13 to 15 April 2011 – More than 250 senior-level business leaders from leading organisations in the Asian region, Europe and USA attended the 8th annual RFID World Asia Incorporating EPCglobal/RFID Singapore Summit 2011 from 13 to 15 April 2011 at SUNTEC Singapore with a post conference workshop on the last day of the event. RFID World Asia Incorporating EPCglobal Singapore Summit 2011 is the largest gathering of the Asia region elite circle of RFID practitioners.

The conference ended on a high note after three-days of sharing of ideas, latest innovations and solutions from world-calss vendors of RFID products and activities. Many participants at the conference were inspired by the success stories coming out from case study presentations of companies who have adopted RFID.

The conference was co-organised by GS1 Singapore and Terrapinn Pte Ltd with the support of SMa and other industry partners. The event hosted about 200 world class exhibitors and saw over 6,800 attendees from over 40 countries at the exhibition. The participating companies included retail, healthcare, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, logistics, transportation as well as government agencies, amongst others.  

Mr Gwee Seng Kwong, Secretary-General of SMa, delivered the opening address.   He said the increase in the take-up of RFID over the years in the local and global markets was positive in the RFID adoption.  In his speech, he noted that a listed multi-national company, Goodpack Ltd has chosen to use standards-based approach through the use GS1 EPCglobal Information Services (EPCIS).

Mr Wong Tack Wai, Executive Director of GS1 Singapore was invited to speak on “Updates on EPCglobal and the successful project developments in Asia”.  In his presentation, Mr Wong covered topics on proven success of EPCglobal’s network in reducing costs and increasing scalability, development of EPCglobal over the last year and how it has impacted the industry; and identifying the future challenges of RFID and how EPCglobal can play a part.

In conjunction with the conference, the RFID World Asia Awards 2011 ceremony for three categories - “RFID Champion Award”, “Best RFID Implementation” and “Most Innovative RFID Solution” was held for the second time on 13 April 2011.  These awards are to recognize outstanding RFID projects that are interesting and creative, give recognition to those who have achieved success with RFID adoption and at the same time serve as models and inspiration for aspiring RFID users.

(Photo from left to right) Most Innovative RFID Solution Award - TCM RFiD and SMRT on a RFID enabled warehouse project, Best RFID Implementation Award - Dongfang Electronics which collaborated with Alien Technology Corporation, RFID Champion Award - Mr Michael Oh, Founder & Director of TCM RFiD Pte Ltd

Congratulations to GS1 Singapore Registered User, TCM RFiD Pte Ltd who was the biggest winner that night, winning 2 out of the 3 awards given out during the ceremony – the RFID Champion Award and Most Innovative RFID Solution Award!  The latter award is for a collaboration effort between TCM RFiD and SMRT on a RFID enabled warehouse project to increase productivity and improve stock level accuracy.

Mr Michael Oh, Founder & Director of TCM RFiD Pte Ltd said, ““First of all I must thank Terrapinn and GS1 Singapore for recognising the efforts that TCM RFiD had put in the last 6 years. The RFID World Asia Awards is a good platform to acknowledge RFID solution providers in Asia and the hard work they have put in their projects.”

The winner of the Best RFID Implementation Award was given to Dongfang Electronics which collaborated with Alien Technology Corporation, China for implementing 11 million Alien passive EPC RFID tags RFID onto wine bottles for Changyu Wines to improve warehouse and logistics management, security and authentication of wine, and prevention of shipping fraud.

“We’re very happy and honoured to win the Best RFID Implementation Award at RFID World Asia Awards 2011!” said Sylvia Lee, General Manager, Asia and Greater China of Alien Technology Corporation, China on behalf their partnership with Dongfang Electronics and Changyu Wines.

To keep updated on RFID developments in Asia, do remember to keep a date with the 9th Annual RFID World Asia Incorporating EPCglobal/RFID Singapore Summit and the third RFID World Asia Awards next year from 25 to 27 April 2012.

28 April 2011 – Today, barcodes has been widely adopted by retailers and is responsible for capturing an estimated $4 billion of sale value annually at point-of-sale (POS) terminals across Singapore.  Effective use of GS1 barcode standard and GS1 standards-based enabling technologies enhance supply chain management, increases operational efficiency and reduces human errors, leading to faster turnaround of goods, improvement of inventory record accuracy and better profits.

 

In order to inform new GS1 Singapore Registered Users, new staff of existing Singapore Registered Users and those who want to improve their knowledge on barcode management and standards, GS1 Singapore organized a Workshop on GS1 Barcode System on 28 April 2011 to equip them with the necessary knowledge on the requirements for barcodes. This half-day workshop attracted more than 70 participants comprising of retailers, manufacturers, distributors, equipment suppliers and education institution.  The session was conducted by Mr Wong Tack Wai, Executive Director of GS1 Singapore and Ms Joy Lee, Senior Executive of GS1 Singapore.

Participants were presented with details on the GS1 Global Standards, GS1 Identification Keys and Numbering System. The presentation also covered areas on allocation of the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) and technical specifications for retail and non-retail packaging, such as colour, size and location. Both retailers and manufacturers gain benefits if all barcodes are printed with the correct specifications and can be scanned right first time every time.  

We explained the importance of using GS1 registered barcodes as only GS1 offers GEPIR (Global GS1 Electronic Party Information Registry via internet at https://gepir.gs1.org or iGEPIR through Apple iPhone Apps Store) - a distributed database allowing for search and lookup of trading party information based on GS1 barcodes to show who the registered user of the barcode number is.  Being able to see who the barcode is registered under, and that is aligned to the overall product label information, gives assurance of the product quality and the integrity of the supplier.  After the demonstration on GEPIR and iGEPIR, participants were seen eagerly downloading iGEPIR to use on their iPhone.

At the networking session, participants continued their dialogue with the GS1 Singapore staff about more details on barcode production, especially in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector.

A wide range of consumer products and outer carton printed with GS1 barcode symbols were on display in the workshop to show participants examples of good quality barcodes on products, the correct layout of the carton barcode as well as examples of poorly barcoded products, such as those using shrink-wrap labels with distorted barcodes that do not scan well.

At the end of the workshop, participants have more understanding on what they need to know when implementing item numbering and barcodes onto their packaging and the important steps in ensuring only quality barcodes reach the market.

In all, the workshop proved to be an informative session for all participants as reflected by the positive feedback received. GS1 Singapore also acknowledged the critical comments given to help us improve the future delivery of this workshop.

(Photo above right to left) Mr Wong Tack Wai, Executive Director, GS1 Singapore, delivered welcome address and introduction to GS1 & GS1 Singapore. Ms Joy Lee, Senior Executive, presents the technical aspects of barcode system

(Photo above) Delegates also engaged lively during networking session to clarify on bar coding issues.