What is EPCglobal
EPCglobal is leading the development of industry-driven standards for the Electronic Product Code (EPC) to support the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in today’s fast-moving, information rich, trading networks.
EPCglobal is a subscriber-driven organisation comprised of industry leaders and organisations focused on creating global standards for the EPCglobal Network - an information network using the internet as the 'information distribution' system, RFID tags as the identifier data carrier, RFID readers as the connection between the internet and the RFID tags and EPC compliant software to connect 'read events' to enterprise computer systems.
Our goal is increased visibility and efficiency throughout the supply chain and higher quality information flow between companies and their key trading partners.
What can EPCglobal do for you?
EPCglobal provides the following services to companies wishing to improve their supply chain management efficiency:
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Assignment, maintenance and registration of EPC Manager Numbers
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Participation in development of EPCglobal Standards via EPCglobal’s Action & Working Groups
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Access to the EPCglobal Standards, research and specifications
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Opportunity to influence the future direction of research by the Auto-ID Labs
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Access to the results of the EPCglobal Certification and Accreditation Program testing
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Links with other subscribers to create pilots and test cases
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Training and education on implenting and using EPC technology and the EPCglobal Network™ through EPCglobal NZ
What is EPC?
The Electronic Product Code (EPC) is the next generation of product identification from bar codes. Although bar codes have limitations (they require line-of-sight for scanning, have limited encoding capacity, and cannot receive and store information), they are currently used by more than 1 million firms in more than 140 countries across more than 23 industries, and clearly remain important to supply chain operations. We believe that bar codes and EPCs will coexist for many years to come.
The EPC is a simple, compact 'license plate' that uniquely identifies objects (items, cases, pallets, locations, etc.) in the supply chain. Like many current numbering schemes used in commerce, the EPC is divided into numbers that identify the manufacturer and product type.
Layout of an EPC
The EPC is built around a basic hierarchical idea that can be used to express a wide variety of different, existing numbering systems. EPC numbers can accommodate all EAN.UCC keys, including Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN), Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC), GLN (Global Location Number), Global Returnable Asset Identifier (GRAI), and GIAI.
In addition, the EPC uses an extra set of digits, a serial number, to identify unique items. The EPC is the key to the information about the product it identifies that exists in the EPCglobal Network (LINK TO EPC GLOBAL NETWORK).
In contrast, bar codes only identify a group of products. For instance all Coke cans have the same bar code whereas with the EPC technology, every single Coke can would have a one-of-a-kind identifier. This one-of-a-kind identifier will provide greater visibility of items in the supply chain
The EPC number is made up of the following key elements.
- Header
The header defines the overall number length of the EPC including the number, type, version and length of the subsequent partitions. - EPC Manager Number
- which identifies the company or company entity responsible for managing the subsequent codes.
- Object Class
- The object class identifies the item, e.g. the stock keeping unit (SKU) or consumer unit.
- Serial Number
- which is the specific instance of the Object Class being tagged The serial number provides a unique serial number for all items within a given class.
- Additional fields may also be used as part of the EPC in order to properly encode and decode information from different numbering systems into their native (human-readable) forms.
Read more: How the EAN:UCC Number forms the basis of an EPC Number
EPC Manager numbers
EPC Manager numbers issued by EPCglobal are required if companies will engage with trading partners outside of the four walls of their internal operations. EPCglobal Network-compliant software and hardware will utilize EPCglobal standard data protocols, thus requiring the use of an EPC Manager number. You are eligible for an EPC Manager number when you become an EPCglobal Subscriber.
Using the EPCglobal Network
EPCglobal New Zealand will also be responsible for supporting pilot testing and implementing products and services related to the EPC technology; including certification and compliance testing in New Zealand. Additionally, EPCglobal New Zealand will provide training and education support in accordance with industry standards developed by EPCglobal Inc.
The EPC technology offers a broad range of applications and can be implemented by any industry seeking to improve existing business processes. Bar code and EPC differences rely on the fact that EPC is designed to provide a unique serial number for each item in the supply chain. In contrast, bar codes only identify a group of products. For instance all Coke cans have the same bar code whereas with the EPC technology, every single Coke can would have a one-of-a-kind identifier.
This one-of-a-kind identifier will provide greater visibility of items in the supply chain; this increased visibility comes with numerous benefits. Having more detailed and accurate information on products will improve movement of goods in real-time, inventory management and replenishment practices, resulting in a reduction of lost sales due to out-of-stocks. Retailers and consumer-goods companies think a one-of-a-kind product code could help them reduce theft and counterfeit goods. The EPC technology will also allow companies to juggle inventory more effectively and meet customer demand in a more responsive manner.
EPC can be linked to databases that can store much more information about a single product than a bar code does. Readers could also capture the EPC number stored in a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag and transmit and report the item's location, condition and status to an on-site information system or to a remote database via the internet.
We encourage you to understand the impact the EPC Network could have on your supply chain, and to get involved today to shape the future of EPC standards.
