GS1 UK Launches Nationwide RFID Pilot

There are presently about 18,000 GS1 members in the United Kingdom, Weatherby says, many of which are smaller companies. "It's very important that smaller companies be able to participate," he states—otherwise, larger companies could also suffer because they often share supply chains with smaller firms that might not be able to afford their own RFID network. GS1 has yet to decide, however, if it will offer an Internet-based EPCIS repository for smaller companies free of charge.

Pilot participants, meanwhile, will be able to store data at the EPCIS Web site at no cost, though they must invest in their own RFID hardware, including tags and readers, as well as software to operate that hardware. For a fee, Weatherby says, BEA can provide edgeware to push data onto the EPCIS repository. He says he hopes to see a large number of participants using the pilot results to aid them in their efforts to launch RFID deployments in the future.

Once the pilot is completed in 2008, Weatherby hopes companies will examine their results and decide to build a permanent EPCIS site, and to use that site to manage their supply chain and exchange EPC data with trading partners.

Companies from all industries are encouraged to join, Weatherby says. Those already expressing interest include members of the fresh produce supply chain and the oil and gas industry. Users can share data about when a product leaves the manufacturing site, arrives at a distributor, is in transit and arrives at a retailer.

EPCIS is already in use by logistics providers between several ports in Asia and the United States. GS1 Hong Kong, together with EPCglobal Hong Kong, conducted a 2004 pilot with Japan's Ministry of Economics, Trade and Industry, using EPCIS to track containers between Hong Kong and Japan. A second phase of the pilot tracked shipments traveling from Shanghai to Los Angeles.