GS1 aims at modernising product tags
Thailand’s first EPC/RFID Centre for facilitating barcode registration.
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GS1 Thailand, an arm of the Federation of Thai Industries for barcode registration, yesterday announced it had linked up with EPCglobal Inc to set up a centre for collecting additional information on product tags.
The centre will become a new channel for organisations in Thailand that want to upgrade their current barcode product identification system to the so-called EPC/RFID system.Electronic Product Code (EPC) collects data including raw material sources, place of production, date of production, and the expiration date from every single production stage of individual items in the same batch. Companies can scan EPC tags posted on specific products to capture the information. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) enables companies to read all the information posted on the products - as many as 30 items at one time - by moving the targeted products through an RFID scanning system. The system can provide product information at 98-per cent accuracy compared to the barcode system that has 70- to 80-per cent accuracy, said Chris Adcock, EPCglobal's president. The company, which developed the EPC/RFID system also cooperates with system developers and universities worldwide for research and development. Using the two systems together enables companies to save time when collecting and tracking in-depth information on individual products in bulk, according to Santi Suraratana, a member of GS1 Thailand's board of councillors. He said that the systems could be used in all stages of the supply chain from manufacting to retailer. However, EPC/RFID is still new to Thailand and other countries, even developed countries like the United States. Linking with a local organisation like GS1 Thailand could be a way to build awareness of the two systems. In Thailand, GS1 Thailand has established a centre for businesses to learn the systems and link them to EPCglobal so Thailand conforms to international standard logistics systems. South Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India and the United States are among the countries that have adopted the standard. Global retailers Wal-Mart and Tesco are examples of companies that use the system. Santi and Adcock agreed that it was necessary for companies around the world to use the same system to decrease operational complexity of each business, shorten business procedures and increase competitiveness. The exact investment figure for those interested in using the two systems has not been fully calculated and GS1 is still tabulating the cost. In Thailand, CP Group and Estrus Digital recently apply the systems in their internal operations. At the same time, GS1 is also working with Sipa and Nectec to develop software and hardware respectively for the systems in order to reduce import costs. GS1 currently has 467 customers in North America, 155 in Asia, 122 in Europe, 19 in Latin America, and 11 in the Middle East and Africa. Nitida Asawanipont, The Nation
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