GS1 Taiwan Pushes for EPCglobal E-seal Standard

The Port of Kaohsiung's customs officials had implemented and tested the EPC Gen 2 passive e-seals and RFID interrogators between January 2007 and November 2008, with funding from Taiwan's Department of Industrial Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs.

With the technology proven, Wen says, the next phase will see the system installed at other major ports and harbors in Taiwan, such as Taichung, Taipei and Keelung. The TLS pilot program would also seek the support of major shipping and logistics companies using the ports. If the trial is successful and EPCglobal approves the new user requirements, EPC-based passive e-seals would become a global standard for use in the transportation and logistics services industries.

Taiwan is an ideal location in which to test the passive e-seals, Wen indicates, as the country is at the forefront of electronics and semiconductor technologies, which play a major role in the RFID industry.

Later this year, EPCglobal is expected to begin reviewing user requirements for the proposed standard for passive e-seals. Meanwhile, the EPC Gen 2 e-seal system at Kaohsiung will continue to be monitored and expanded into other major ports in 2010. Once the trial has been completed, EPCglobal will assess its results.

"The provision of this technology would then decrease the cost of passive e-seals," Wen states. "A low-cost e-seal will play an important role in encouraging more countries to use them. We expect a global standard for passive e-seals in the near future for shipping and logistics companies, which will be easy to follow and create more visibility in the global supply chain."