Internet Initiative Japan, one of Japan's leading Internet-access and comprehensive network solutions providers, along with IIJ Technology (IIJ-Tech), its 72.1% owned subsidiary, today announced their participation in the Japan-China-Korea Supply Chain RFID Pilot Project, one of the RFID Pilot Projects that has been initiated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI).

Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. was volunteered to be a part of this seminal project in which an RFID platform was built based on the global standard set by EPCglobal Network, and the effectiveness of the RFID tags were tested in a supply chain that crosses international borders.

Fuji Xerox factories and warehouses in Japan, China, and Korea were linked with parts manufacturers–spanning a total of seven locations–to test the use of RFID tags in copier parts procurement, warehouse administration, import and export, production management, and other supply chain components. The tests will be completed by February 2006.

The IIJ Group provided its EPCglobal Network-based RFID solution–IIJ EPC Network Service–and network infrastructure.

While overseas production is becoming the norm in the manufacturing industry, many companies are not able to get real-time information on stock-on-hand at locations in Japan, and there is a real need for management to improve production process management and to achieve efficient traceability.

As a solution to these problems, many companies are pursing the effective use of RFID tags. In this test, EPC Systems in Japan, China, and Korea were linked with the cooperation of the participating companies to build and test an RFID platform that could become the global standard in supply-chain management.

This platform enables manufacturers to monitor all points along the supply chain, even across international borders, and thus improve operational efficiency and traceability.

IIJ Group is a member of EPCglobal–an international standards organization for the use of RFID over networks–and through participation in numerous RFID field tests and technological development, IIJ has acquired expertise in building systems based on the EPCglobal Network standard.

Leveraging its experience in the RFID sector and the technological savvy acquired as a leading Internet service provider, IIJ broke new ground with the launch of the IIJ EPC Network Service in October 2005. The IIJ Group will continue its pursuit of RFID technology and the development of related services.