VICS Board Supports EPC Standards For Item Level RFID Initiative

Retail Council of Canada Joins VICS Item Level RFID Initiative

The Board of Directors of the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions Association (VICS) has endorsed the GS1 EPC standards, which enable companies to identify, capture and share information to deliver real time visibility into inventory and business processes. GS1 EPC standards increase visibility and efficiency throughout the supply chain and improve quality information flow between companies and their key trading partners.

The Retail Council of Canada (RCC), Canada’s largest trade association for retail merchants also announced it is supporting the VICS Item Level RFID Initiative (VILRI). RCC joins American Apparel & Footwear Association, Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, GS1 Canada, GS1 US, National Retail Federation and Retail Industry Leaders Association as a sponsoring trade association member.

The RFID Network Host, Louis Sirico, had an opportunity to interview Joe Andraski, President and CEO of VICS, about the initiative in the video interview below.

VICS Supports EPC RFID - Joe Andraski, President and CEO of VICS

Related Articles on Standards: How RFID Improves Retail Fashion RFID Standards 101

This article has been viewed 15492 times.

The endorsement of GS1 EPC standards will help advance the work of the VICS Item Level RFID Initiative in defining industry adoption and best practice guidelines of radio frequency identification technology, which promises benefits to consumers and businesses alike.

“The adoption of the GS1 EPC standards marks another milestone for the VICS Item Level RFID Initiative, with many more slated for the next 12 months. Having one standard by which to conduct business will help retailers and suppliers speed up the deployment of RFID and ultimately provide greater service and value to the customer,” said Joe Andraski.

Andraski added that VICS has already endorsed the use of GS1 Keys, Barcode Data Capture standards and other GS1 technical standards, including VICS EDI.

“The endorsement of EPC standards by the VICS Item Level RFID Initiative is a major step in transforming the way the retail industry does business and how supply chains are run throughout the world,” said Bob Carpenter, president and CEO of GS1 US and a member of the EPCglobal Board of Governors. “We are proud to be part of such a collaborative industry effort.”

“It is clear to industry leaders in Canada that RFID is playing an increasingly important role in the retail supply chain. Our members rely on the RCC to provide them with insight on the latest business and technology developments, and our sponsorship of VILRI is intended to help them understand the value of item level RFID using the EPC standard,” said Diane Brisebois, President and CEO of the RCC.

Lord Taylor Reports Impressive Results Using RFID with Retail Fashion

In this interview, Andrea Smith with Lord & Taylor talks about the benefits the company found using RFID for tracking retail fashion items, such as shoes & fine jewelry, including reduced time to take inventory.

Sponsoring associations provide strategic and tactical support to VILRI, have representatives on the Initiative’s committees and enable communications on the Initiative’s progress to their members.

Dr. Bill Hardgrave Talks about Retail Benefits from Using RFID

In this interview, Dr. Bill Hardgrave, Dean of Auburn University College of Business, talks about 'game changing' lessons learned by the world's leading retailers after years of study using RFID for tracking retail items, including improving inventory accuracy from 60% to 95%+.