Leading organisations urged to participate in groundbreaking project

London, 18 October 2007: GS1 UK, the independent global supply chain standards and solutions organisation, together with BT Auto-ID Services, is seeking innovative and leading organisations to participate in the GS1 UK Electronic Product Code Information Service (EPCIS) pilot, a major new supply chain project.  The EPCIS service enables organisations to track the progress of their goods as they move through the supply chain in real time.  The pilot project aims to prove the concept of managing and exchanging RFID-sourced data between trading partners and the quantifiable benefits this brings.

Trading partners participating in the pilot will be able to exchange Electronic Product Code (EPC), RFID and sensor data carried on an RFID tag within and between their organisations.  They will be among the first organisations worldwide to prove the value of a fundamental element of the business case for RFID. 

The GS1 UK EPCIS pilot, based on the EPCglobal EPCIS industry standard, allows for the seamless and secure management and exchange of supply chain data at any point in the lifecycle of goods as they progress through the supply chain.  Applications could include container tracking, product authentication, promotions management, baggage tracking, electronic proof of delivery, chain of custody, returns management, and operations management. 

Data such as what, when, where and why can be captured, stored and exchanged during any event in the supply chain allowing trading partners to exchange real-time progress information of their products.  Significant business benefits can be leveraged, such as reduced out-of-stocks, improved handling of promotions, counterfeit detection, location tracking, reduced shrinkage and electronic proof-of-delivery. 

Melvyn Schofield, head of sales for Auto-ID Services, BT Global Services, said: “As a market leader in delivering end-to-end solutions driven by automatic identification, our aim is to empower businesses to receive timely, accurate and complete information in real-time about the location and status of their goods or assets throughout the supply chain.  The GS1 UK EPCIS service provides businesses with a rapid ability to capture and share this information across their entire value chain, irrespective of geographies.

“The GS1 UK EPCIS pilot provides a groundbreaking opportunity for innovative organisations keen to improve their supply chain efficiency and save money by managing and exchanging data at a far more detailed level than ever before,” said David Lyon, EPCglobal business manager, GS1 UK.  “Organisations participating in the pilot will be able to store additional real-world supply chain data, such as the precise, real time co-ordinates of items and the storage of events and data from sensor networks such as temperature, humidity, light and vibration.”

EPCIS, the EPCglobal industry standard, is already being used today in a major trial being undertaken in the Far East involving the management of sea containers between Hong Kong and Japan and China and the USA.

GS1 UK and BT Auto-ID will be providing the pilot service at no charge.  Organisations aiming to improve their supply chain efficiency, security and visibility should take advantage of the GS1 UK EPCIS service by participating in the pilot today.  Contact Mark Gillott at GS1 UK on +44 (0)20 7092 3522 to find out how to get involved.

About GS1 UK
GS1 UK has driven innovation in the supply chain for over thirty years. It is part of the global GS1 organisation, dedicated to the development and implementation of global data standards and solutions for the supply chain.  GS1 standards are the most widely used in the world. 

GS1 UK aims to make it faster, more cost effective and safer for our members to serve their customers through the industry wide adoption of global GS1 standards and locally delivered services.  GS1 UK helps industry to implement these data standards through the use of bar codes, RFID, Global Data Synchronisation (GDS) and electronic business messaging.

About EPCglobal
EPCglobal, part of GS1, is leading the development of industry-driven standards for the Electronic Product Code (EPC) to support the use of RFID in today’s fast-moving, information-rich trading networks.  EPCglobal is subscriber-driven organisation, comprised of industry leaders and organisations focused on creating global standards for RFID in the supply chain.
www.epcglobalinc.org

About BT Auto-ID
BT Auto-ID is a market leader in delivering end-to-end, scalable and affordable automatic identification solutions, including radio frequency identification (RFID).  We deliver live business control by automating business processes, enabling customers to receive timely, accurate and complete information about the location and status of goods and assets throughout the supply chain.  We provide your business with the ability to improve visibility of your business functions, increase your operating margins, improve customer satisfaction and reduce cost and risk.
www.auto-id.bt.com

For more information contact:

Lisa Henshaw or Kirsty Sewter
Fourth Day PR
+44 (0)20 7403 4411

Suraya Adnan-Ariffin
GS1 UK
+44 (0)20 7092 3575

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