Nonprofit standards organization GS1 US is offering a program slated to begin next month, and intended to guide retailers and suppliers through the process of adopting Electronic Product Code (EPC)-based radio frequency identification technology. The GS1 US EPC Item-Level Readiness Program will consist of webinars, community discussion groups and Web-based user tools. This program, the organization reports, is intended to help drive the adoption of item-levelRFID EPC tags by suppliers and retailers, as the market for the tagging of apparel and other consumer products grows-prompted, in large part, by retailer adoption and subsequent requests to suppliers to apply tags to their products. The Web-based educational programs and teleconference sessions are designed to help businesses develop their EPC RFID deployment plans, learn what their costs may be and follow a timeline for adoption. The program also provides guidance regarding usage of the EPC symbol.
