During the International Trade Fair for Packaging and Logistics Technology “Taropak 2005” (September 20-23, 2005), a “radio barcode” will be presented – a new technology that is already generating immense interest among potential users and offers unlimited benefits in the supply chain management process.
The “radio barcode” changes the medium from a barcode to radio waves and provides new, unprecedented possibilities for product description.
In this new technology, it is not so much the radio that is important, but the way data is recorded in the microchip. The term RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) can be misleading, as it is not the wave that is the data identifier, but the microchip. The radio wave is merely a medium that enables reading and transmits information to the reader and further to the computer.
A strictly defined part of the microchip is occupied by a 96-bit “Electronic Product Code” (EPC), a global identification number compatible with the commonly used numbering of the international GS1 System.
To ensure further development, the organization EPCglobal, Inc. was established, which introduces to the market and adapts technology based on the Electronic Product Code on a global scale. The EPCglobal network is a combination of two technologies: radio frequency identification and the Internet, which enable the “visibility” of a unit equipped with an EPC tag throughout the entire supply chain in real time. The first companies in Poland have joined EPCglobal: BCS Polska Sp. z o.o. and Jantar Sp. z o.o. Participation in the EPCglobal network involves active company involvement in developing principles for implementing EPC technology in Poland, which supports the organization of logistics processes based on RFID technology, taking into account GS1 System standards. Participation in EPCglobal provides companies with, among other things, access to the results of research conducted worldwide and participation in the work of EPC working groups.
During the fair, the Institute of Logistics and Warehousing, together with the companies BCS and Jantar, will present a model of how radio identification of products functions (pavilion 4, stand 6). The basics of the new technology, with particular emphasis on its potential and possibilities for use throughout the supply chain, can also be learned during the seminar “Radio Barcode – RFID/EPC” on September 21, 2005, in pavilion 15, room 403 (11:00 AM – 12:30 PM).
More information will be presented during the seminar.