This article was originally published by RFID Update.
July 16, 2007—GS1 Germany, along with a number of key European RFID end users, has officially established the EPC Competence Center in Neuss, Germany. The center, dubbed EECC, is meant to foster the adoption of EPC-based RFID technology throughout Germany by offering technology testing and training services.
To launch the EECC, GS1 Germany, which represents standards body EPCglobal in Germany, teamed with the world’s fourth largest retailer and leading RFID early adopter METRO Group, logistics giant Deutsche Post World Net, and department store chain Karstadt. It is meant to offer services to companies planning RFID deployment and those with deployment already underway.
The EECC will offer two types of RFID performance testing, “static” and “dynamic”. The static tests, also called Applied Tag Performance (ATP) tests, are conducted in a tightly-controlled, specially-shielded testing chamber. The idea behind static tests is to achieve highly consistent performance from a particular configuration. The dynamic tests are more “real-world”, in which performance is tested under conditions like those found in warehouses and distribution centers. Those tests can be conducted at the EECC’s loading dock environment or at the end user’s own facility. All testing is meant to optimize and trial system performance for end users, and reports are developed which present both quantitative and qualitative measurements.
End users of all industries are welcome, including consumer packaged goods, logistics, automotive, and pharmaceutical.
In addition to testing, the EECC will offer education and training to end user employees. Three levels of training — beginner, intermediate, and advanced — will be taught in both English and German versions. Both theoretical and practical aspects of RFID technology will be explored, with an eye toward quickly preparing students to extract benefit from RFID adoption at their companies.