Breaking the Data Silos | Solving EPCIS Format Disparities in Global Supply Chains

Pharmaceutical supply chains rely on EPCIS for interoperable data exchange, yet differing interpretations have created fragmented, incompatible visibility systems. This article explains how these inconsistencies increase integration costs, delay compliance, and block analytics, and how intelligent translation layers restore true end-to-end visibility across the ecosystem.

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In an ideal world, the pharmaceutical supply chain would operate as a seamless network where product data flows effortlessly between trading partners. After all, that was the promise of EPCIS (Electronic Product Code Information Services) – a global GS1 standard designed to enable disparate applications to create and share visibility event data within and across enterprises.

Yet the reality facing pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and dispensers today is starkly different. Despite operating under the same EPCIS "standard," organizations find themselves trapped in data silos created by proprietary interpretations of these standards.

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When Standards Aren't Standard

The EPCIS framework was developed to serve as a universal language for supply chain events. However, as major solution providers implemented the standard, critical differences emerged in their interpretations, creating a fragmented landscape.  

These differences manifest in various ways – from schema variations and event structure discrepancies to version interpretation differences. What should have been simple data exchange between partners became a complex translation exercise requiring custom mappings, transformation logic, and continual support & maintenance.

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The Business Impact of Fragmentation

For pharmaceutical companies, these EPCIS disparities create tangible business challenges:

• Extended partner onboarding times, often taking weeks or months instead of days

• Increased IT costs from maintaining multiple systems and transformation logic

• Delayed compliance reporting with regulations like US DSCSA and EU FMD due to data exchange issues

• Limited visibility into the end-to-end supply chain, with data locked in incompatible systems

• Missed analytics opportunities from inability to consolidate and analyze data  

A mid-sized pharmaceutical manufacturer typically interacts with dozens of trading partners, each potentially using different systems with unique EPCIS interpretations. This multiplies the complexity exponentially, creating an unsustainable burden of custom integrations.

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Bridging the Gap with Intelligent Data Exchange

Solving this challenge requires moving beyond point-to-point integrations to a more sophisticated approach. Modern supply chain visibility platforms are addressing these disparities through intelligent data exchange layers that act as universal translators between different EPCIS implementations.

The most effective solutions share several key characteristics:

• Native format understanding – comprehending the nuances of each major EPCIS implementation without requiring custom mapping

• Data lineage preservation – maintaining the integrity and provenance of data as it moves between systems

• Real-time translation – converting between formats without batch delays or information loss

• Adaptive learning – continuously improving mapping capabilities as new format variations emerge

By implementing such solutions, pharmaceutical companies can break down data silos while preserving their investments in existing systems.

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The Path Forward

As global pharmaceutical supply chains grow increasingly complex and regulations more stringent, the industry can no longer afford the inefficiencies of fragmented data exchange. The path forward lies not in forcing standardization – a nearly impossible task given the diverse pre-installed systems – but in creating intelligent intermediation that embraces diversity while enabling seamless data exchange.

Organizations that solve this EPCIS inconsistency challenge gain more than just simplified compliance. They unlock the true potential of their serialization data: end-to-end visibility, powerful analytics, and the agility to respond to market changes and evolving global regulations.

In a world where supply chain resilience has become a strategic imperative, breaking down these data silos isn't just a technical necessity – it's a business advantage that separates industry leaders from those struggling to keep pace.

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Request a demo today to discover how  AltiusHub outruns the “legacy” of the legacy track & trace systems that promised agility but delivered rigidity. The world is transforming at unprecedented speed. Are you and your systems keeping up with the pace?

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Why do EPCIS implementations differ between vendors if the standard is the same?

Although EPCIS provides a GS1 global framework, solution providers interpret schema, event structures, vocabularies, and version nuances differently. These variations create incompatible data formats, requiring custom mappings and transformation logic for different trading partners.

2. How does EPCIS inconsistency create business challenges for pharma companies?

Inconsistent EPCIS formats result in long partner onboarding cycles, repeated integration work, higher IT and validation costs, delayed regulatory reporting, and limited visibility across the supply chain. Companies often maintain dozens of custom connectors just to exchange compliant data.

3. What benefits do companies gain by bridging EPCIS inconsistencies?

When data silos are removed, companies unlock end-to-end supply chain visibility, simplified compliance, faster partner onboarding, reduced integration costs, and a resilient serialization network that adapts to regulatory and market changes.

4. Why is standardization difficult to enforce across the global pharma ecosystem?

Trading partners use diverse serialization systems installed over many years, spanning multiple versions of EPCIS and CBV. These systems make uniform standardization unrealistic unless all solution providers collaborate, align on interpretation rules, and adopt consistent implementation practices.

5. What is an intelligent EPCIS translation layer and how does it work?

The intelligent EPCIS translation layer automatically understands variant EPCIS structures, preserves data lineage, converts formats in real time, and adapts as new patterns emerge. This eliminates point-to-point mapping and allows seamless integration across all partners.