ZEBRA STRIDING AHEAD IN RFID

Zebra Technologies, a global leader in speciality printing solutions has reinforced its position as an RFID pioneer with two major announcements this week. The first announcement confirms that Zebra has passed all the mandatory EPCglobal hardware interoperability tests for its Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) printers/encoders, which support UHF Electronic Product Code (EPC) standards.

EPCglobal, an initiative between EAN International and the Uniform Code Council (UCC), conducted the tests in an effort to establish and implement the EPCglobal Network as the world-wide standard for real-time automatic identification of information in the supply chain. The testing is part of an effort to improve EPC and RFID hardware interoperability within the EPC Global community.

EPC technology has the potential to revolutionise the supply chain, providing more accurate information regarding product movement, stock rotation, inventory levels and management data. It would also become significant in product recalls and theft prevention.

The second announcement confirms Bernard Williams as the new RFID Business Development Manager -EMEA. He will hold responsibility for the co-ordination and progression of RFID business, including the EPC, throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Bernard Williams commented, "The EPCglobal testing is very significant as it demonstrates that the implementation of EPCs within global commerce is becoming a reality. Passing the tests, endorses Zebra Technologies commitment to the further development and implementation of EPC and RFID technologies."

Prior to his time at Zebra, Bernard, a qualified mechanical engineer, spent many years at both Eltron and Domino Printing services.