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EPCglobal Inc Announces Major Steps Forward Toward Full Hardware Certification Program

Momentum Builds in Rollout of Electronic Product Code Technology


LAWRENCEVILLE, New Jersey – August 30, 2004 – EPCglobal IncTM, a joint venture of EAN International and the Uniform Code Council, Inc.® (UCC®), today announced they have taken major steps forward toward finalizing a full EPCglobal Hardware Certification program. Among the steps the organization has taken include the recent completion of interoperability testing.

The interoperability testing is the first phase of the EPCglobal Hardware Certification program and is designed to provide guidance to end users as they select Generation 1 Electronic Product CodeTM (EPC) hardware products that work together to enable early pilots and implementations. The testing, conducted in early August, evaluated the interoperability of Class 0 and Class 1 readers, tags, and printer/encoder configurations with those provided by other Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) manufacturers.

The primary goal of the EPCglobal Hardware Certification program is to build a comprehensive certification process for various EPCglobal NetworkTM components to ensure availability and interoperability of EPC solutions for the end-user community. The EPCglobal Network combines RFID technology, the Internet, and the EPC to enable accurate, cost-efficient visibility of information in the supply chain.

The EPCglobal Hardware Certification program is being established to provide users with timely availability of EPC-tested hardware solutions. Since the organization's inception in 2003, there has been strong support for EPC technology, with leading companies and industries committed to implementing this technology in their supply chains.

The EPCglobal Hardware Certification program will serve as a focal point for technology providers to test their offerings to ensure they are compliant with EPCglobal standards and are interoperable with other solutions. This certification program supports key requirements essential to the EPCglobal vision by:

  • Providing a platform for solutions to be rigorously tested for standards compliance and interoperability
  • Making EPC technology readily available to support the adoption of the EPCglobal Network
  • Allowing companies to make EPC technology investments with confidence
  • Giving users a wide choice of EPC technology providers, which will accelerate the adoption cycle

The official launch of the EPCglobal Hardware Certification program will commence with the release of UHF Generation 2 standards for the EPCglobal Network in the fall of 2004. UHF Generation 2 standards are standards that will provide one foundational protocol upon which Class 1 and other passive communication tag classes (i.e. Class 2 and Class 3) will be based when they are developed. UHF Generation 2 standards will streamline the development of hardware products, such as tags and readers, which are expected to reach the market in 2005.

According to Michael E. Di Yeso, president and chief operating officer of the Uniform Code Council, Inc. and interim president of EPCglobal Inc, development of the full EPCglobal Hardware Certification program is near completion. Recent developments include researching a third party laboratory to manage the certification process as well as EPCglobal Action Groups actively developing the standards and test cases for certification testing.

"The rollout of EPC technology is gaining momentum. The EPCglobal Hardware Certification program will provide subscribers with the information they need to select products that work together for their pilot tests. It also provides us with the foundation to provide full certification for UHF Generation 2 and beyond," said Mr. Di Yeso. "As we continue to work with industry to build out the EPCglobal Network, the certification and compliance programs will allow subscribers to select service providers and manufacturers with confidence so their network components are globally interoperable and compliant with standards."

For complete hardware interoperability test results and a list of participating solution providers, visit www.EPCglobalinc.org/interoperability. For additional information about EPCglobal or to download an EPCglobal Hardware Certification position paper, visit www.EPCglobalinc.org.

Companies that are interested in seeing EPC-tested products and other solution providers can visit the EPCglobal US Conference September 28 through September 30 in Baltimore, Maryland. Held at the Baltimore Convention Center, the EPCglobal US Conference 2004 is designed to be a definitive source for information regarding EPC, the EPCglobal Network and emerging global standards. The conference will feature training, educational sessions and networking opportunities with more than 1,000 professionals; representing hundreds of companies from around the world. For more information, or to register for the conference, visit www.epcglobalus.org.

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About EPCglobal Inc
EPCglobal Inc, a joint venture between EAN International and the Uniform Code Council, Inc.®, is a not-for-profit organization entrusted by industry to establish and support the EPCglobal Network as the global standard for real-time, automatic identification of information in the supply chain of any company, anywhere in the world.

The EPCglobal Network combines Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, existing communications network infrastructure, and the Electronic Product CodeTM (a number for uniquely identifying an item) to enable accurate, cost-efficient visibility of information in the supply chain. The end result helps organizations be more efficient, flexible, and responsive to customer needs. For more information about EPCglobal or EPCglobal USTM, visit: www.EPCglobalinc.org or www.EPCglobalUS.org.