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 Product identification is essential in all businesses especially those that involve manufacturing, supplying and distributing. Incoming and outgoing goods must be recorded and it is vital that a company is aware of the all the products it has in stock at any given time.
Using manual means of identification such as delivery notes and manual input of data into a database can often lead to human error causing a loss of time, profit and efficiency.
At DataScan we specialise in creating and providing Auto-Identification (Auto-ID) systems for our customers. Auto-ID is a method that decreases human intervention and with it human error. One such method used at DataScan is barcoding.
A barcode is a representation of information that can be read by a barcode scanner. The basic principle is that a barcode is applied to a product, this gives the product a unique identification. From this point onwards the product can be scanned, with a device such as the Datalogic Dragon, and therefore monitored.
Barcoding improves the speed and accuracy of computer data entry which has many advantages:
- Fast-selling items can be identified quickly and automatically reordered to meet consumer demand.
- Slow-selling items can be identified, preventing a build-up of unwanted stock.
- Historical data can be used to predict seasonal fluctuations very accurately.
- When a manufacturer packs a box with any given item, a Unique Indentifying Number (UID) can be assigned to the box.
- A relational database can be created to relate the UID to relevant information about the box; such as order number, items packed, quantity packed, final destination etc..
- The information can be transmitted through a communication system such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) so the retailer has the information about a shipment before it arrives.
- Tracking results when shipments are sent to a Distribution Center (DC) before being forwarded to the final destination.
- When the shipment gets to the final destination, the UID gets scanned, and the store knows where the order came from, what's inside the box, and how much to pay the manufacturer.
- Barcodes and barcode scanners are relatively low cost when compared to Auto-ID methods such as RFID.
- Barcoding is very accurate and results are reliable.
- Barcode printers can be supplied to customers, giving them the control to create their own barcodes.
With all these benefits it's not hard to see why barcoding has and will continue to be such a major feature in the Auto-Identification industry. At DataScan we strive to create, provide and support such systems for all our customers.
Date of news item upload : Tue Dec 4 2007
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