In recent decades, supply chain complexity has become a central challenge for companies that want to remain globally competitive. As markets expand and mature, companies must master advanced technologies, satisfy customers with diversified needs, and manage supplies even remotely while complying with increasingly complex regulations.
One is, in practice, faced with the paradox of complexity: as globalization and customization increase uncertainty, enterprises must simplify and stabilize operations to reduce time and costs. This requires a balance between complexity management and operational efficiency through a systematic and coherent supply chain approach. Also because effective complexity management brings significant economic benefits by improving profitability and business competitiveness.
In this context, the adoption of advanced technologies for supply chain management becomes crucial. Solutions based on cloud computing and low-power electronic technologies such as the Internet of Things facilitate the integration of data throughout the supply chain, promoting interoperability and collaboration among different players.
Then, thanks to international standards such as the EPCIS from GS1, these technologies make it possible to collect, store and analyze data effectively, providing a clear view of the history of products and processes. This is essential to ensure -for example- traceability and retraceability, meeting current and future challenges with greater agility and transparency.
Master traceability with EPCIS and prepare the future of your supply chain
It is because we are in an increasingly globalized world that GS1 standards help bring out the truly relevant information by providing a common language for identifying, capturing, sharing and processing data and information along the supply chain, making it accessible and understandable to companies and consumers.
Among these standards, EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) plays a crucial role in modern supply chain management.
By introducing the concept of event, EPCIS makes it possible to observe a specific object or batch of goods, recording information about its history and making it visible to other actors in the supply chain. For each object tracked, relevant moments -such as passing through a specific point in the supply chain- are recorded, answering for each of them the “what, where, when, why, how” questions. A portion of this data -selected by those who have ownership- are then shared with supply chain partners, making it possible to see and track goods in real time. For example, a single EPCIS event may record the receipt of a shipment at the distribution center. The information content of this event is organized into the five dimensions already mentioned:
- WHAT: information about which commercial items and/or shipping containers were received.
- WHEN: the date and time when the receipt occurred and the local time zone in effect.
- WHERE: the location where the shipment was received and where the items are expected to be after the event.
- WHY: information about the action that identifies the event such as, for example, the shipping operation, preparation of a pallet, taking delivery of a material, feeding, processing of raw materials,…
- HOW: additional information related to data collected by sensors, such as that acquired during refrigerated transport or from inside the cold room, at predefined time intervals, or when a specific temperature threshold is exceeded.
EPCIS thus has several features that make it an essential tool for traceability in the supply chain. First, it provides real-time visibility, allowing products to be tracked throughout the supply chain, providing process control and reducing the risk of counterfeiting.
It also enables companies to efficiently share supply chain event data with trading partners, ensuring smooth and transparent communication.
Another strength is support for sensor data: EPCIS can include important information such as temperature, which is essential data for cold chain monitoring.
Finally, the standard facilitates the management of certifications and regulatory compliance, making business processes more resilient and reliable.
What benefits can EPCIS bring to your company?
It is clear that the effective implementation of EPCIS brings a number of tangible benefits that can radically transform your supply chain management.
Here are some of the main benefits:
- EPCIS makes it easier to share information throughout the supply chain, improving transparency and collaboration among the various stakeholders.
- It ensures that the data exchanged is accurate and up-to-date, reducing errors and improving the quality of information.
- Enables optimization of operational processes, improving efficiency and reducing associated costs.
- Provides complete real-time inventory visibility, helping to manage inventory more effectively.
- Facilitates monitoring throughout the supply chain, ensuring regulatory compliance and improving product safety.
GS1’s EPCIS standard offers a robust and flexible model for achieving supply chain efficiency and sustainability goals, enabling companies to meet current and future challenges with greater agility and transparency. Adopting these standards means not only improving internal operations, but also building a more resilient and responsible supply chain.
From theory to practice: how iChain implements EPCIS
iChain-the cloud software platform developed by Wiseside-embodies all the essential features of the EPCIS standard, offering a practical and strong solution for supply chain management.
While EPCIS represents a conceptual model that defines the guidelines for collecting and sharing events along the supply chain, iChain translates this model into a concrete, operational technological architecture.
The iChain platform enables the collection, storage, and analysis of data from every point in the supply chain, precisely meeting the needs of product traceability and retraceability. It can record critical events such as the receipt of a shipment, the status of goods, and environmental conditions during transport, sharing this information in real time with all partners involved.
With its scalable and flexible structure, iChain facilitates interoperability between different systems and supply chain actors, improving visibility and transparency. It supports the integration of internal process data and the selection of data to be shared, optimizing inventory management and ensuring regulatory compliance. In summary, iChain is not just an application of the EPCIS standard, but an advanced implementation of it that enables enterprises to effectively manage the complexity of their modern supply chains.
If you want to know how the iChain platform can also improve your supply chain and transform your business, contact us for a free demo: you will see for yourself all the competitive advantages of traceability with iChain.
CEO of Wiseside Srl, thanks to his solid experience in the IT sector and consulting for multinational companies, she has been contributing for over 10 years to the development of innovative and collaborative Supply Chain models, always respecting the principles of sustainability.
