Have you ever seen this code epc14783759 somewhere on an invoice, a product manual, or a website, and thought that they were just a string of random letters and gibberish? After this string of letters and numbers is the modern logistical digital inventory code that drives global trade.
To the average person the code means nothing, but this code is actually Electronic Product Code (EPC), a code that is critical in the world of supply chain management. It could be a tracking number for a test electronic that is being shipped. Knowing this code will bring you closer to understanding how the products you buy online travel to your house right from the factory.
In this book, we will explain to you the meaning of the code, the reasons of the existence of this code, the way it improves the retail, healthcare, and other industries, and the importance of the Electronic Product Code (EPC) for the future of the digital world.
Looking at EPC14783759: What is it?
In simple terms, It is an identifier, in the same way, a social security number identifies an individual. So, in the case of a traditional UPC, it can tell a scanner what an item is, say a can of soda, but EPCs go a notch higher, and tell the system that it is a specific can of soda produced on a specific date, time, and in a particular factory.
Generally, EPCs contain:
- Header: Points out the version of the EPC standard in use.
- EPC Manager Number: Recognizes the manufacturer of the item.
- Object class: Defines the category of the item (SKU).
- Serial number: The number that is the specific identifier for that item.
Codes like this are digital imprints, and while in many instances online, the code in question is used as a placeholder or test code by software developers, it also serves an important purpose in tracking the code. More specifically, it helps to integrate a tangible, physical item with the digital information that represents the item.
The Function of epc 14783759 In Multifunctional Ecosystems
In order to appreciate how this code works, we need to appreciate the technology backing it. That technology is Radio Frequency Identification Technology (RFID).
Unlike old fashioned bar codes, that need a direct line of sight to be scanned, EPCs embedded in RFID. With Radio Frequency technology, Warehouse workers will not need to engage in labor intensive tasks of picking, scanning, and barcoding a palletized load. The palletized load is not Importan and is simply scanned. The RFID communicator reads it and thereby scans loads more than one.
In this ecosystem, epc14783759 is the key. When a gold scanner receives a message, it is reflected and the system asks the main database. The database then sends the following information back:
- Where the This is a persistent rumor and is currently in a vessel.
- When it was loaded on.
- Where it is the next scheduled vessel.
- If it is regular cargo, destination is known.
- The cargo is not a fake.
The free flow of information that is not static improves the functioning of a warehouse and in also incorporates a warehouse that has become adaptive.
Applications. The Utility of Almost Every Industry.
The special use of these codes exists without a doubt in every major industry. The use of these codes has helped sector to deviate from normal systems and use.
Retail: No More 'Out of Stock'
An accurate inventory is crucial to the retail industry. Imagine finding out that an item is in stock on the store's website. You drive to the store just to find out the shelf is empty.
Retailers solve this by using EPCs. Stores can tag their clothes or electronics, and inventory counts that previously would take days can now take minutes. Smart shelves can tell when an item is picked and can tell if someone is moving it to the wrong shelf. With this real-time information, stock levels are accurate. It can even tell what popular items need to be refreshed.
Healthcare: Safety and Compliance
Missing a surgical tool is definitely more serious than a customer missing a shirt size. Hospitals and pharmacies use EPC tracking with their medications and surgical instruments.
Having a unique code for each vial of medication allows that vial to be traced back to its manufacturing batch. In the event of a recall, the hospital can quickly and easily determine which vials are affected rather than guessing what vials are in the stock. It also helps prevent counterfeit medication by being able to flag any code that doesn't match the manufacturers safe database.
This first part is called precision assembly in manufacturing.
The modern manufacturing line is very complex. For example, an automotive manufacturing facility takes in thousands of different parts from different suppliers. This is where EPC tags comes into play to help automate the assembly line.
As a car chassis is being assembled, bumpers and mirrors are installed while the EPC tags are being scanned. This is to make sure the right model is installed with the correct bumper and mirror to reduce human error so that the car can pass quality checks.
Benefits of EPC technology
Why is there a need to assign a unique EPC, including the string epc14783759, to every single item? This is a transformative benefit to the business.
1. No one beats the accuracy of the inventory.
With traditional bar coding inventory, the accuracy is about 60-70 due to human error and mistakes. However, with EPC based RFID, that can increase to 99. With 100% accuracy, a business can see how much stock they have, therefore preventing them from overbuying, which ties up cash, or running out, which loses sales.
2. Supply Chain Transparency
In the past, shipments were a total mystery. All you knew was when they were sent out, and when they were delivered, but nothing in between. Now, businesses can monitor exactly where individual shipments are in real-time. Companies know if one of their packages is sitting at a distribution center, or if it is taking an inefficient route somewhere. Businesses are able to use this data to create an optimized logistics system to save time and fuel.
3. Combatting Counterfeiting
Every year, counterfeit products cost luxury brands and electronics manufacturers billions of dollars. Now, embedding a secure, encrypted EPC into products has made authentication dead simple. The retailer or end-user can scan the package or product with a mobile app, and if the code EPC14783759 does not match a given brand’s cloud registry, they know the item is a counterfeit.
Challenges in Implementing EPC Systems
Although there are clear benefits to EPC systems, there are also challenges to implementing them on a large scale.
The Cost:
Standard barcodes cost nearly nothing to print, while embedding radio frequency identification (RFID) chips with Electronic Product Codes (EPC) costs a few cents per tag, which, especially for low value items (like a pack of gum) is impractical cost-wise. That's why, for example, you usually see tracking using EPC 147837859-style technology on higher value items like apparel, electronics, and pallets of products, instead of single, lower-value grocery products.
Data Management:
Shifting from tracking groups of items to tracking each item individually generates tremendous amounts of data. For example, a retailer tracking 10,000 shirts can easily manage the data for them as one consolidated data stream, but as soon as each shirt is tracked individually the retailer must manage 10,000 disparate data streams and overall 10,000 unique records. Companies need strong cloud infrastructure to manage data on this scale.
Concerns About Data Privacy:
When EPC chips first came to market, privacy advocates voiced concerns that the chips could be used to surreptitiously track people after they left the store wearing RFID-tagged clothing. The industry has implemented standards to "kill" or deactivate tags at the point of sale, but it is still the retailers responsibility to inform the public of the mechanisms in use.
Success Stories
The technology has proven successful for many of the worlds largest companies.
- Walmart is one of many companies that requires suppliers to use EPC tags to manage specific categories of products. This technology has been transformational in helping Walmart ensure that products that customers want to purchase are available on the shelf.
- Delta Air Lines started using RFID tracking to improve the experience around baggage tracking. Each suitcase is assigned a unique RFID and Delta is able to track them with a 99.9% success rate. This created a large reduction in the lost luggage headache.
- At Decathlon, one of the biggest sporting goods retailers, they tagged 100% of their products with EPCs. This made it possible to offer self checkout kiosks. These kiosks allow customers to drop their basket into a bin and the machine instantly takes a picture of every item in their basket and scans them all in one go. No handheld barcodes are necessary.
The invisible hero, in all of these situations, is a code that looks like epc 14783759. This code created a simpler, faster, and more accurate checkout experience.
Conclusion
Next time you see a code like epc14783759, keep in mind that it is a lot more than just random alphanumeric characters. It holds evidence of the fundamentals of the digital economy. It represents a change from the old, manual, guess work to more accurate driven work.
From checking that a potentially life-saving medicine is real, to helping find a size in a clothes store, or making sure that your bag is in the same city that you are, Electronic Product Codes are quietly working behind the scenes. As technology improves and tagging becomes cheaper, we're bound to see more tagging systems being used, making the line between the products we physically use and the system that keeps track of them more ambigous.
