EPCglobal India, a division of GS1 India, said on Monday that, a Global Transport & Logistics Action Group has been launched by EPCglobal Inc. to facilitate adoption of RFID (Radio frequency identification) technology & EPC (Electronic Product Code) standards by this sector.

 The Action group is expected to include such leading companies as Kuehne & Nagel, Maersk, NOL/APL Logistics, P & O Nedlloyd and will be Co-Chaired by DHL & EXEL. The Action group will deliberate on important issues related to transportation, business functional requirements/specifications of internal processes & Import Export clearance.Use of EPC standards based RFID technology will enable full visibility of consignments, parcels etc in end –to-end global supply chains through use of RFID tags affixed on physical supplies & their data capture using RFID readers at various points in the supply chain. Using the EPC Network, the identification, location & condition of physical supplies can be tracked & traced in real time & communicated to all trading partners. Various projects are underway to exploit optimally the use of EPC/RFID technology for such mission critical applications as track & trace, container security, asset management etc. Port of Busan is deploying RFID to help secure and expedite shipments while the Hong Kong Airport has implemented a luggage tracking system which will greatly improve customer satisfaction, security & significantly cut the airport’s operating costs. Ravi Mathur, CEO, GS1 India, said, “Indian logistics companies need to pro-actively embrace emerging technologies & global standards to remain competitive & compliant worldwide. Participation in the global T & L Action group provides them with an opportunity to do so & learn about International implementation experiences. We urge them to come on board & participate in the next meeting scheduled on Jan 15-16’06 in Kobe, Japan.”

Source: India Infoline