Global RFID: The Value of the EPCglobal Network for Supply Chain Management

The EPCglobal Network and RFID technology, initially developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and licensed in October 2003 to Global Standards I (GS1), holds great promise for transforming business through the use of low-cost, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to improve information flow and productivity. Through the placement of tags on individual items, cases, and pallets, RFID Technology will provide instant two-way communication within supply chains by merging information with physical goods. The EPCglobal Network uses the Internet to transmit data gathered from RFID tags as well as a sophisticated information infrastructure designed at MIT. This book explores the essentials of RFID and the EPCglobal Network from the perspective of a practitioner that needs to make business decisions concerning the adoption of the technology. The perspective is from the supply chain management standpoint with emphasis on case studies and new thinking about the subject.