From:	Wong, Kim [kim.siong.wong@RosettaNet.org]
Sent:	Wednesday, 26 August 2009 9:09 AM
To:	Santiago(RN Phillipines); Manoj Saxena ( HP); Feng Wei; 
jkkwak@gokea.org; RN Korea Sangmi Choi; edt@seipi.org.ph; 
gxy@cltc.com.cn; Chayakrit (RN Thai); spereira@gs1au.org; 
yoshihiko.miura@rosettanet.gr.jp; Teo Casey-R22875; Lim, Chiew Boey; 
George Cheng; Woody Wang
Cc:	Erhardt, III, Clement
Subject:	Notification of Penang Engineering Center Closing to Affiliates

Dear Affiliate staff members,


I regret to inform you that the RosettaNet Engineering Center in Penang, 
Malaysia will be closed as of August 28, 2009. The staff and management of 
the Center contributed to the success of RosettaNet over the 5 years it has 
been in place. The Center enabled the build out of the RosettaNet Portfolio 
of XML standards that stand as the core of the communities pride.

Over the last 4 - 5 years many efforts have been made to improve the 
finances of RosettaNet. The goal has always been to operate the whole of 
RosettaNet as a cost recovery entity. That however  has proven to be 
challenging. RosettaNet has struggled to cover its operating costs, with 
GS1 US, its parent organization, seeing its way to assist in funding these 
differences.

There are however circumstances that have impacted the finances of all 
global organizations; just as many of you and your member organizations 
have been recently effected. Diminishing membership, diminishing revenues 
and increased costs along with steep drops in the development and 
maintenance of RosettaNet standards by the membership, have been the 
reality.

These realities forced a detailed review of the RosettaNet cost center that 
includes the Engineering Center and its staff. The trending of membership, 
programs and funding made it clear that the RosettaNet organization needed 
to change.

RosettaNet staff will now be focused on Membership Support, Education and 
Standards Maintenance. The recent staff reductions align the organization 
with the program trending over the last 3 years and positions RosettaNet to 
focus its efforts on implementation support, education and membership 
growth.

We look forward to your support as we go forward with renewed enthusiasm to 
build a better RosettaNet for the future.

On behalf of RosettaNet President, Clem Erhardt,III.

Regards.

Kim-Siong WONG
Vice-President,
RosettaNet Asia

Tel: +65-97898651
e-mail: kim.siong.wong@rosettanet.org