Following press reports on the implementation of EPC (Electronic Product Code) technology around the world, one might get the impression that this technology has already been fully implemented in many enterprises. However, it should be realized that from the point of view of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology, understood as data capture technology and related internal IT solutions, it is a technology fully ready for implementation. It must be remembered, however, that the full effect on a global scale will only be possible when all participants in global supply chains use a uniform method of identification. The non-profit organization EPCglobal Inc., established specifically for this purpose, has the task of commercializing research work and moving this technology from laboratory areas to areas with a wide range of applications. Although the EPC code is increasingly used on Gen2 tags, there are still some elements of the EPCglobal network that are still developing and will most likely be fully completed in the next few to several months. This mainly concerns the areas of ONS (Object Naming Service) communication and EPC-IS (EPC Information Service) servers, along with internal communication interfaces to company IT systems (such as ERP or WMS). Comparing the available knowledge about RFID technology and EPCglobal standards with press articles published in Polish media, one may get the impression that some facts related to this are not interpreted entirely correctly. In the magazine “Logistyka” (No. 5/2006), in an article titled: “EPC – and barcodes”, the authors objectively explain the operation of RFID technology in comparison with barcode technology.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 6/2006.