1. What is the Electronic Product Code (EPC)?
The Electronic Product Code™ (EPC) is the next generation of product identification. The EPC is a simple, compact “license plate” that uniquely identifies objects (items, cases, pallets, locations, etc.) in the supply chain. The EPC is built around a basic hierarchical idea that can be used to express a wide variety of different, existing numbering systems, like the EAN.UCC System Keys, UID, VIN, and other numbering systems. Like many current numbering schemes used in commerce, the EPC is divided into numbers that identify the manufacturer and product type. But, the EPC uses an extra set of digits, a serial number, to identify unique items. The EPC is the key to the information about the product it identifies that exists in the EPCglobal Network. An EPC number contains:

1. Header, which identifies the length, type, structure, version and generation of EPC
2. Manager Number, which identifies the company or company entity
3. Object Class, similar to a stock keeping unit or SKU
4. Serial Number, which is the specific instance of the Object Class being tagged

2. What is the EPCglobal Network?
The EPCglobal Network is a set of technologies that enable immediate, automatic identification and sharing of information on items in the supply chain. In that way, the EPCglobal Network will make organisations more effective by enabling true visibility of information about items in the supply chain.

3. How does the EPCglobal Network function?
The EPCglobal Network uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to enable true visibility of information about items in the supply chain. The network is comprised of five fundamental elements: the Electronic Product Code (EPC), the ID System (EPC Tags and Readers), Object Name Service (ONS), Physical Markup Language (PML), and Savant.
Essentially, the EPC is a number designed to uniquely identify a specific item in the supply chain. The EPC number sits on a tag comprised of a silicon chip and an antenna, which is attached to an item. Using radio identification technology (RFID), a tag “communicates” its number to a reader.
The reader then passes the number to a computer or local application system, known as the Object Name Service (ONS). ONS tells the computer systems where to locate information on the network about the object carrying an EPC, such as when the item was produced.
Physical Markup Language (PML) is used as a common language in the EPCglobal Network to define data on physical objects.
Savant is a software technology that acts as the central nervous system of the EPCglobal Network. Savant manages and moves information in a way that does not overload existing corporate and public networks.

4. Benefits of the Technology
What are the benefits of EPC technologies? The EPCglobal Network will make organisations more effective by enabling true visibility of information about items in the supply chain. Having more accurate, immediate information about the location of items, the history of items, and the number of items in the supply chain will enable organisations to be more responsive to customers and consumer needs through more efficient, customer-driven operations.

5. Will EPC tags replace bar codes?
No. Although bar codes have limitations (they require line-of-sight for scanning, have limited encoding capacity, and cannot receive and store information), they are currently used by more than 1 million firms in more than 140 countries across more than 23 industries, and clearly remain important to supply chain operations. We believe that bar codes and EPCs will coexist for many years to come.

6. Is development and commercialisation of the EPCglobal Network a global initiative?
Yes. The EPCglobal Network has been a global initiative from its inception. In developing the EPCglobal Network, the Auto-ID Center, headquartered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has:

• Conducted research on a global basis through five of the world’s leading research universities.
• Received sponsorship support from over 100 of the world's leading companies, representing a wide range of industries with differing needs and interests.

As the driver of adoption of the EPCglobal Network, EPCglobal continues that tradition. EPCglobal is a joint venture by EAN International and the Uniform Code Council. Together, EAN International and the UCC represent 100 member organisations worldwide with more than one million members representing 102 countries.

7. My company is not in the consumer products industry. Will the EPCglobal Network offer solutions to entities outside the retail space?
Yes, there are strong business cases for implementing the EPCglobal Network in the heart of the supply chain of most industries today. For example, across all industry verticals, the EPCglobal Network holds the promise of lowering warehousing and distribution costs and expediting deliveries by enabling faster and more accurate shipping and receiving processes, and more efficient picking and packing operations. Another example is in healthcare, where the EPCglobal Network can help eliminate counterfeit drugs through more accurate tracking and tracing capabilities. In the government sector, the EPCglobal Network would provide an asset management platform for use by many different agencies. There are many potential applications of the EPCglobal Network. For these reasons, EPCglobal is encouraging organisations to capitalise on the competitive advantages to be secured when EPC technologies are implemented across industry verticals.

8. Certification and Interoperability What is being done about certification and interoperability?
We are committed to providing comprehensive implementation support, including certification and interoperability, for the EPCglobal Network. We will be developing and maintaining global technology and application standards, education and training, and certification and compliance programmes, all from a multi-industry, global perspective.

9. Implementation How does a company get started in implementing the EPCglobal Network?
Now is the time to begin preparing for this technology. Fundamentally, there are three steps to take:
1. Form an EPC team at a senior level.
2. Subscribe to EPCglobal and take advantage of the many valuable opportunities the EPCglobal Network provides for trading partners to collaborate in new ways.
3. Begin sharing your implementation plans with trading partners so they can plan and adapt accordingly.

Companies that are interested in a subscription to EPCglobal should contact their national EAN Member Organisation (see EAN International website for details: www.ean-int.org).

10. Where can I find Solution Partners? Which Solution Partners should we approach? Are there any available now?
This is another good reason to become involved today in the EPCglobal effort. By becoming a Subscriber to EPCglobal, companies will be able to gain access to a network of Solution Partners, manufacturers, and consultants trained on the specifics of the EPCglobal Network.

11. Will EPC support my current Global Trade Identification (GTIN)?
Yes. Subscribers to EPCglobal will have the option to base their EPC Manager number on their current EAN UCC company prefix.

12. How is an EPC Manager Number different from an EAN.UCC Company Prefix?
The Electronic Product Code (EPC) is the next generation of product identification. Like the Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN), the EPC is divided into numbers that identify the manufacturer, product, version, and serial number. But, the EPC uses an extra set of digits, a serial number, to identify unique items. The EPC is the only information stored on the EPC tag. This keeps the cost of the tag down and provides flexibility, since an infinite amount of dynamic data can be associated with the serial number in the database.

13. Is the EPCglobal Network an industry standard, and when and how will it become an industry standard?
It is our goal and mission to establish and support the EPCglobal Network as a new global standard for immediate, automatic identification of any item in the supply chain of any company, in any industry, anywhere in the world. EPCglobal will lead a neutral, user-driven, consensus-based process where every organisation has the opportunity to contribute.

14. What about privacy concerns?
EPCglobal is strongly committed to protecting personal privacy. This is an issue we take very seriously and, under the Auto-ID Center’s leadership, have been proactively addressing since the earliest stages of the research effort to develop the EPCglobal Network. This proactive effort has generated technical and policy solutions, including a set of guiding principles that we strongly support.