailer Engagement Hub, APPEX event in 2024
CQA webinar: Product Traceability & Supply Chain Readiness for Coles Suppliers
Every product moving through the retail supply chain has to carry the right information: the right product, the right data, the right code and the right details available when they are needed.
For Coles suppliers, those requirements are becoming more detailed as retailer, regulatory and industry expectations around traceability, product identification, packaging compliance and data quality continue to develop.
Those practical pressures are the focus of an upcoming Coles Quality Academy (CQA) webinar, Product Traceability & Supply Chain Readiness for Coles Suppliers, presented by Matt Nichol, Matthews Australasia’s Head of Strategic Partnerships, on Wednesday 29 July 2026 from 1-2pm AEST.
The session will provide a practical, vendor-neutral overview of current and emerging trends shaping supplier readiness. It will cover evolving retailer, regulatory and industry requirements, the role of product identification standards and data quality in supporting compliance, and how industry collaboration is helping drive more harmonised retailer supply standards.
It will also look at emerging technologies, including 2D barcodes, and offer practical guidance to help suppliers prepare for future traceability and supply-chain requirements.
CQA has invited Matthews to present the webinar because of its deep experience across product identification, coding, labelling, barcode quality, traceability systems and production-line integration.
Matt Nichol
Matt Nichol has spent 25 years with Matthews Australasia across customer service, sales, management, automation, digitalisation and production-line equipment integration roles. As Head of Strategic Partnerships, he works closely with retailers, manufacturers, solution developers and industry bodies to support best practice in product identification, traceability and supply-chain standards.
“Every supplier understands that the code on the pack needs to be right. The bigger question is whether the data behind that code is accurate, whether the system can manage it consistently, and whether the business can prove what happened when it needs to,” Matt said.
“Retailer and industry expectations are continuing to develop, particularly as supply-chain standards become more harmonised and technologies such as 2D barcodes become more widely adopted.
“This webinar gives Coles suppliers a chance to step back, understand the direction of change, and think through the practical steps that can help them prepare.”
The webinar will also explore the role of industry collaboration through initiatives such as the Australian Food & Grocery Council’s Trading Partner Forum, which brings FMCG suppliers and supermarket retailers together to support end-to-end supply-chain efficiency and reduce complexity for trading partners.
For suppliers, readiness depends on having reliable product data, fit-for-purpose coding and labelling systems, barcode quality controls, and clear processes for managing product information across the supply chain.
Product Traceability & Supply Chain Readiness for Coles Suppliers
Presented by Matt Nichol, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Matthews Australasia
Free for CQA members as part of their CQA membership: register here
Coles suppliers: $55 including GST
Coles suppliers can view the webinar on the Coles Quality Academy website or register directly via Webex.
Suppliers reviewing traceability, coding, labelling, barcode quality or supply-chain readiness can also talk to Matthews about practical steps to prepare, or learn more about iDSnet and how it helps manufacturers improve coding accuracy, traceability and production-line control.
