EPC Information Services for Supply Chain Optimization

EPC Information Services for Supply Chain Optimization

EPC Information Services is the most important part of the EPCglobal Network, which is a global information retrieval network aiming at providing RFID-associated data sharing across enterprises. By providing query interfaces, the EPC information services enable trade partners to obtain the real-time information of EPC-related objects within a business context.

In a decentralized supply chain, only the retailers can gain the demand information of customers. This will bring a growing variation upstream, leading to poor performance of the supply chain. By leveraging RFID and electronic product code, EPCglobal Network and EPC information services seek to relief these problems in two ways. First, by using the event-driven architecture and subscribe-notify model, the EPC information services will definitely shorten the operating time of information flow, reducing the lag of placing orders and checking stock out and so on. Secondly, information sharing and strategic partnerships can be developed based on authorization mechanisms provided by EPC information services. In this context, each authorized partner can make timely decisions on inventory, ordering, selling based on the information acquired from EPC information services, an in turn weaken the effect of amplification of demand variability.