Barcoding

A Barcode is a series of vertical bars and spaces carrying information about the object to which it is attached in a machine readable format. This property of a barcode enables its use as an effective tool for automatic identification and data capture.

As opposed to manual data entry, which is tedious and prone to inaccuracies, barcodes enable automatic data capture with 100% accuracy. Bar coding enables unique and universal identification of products, assets, logistics units etc.

Advantages of bar-coding systems 

  • Barcode eliminate the possibility of human error, the occurrence of errors for manually entered date is significantly higher than  that of barcodes, a barcode scan is fast and reliable and takes infinitely less time than entering data by hand.
  • Using a barcode system reduces employee training time, it takes only minutes to master the hand – held scanner for reading barcodes, furthermore, employees do not have to gain familiarity with an entire inventory or pricing procedure, this also makes employee training less expensive since they do not have to be paid for extra training time, and another employee does not have to be compensated for training them.
  • Barcodes are inexpensive to design and print. Generally they cost mere pennies, regardless of ther purpose, or where they will be affixed, they can be customized economically, in a variety of finishes and materials.
  • Barcodes are extremely versatile. They can be used for any kind of necessary data collection this could include pricing or inventory information. Additionally because barcode can be attached to just about any surface, they can be used to track not only the products themselves but also outgoing shipments and even equipment.
  • Inventory control improves, because barcodes make it possible to track inventory so precisely, inventory levels can be reduced, this translates into a lower overheard. The location of equipment can also be tracked, reducing the time spent searching for it and the money spent replacing equipment that is presumed lost.
  • Barcode provides better data, since once barcode can be used for inventory and pricing information, it is possible to quickly obtain data on both, furthermore, barcodes can be customized to contain other relevant information as needed, they provide fast, reliable data for a wide variety of applications.
  • Data obtained through barcodes is available rapidly. Since the information is scanned directly into the central computer, it is ready almost instantaneously, this quick turnaround ensures that time will not be wasted on data entry or retrieval.
  • Barcode promote better decision making, because data is obtained rapidly and accurately, it is possible to make more informed decisions. Better decision making ultimately saves both time and money.