GS1 US and the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions (VICS) Association, two supply-chain standards organizations serving multiple industry sectors, have signed a memorandum of understanding to merge their operations.

The merger is designed to streamline the standards adoption process for the industry and give the not-for-profit organizations’ members access to standards for a broader range of supply-chain functions. It will also translate to more direct access to the standards development process and the technical expertise needed to support the implementation and use of supply chain technologies, such as EPC-enabled RFID.

Both the VICS Item Level RFID Initiative and the GS1 US Item Level Readiness Program are designed to provide the education, training, tools, and community support that apparel and general merchandise retailers – and brands – need to implement Electronic Product Code (EPC) item level tagging into day-to-day operations.

The integration process is under way now and is anticipated to close by the end of 2012.