Bar Coding Applications

1. Bar coding is the most commonly used type of automatic data capture.

2. It is recognised to be the most cost effective means.

3. It allows manufacturers to condense information about a product, but still allow for ease of access.

4. Information contained can: include information about the business of origin; identify the product; provide expiry dates and batch numbers.

5. It can be printed on packaging or as a label attached to the product itself.

6. Both individual and multiple items can be coded.

7. There are a wide variety of bar coding systems available, and the choice of system will depend on the combined needs of the business and the customer.

8. Bar coding benefits manufacturers, distributors and the end-user. It also speeds up data input saving staff time and consequently money.

9. It reduces paperwork as the information is passed electronically from the product to the computer.

10. Some possible applications are: warehousing, retailing, stocktaking, administration, personnel identification.

11. Before opting for a system it is essential to evaluate how it will benefit the business. It will be necessary to plan and cost for all of the necessary changes.

12. Besides bar coding, it is advisable to consider the other automatic identification systems and their benefits. Alternative systems: optical character recognition (OCR), magnetic 'stripe' character recognition, smart cards and radio frequency identification tags.

Do's and Dont's:

Do:

When using a printing service, it is essential to carefully explain any requirements and to ensure that the service is experienced in this kind of work.

Customers should be informed well in advance if the business plans to use bar codes in a way that they might also take advantage of.

It is important to formulate a precise idea of what is expected of the bar code system, this will make it easier when a business is approached to implement the system.

It is advisable to consult someone with experience of bar code systems for advice on how they can help the business.

Don't:

Be tempted to go to a cheap, inexperienced printer.