RFID Definitions for Clothing Industry

RFID Terms & Definitions for the Clothing & Fashion Accessories Industry

RFID Technology Technology Directory Hangtags Price Tickets EDI UPC Fashion Industry Software

Electronic Product Code (EPC)
EPCglobal Network
ID System
Object Name Service (ONS)
Physical Markup Language (PML)
RFID radio frequency identification
RFID ICs
Savant

Fashion Industry Glossary

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RFID tags do not require line of sight reading like conventional barcoding, and can hold large amounts of data, they allow manufacturers, brands and retailers to track and manage assets more efficiently right down to the item level.

Improve visibility throughout the supply-chain
Reduce or eliminate Out of Stock positions
Reduce labor requirements
Automate receiving
Drive perpetual inventory & rapid inventory counting
Reduce shrinkage

Electronic Product Code (EPC) is a unique number that identifies a specific item in the supply chain. The EPC is stored on a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, which combines a silicon chip and an antenna. Once the EPC is retrieved from the tag, it can be associated with dynamic data such as from where an item originated or the date of its production. Much like a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) or Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), the EPC is the key that unlocks the power of the information systems that are part of the EPCglobal Network. Essentially, the EPC is a number designed to uniquely identify a specific item in the supply chain. The EPC number sits on a tag comprised of a silicon chip and an antenna, which is attached to an item. Using radio identification technology (RFID), a tag “communicates” its number to a reader.

EPCglobal Network is a set of technologies that enable immediate, automatic identification and sharing of information on items in the supply chain. In that way, the EPCglobal Network will make organisations more effective by enabling true visibility of information about items in the supply chain.

ID System (EPC Tags and Readers) A label tag is a thin, consumable device with a programmable microchip and an antenna. Data can be read and written with a reader device, without a direct line of sight. Tags embedded inside labels help solve problems in product identification, control, tracking and security and can be used in a wide variety of applications.

Object Name Service (ONS) The reader passes the number to a computer or local application system, known as the Object Name Service (ONS). ONS tells the computer systems where to locate information on the network about the object carrying an EPC, such as when the item was produced.

Physical Markup Language (PML) is used as a common language in the EPCglobal Network to define data on physical objects.

RFID stands for radio frequency identification. It is a technology that has existed for decades. At a simple level, it is a technology that involves tags that emit radio signals and devices called readers that pick up the signal. RFID technology is a fundamental element of the EPCglobal Network.

RFID ICs are the tiny computer chips in the RFID labels.

Savant is a software technology that acts as the central nervous system of the EPCglobal Network. Savant manages and moves information in a way that does not overload existing corporate and public networks.

To Learn more about RFID technology you can visit EPC Global