The Institute of Logistics and Warehousing (ILiM), in response to the needs of many Polish companies regarding information on the potential applications of innovative technology based on contactless identification of goods using radio waves, has initiated the construction of the National EPC/RFID Laboratory.
ILiM has the premises to build such a laboratory, which will serve as another component of the Institute of Logistics and Warehousing’s Competence Center, previously used for researching optical ADC (Automatic Data Capture) technology. Expanding the laboratory’s functions to include radio identification technology will allow for comparative analyses of both technologies.
The laboratory, operating within the ADC Competence Center, is intended to promote, conduct research, test, and implement the use of EPC/RFID technology for the benefit of Polish enterprises. Within the Competence Center, existing optical identification techniques using barcodes in the GS1 System standard will also be studied and tested, with particular emphasis on the application possibilities of the GS1-128 code.
The laboratory will be made available to companies interested in RFID technology applications in such a way that it will be possible to realistically observe its functioning in a simulated supply chain between a manufacturer, an intermediary, and a retailer. Each link will be equipped with separate WMS (Warehouse Management System) class IT systems, prepared to cooperate with RFID technology through a special middleware platform.
Figure 1 shows the schematic functionality of the ILiM Competence Center for conducting research and presenting various automatic data capture (ADC) techniques.
The project implementation began with working visits to similar, already existing EPC/RFID laboratories in Western Europe, certified by EPCglobal, where appropriate RFID equipment is installed. The purpose of these visits was to learn about the operating principles of the laboratories and to familiarize ourselves with their organization. First-hand observations and interviews allowed for the construction of a vision for the laboratory’s functionality, in many aspects superior to the functionality implemented in the visited laboratories.
It is important to state here that the planned National EPC/RFID Laboratory at ILiM will be the first facility of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe, tasked with popularizing knowledge and presenting EPC/RFID technology in accordance with the guidelines of the EPCglobal organization and GS1 System standards.
Figure 2 shows the part of the laboratory intended for researching and presenting EPC/RFID technology. What distinguishes the laboratory being built at ILiM from other such entities in Europe is the fact that only this project aims to create a place where an integrated environment for simulating the operation of a real supply chain or warehouse using RFID technology, in accordance with EPCglobal standards, will be made available to all interested parties.
The National EPC/RFID Laboratory (at the ILiM Competence Center) is to provide all necessary services in terms of supporting and assisting Polish companies in the development and implementation of EPC technology. The goal of the laboratory’s operation is therefore to generate demand for EPC technology and then to carry out detailed research and development work, carried out both at the client’s location and on the Laboratory’s premises. The following stages of the implementation process regarding services provided by the Laboratory should be mentioned:
– testing the compatibility and effectiveness of equipment provided by various manufacturers, in terms of the effectiveness of reading tags on the client’s packaging,
