EPC/RFID
Use EPC enabled RFID technology to leverage the many benefits of UHF and HF radio frequency identification, from speed of identification to improved accuracy of your inventory.
Barcode/Tag
Display
Capacity
Data Structure
Usage
Examples
UHF and HF EPC/RFID
EPC URI
The UHF and HF EPC/RFID are electronic tags that use GS1 Keys and AI’s encoded as EPC URI’s. They can allow an RFID reader to scan multiple products without line of sight.
Used on cases, pallets, and logistic units in general distribution, and on products for electronic article surveillance on the shop floor. Note that a barcode still needs to be on the label.
Benefit of using RFID technology
The ability to read multiple products without requiring line-of-sight, like you would with a barcode.
Example: an entire pallet of products can be read and identified as it passes through a gantry without having to remove the external boxes to identify what’s in the boxes in the middle of the pallet.
With a single pass, thousands of products can be identified simultaneously.
The technology delivers numerous benefits across the supply chain, such as:
Improved inventory accuracy
Simultaneous counting of inventory
Reduced out-of-stock incidences on the shop floor
Boost in sales
Enables electronic proof of delivery
The EPC can contain everything from basic product identification information, to date of manufacture, place of manufacture, batch/lot number, date shipped and date delivered.
What is Electronic Product Code?
The Electronic Product Code (EPC) is the numbering system for unique identifiers assigned to physical objects, unit loads, locations, or other identifiable entity playing a role in business operations.
EPCs have multiple representations, including forms suitable for use on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags or suitable for data sharing.
GS1's EPC Tag Data Standard (TDS) specifies the data format of the EPC and provides encodings for numbering schemes; including the GS1 keys within an EPC.
What is Radio Frequency Identification?
Not all RFID tags are the same. GS1 standards are focused on Ultra High Frequency (UHF) and High Frequency (HF) passive RFID tags. The most broadly implemented tags in our industries are UHF passive tags, also known as RAIN RFID tags.
When unique EPCs are encoded onto individual RAIN RFID tags, radio waves can be used to capture the unique identifiers at extremely high rates and at distances well in excess of 10 metres, without line-of-sight contact. These characteristics of RAIN RFID can be leveraged to boost supply chain visibility and increase inventory accuracy.
Standards supporting EPC/RFID
There are many standards that work together to enable EPC/RFID to operate smoothly around the world.
All of the standards and supporting documents can be accessed via the Global GS1 site.
Interoperability of GS1 Barcodes, EPCIS & RFID
Use GS1’s tools and guidelines to design systems that confront the challenge of using various data carriers (barcodes and RFID) with various electronic communications technologies (EDI and EPCIS) to achieve the greatest degree of interoperability possible.
Find out more about EPC and RFID standards and implementation guidelines