NEC to Acquire EPCIS Product Certification With Its RFID Middleware

Features of WebOTX RFID Manager Information Service
(1) EPCglobal Certified Products: These products allow users to build global information sharing systems via an EPCglobal Network.
(2) Increased Efficiency in System Development: Because this middleware is based on standard specifications, highly-reliable RFID systems and applications can be designed and developed in a shorter period of time than individual development.
(3) Construction of Systems with Excellent Scalability: Linking with WebOTX RFID Manager Series products enables systems to seamlessly expand, from in-house to inter-company information sharing based on an EPCglobal Network.

NEC, which became one of the first vendors in Japan to subscribe to EPCglobal in May 2004, actively promotes the standardization of RFID. “Becoming one of the first companies in the world to acquire EPCIS product certification can be attributed to the testing of original NEC products in the context of EPCglobal activities, as well as our substantial contributions to the establishment of standard specifications,” said Akinori Itoh, General Manager, Second System Software Division, NEC Corporation. “Having acquired this certification, NEC will launch the WebOTX RFID Manager Information Service in December this year, targeting sales of 100 units over the next three years.”

EPCIS (EPC Information Services) is an interface specified by EPCglobal to enable companies to share data regarding the movement and status of “objects” (EPCIS events *3) that are captured using RFID tags. In addition to managing Electronic Product Codes (EPC) stored in RFID tags, EPCglobal also promotes the expansion of RFID leverage through the standardization of interfaces for utilizing various types of RFID data, including EPC. Many companies, both in Japan and around the world, promote the introduction of RFID systems in accordance with these standards.

Adopting EPCIS ensures open connections for all systems based on an “EPCglobal Network,” which is an information sharing architecture, and eliminates demands for design and construction of proprietary information-sharing mechanisms.

NEC will continue to actively adopt EPCglobal standards, and to drive forward its products and solutions for achieving global logistics and supply chain management systems using RFID.

The EPCglobal Software Certification Mark and Global Service Relation Number-NEC