The federal government’s Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) has provided funds for a National Demonstrator Project for RFID/EPC technology, systems and standards, with results available as early as June 2006.
The pilot project, the first of its type in the world, will be jointly managed by CSIRO and , with a grant from DCITA’s Information Technology On Line (ITOL) fund.
In making the announcement on 3 August, 2005 Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan said “The benefits these sorts of business-to-business projects generate go well beyond the life of the funding.
“They will make information exchange and business transactions more efficient and lead to increased productivity across a range of sectors.”
Unlike the well-documented implementations already undertaken by Wal-Mart and the Department of Defence in the United States, this project expands its scope to examine all elements of the EPCglobal system, not just RFID tags and readers, across seven sites.
“This is our opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of the EPCglobal system for different types of trading partners linked in the supply chain,” GS1 Australia general manager, standards development Fiona Wilson.
“We will be able to see the implementation and benefits of the new technology and standards, not just for large companies, but for SMEs, as well. Everyone will have the chance to absorb the implications and learnings from the National Demonstrator Project before mandates become a reality for Australia.”
The EPCglobal system incorporates:
• RFID readers and tags
• unique instance numbering through the electronic product code (EPC)
• EPC Middleware: a software layer that filters RFID tag information and controls RFID readers and local infrastructure.
• The Object Naming Service (ONS) is an automated networking service that connects each EPC number to the information associated with it on the global network. The ONS registry works a little like a phone directory, which supplies information about where in the world to find information on a specific EPC number. It is similar in concept to the Internet’s Domain Naming Service (DNS).
• The EPC Information Service is a database that houses individual instance information about products and assists with the communication and dissemination of this information. These are all connected together by the ONS.
• Discovery services provide visibility, as well as tracking and tracing information about specific items moving through a supply chain.
The National Demonstrator Project will demonstrate each element of the EPCglobal system, bringing together a consortium of key stakeholders from Australian industry.
In addition to GS1 Australia and CSIRO , participants include: , , Nugan Wines, Capilano Honey, , and the Australian Food & Grocery Council ().
Metcash is Australia’s third largest retailer. A spokesperson for the project from Metcash explains why Metcash decided to become involved.
“Metcash is involved in the National demonstrator project as a consequence of continually striving to improve our customer service offering. This project provides a platform to explore whether EPC/RFID can bring benefits to our supply chain whilst participating in a worthwhile program.”
EPCglobal, administered locally by GS1 Australia, works with industry to enable true visibility of items in the supply chain. Companies with an interest or stake in RFID or the EPC network can subscribe to EPCglobal Australia.