Traceability with GS1 and EPCIS
Global standards make every item and every event understandable by your partners. RFID is one way to capture them, and not the only one.
Why standards
When every company names things in its own way, data stops at the company door. GS1 gives each item, shipping unit, place and asset a unique, standard identity, and EPCIS gives the events a common language.
- SGTIN: a serialized item, down to the single unit
- SSCC: a shipping unit, such as a pallet or a box
- GLN: a location, such as a site, a dock or a shelf
- GRAI and GIAI: returnable and individual assets
What EPCIS is, in plain words
EPCIS is the GS1 standard that records and shares what happens to products. Each record is an event that answers five questions: what item, where, when, why it happened (the business step) and how (the disposition, such as available or damaged). Events are sent to partners and systems with the same format, so a shipment received by a distributor can be traced back to the factory line that made it.
- ObjectEvent: something was seen, added or removed (a read, a receipt, a shipment)
- AggregationEvent: items were packed into or out of a container or pallet
- TransactionEvent: items were linked to a business document, such as a purchase order
- TransformationEvent: inputs became new products, as in production
- AssociationEvent: an asset, such as a reusable crate or a tool, was linked to an item or a unit
Why use EPCIS
Without a standard, every partner needs its own integration. With EPCIS, one event format works with all of them, and the history is complete enough for audits, recalls and analysis.
Interoperable
The same event format works with partners, carriers and systems that follow GS1.
Recalls in hours
Find which batches and units received a product, and where they are now, without digging through several systems.
Compliance
Traceability records that regulators and customers can read, for pharma, food and serialized goods.
Analysis
Time- and place-stamped data on each step, to find delays, losses and idle stock.
EPCIS 2.0: events that tell the story
An EPCIS event records what happened to an item. Put events in order and you have the whole journey, with no gaps.
Unique identity
Each item has a unique, standard identifier, so it is told apart anywhere in the global chain.
Location
Where the event happened, for a full map of the product journey.
Time
The exact moment of each event, in a detailed chronological history.
Context
The conditions and circumstances of each event, which give the data meaning.
Many ways to capture
All of them feed the same events, so you can mix them as the process needs.
RFID
Bulk reads with no line of sight, for pallets, boxes and single items.
Barcodes
1D and 2D codes, including QR, Data Matrix and GS1 DataBar.
Sensors and GPS
Temperature, humidity, impact and position, with alerts.
NFC and Bluetooth
Short-range reads and beacons for places and people.
What you can do with it
- Receiving with no manual count: every tagged item is checked as the truck arrives
- Shipping checks against the order, with the documents ready in seconds
- Automatic advance shipping notices (ASN) based on EPCIS 2.0, connected to the ERP and WMS
- Real-time shipment status, with proactive alerts for critical events and deviations
- Precise recalls and batch audits, down to the single unit
- Records for quality standards and for regulated industries such as pharma, medical devices and food
Standards on the reader
Identix readers can decode GS1 codes in the device itself, before sending the data. Your software receives readable fields, ready for events. See CONNECTIX in Technology.
Questions we hear
Do I need to be a GS1 member?
To use GS1 company prefixes and identifiers you do, and we can guide you on it. The EPCIS standard itself is free to apply.
Can I start with barcodes and add RFID later?
Yes. Events are the same, so the capture can change without redoing the rest.