SATO America Participates in EPCglobal Inc.'s Hardware Interoperability Test

SATO America, Inc. (SATO), a leader in barcode printing since introducing first thermal transfer barcode printer in 1979, today announced its participation in the EPCglobal Hardware Interoperability testing. The testing is part of an effort by EPCglobal Inc to improve Electronic Product Code (EPC) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) hardware interoperability within the EPCglobal community. EPCglobal Inc, a joint venture of EAN International and the Uniform Code Council, Inc. (UCC), is a not-for-profit organization entrusted by industry to establish and support the EPCglobal Network as the global standard for real-time, automatic identification of information in the supply chain of any company, anywhere in the world.

The Hardware Interoperability testing evaluated the interoperability of SATOs Class 1 RFID Printer/Encoder, the CL408e industrial printer, and M8485Se leading print engine, configurations with those provided by other manufacturers. In addition to passing the mandatory EPC Global Interoperability test cases, SATO RFID products also successfully completed the optional test case scenarios. For more details on SATO RFID products, visit www.satoamerica.com/products/rfid/.

MET Laboratories, a company that provides extensive testing and consulting services, administered the test August 3-5 in a controlled environment located in its Baltimore, Maryland facility. For complete Hardware Interoperability test results, visit www.epcglobalinc.org/interoperability.

"This is extremely significant because it signals a bold step forward in making EPC a reality in global commerce, says Michael E. Di Yeso, president and chief operating officer of the Uniform Code Council. "SATO America, Inc. is showing leadership in participating in this testing and has positively positioned itself in this newly emerging marketplace."

It is imperative that all products achieve interoperability, said Mike Fowler, president of SATO America, Inc. Our customers depend on SATO to deliver the highest quality RFID products and services to satisfy their supply chain requirements.

SATO now delivers not just RFID printing solutions, but complete EPC-compliant RFID solutions including pre-planning consultation, on-site survey, pilot planning and implementation, and post-pilot consultation and customer service.