A guide to understanding the basics of barcodes and barcoding process in businesses
Introduction to Barcodes
A Barcode or a pattern of lines and spaces are “A first-generation, “one-dimensional” barcode” that creates specific patterns for the data.
Barcoding, a kind of facility for data entry operation and ensure error-free data capturing automatically.
Some facts about the use of Barcodes
The first use of barcode printers and scanning system in the year 1974.
The very first scanning of the now-ubiquitous UPC-barcode (Universal Product Code) was on a pack of Wrigley Company chewing gum in June 1974 at a Marsh supermarket in Troy, Ohio, USA.
The use of barcodes for data capturing, storing, and retrieval has been in use for more than 45 years. The use of barcodes originated in grocery stores. Now, every manufacturing and service industries put this auto-ID system into use.
Auto-ID products are also referred to as AIDC products (Automatic identification and data capture). AIDC products involve methods of automatically identifying objects, collecting data about them, and entering them directly into computer systems.
The motivation to use the Barcoding process
The single most motivation to use barcode in the business process is to “improve data management and accessibility and reduce costs”. The use of barcoding extends to benefit from immediate and accurate data tracking in inventory management, enables real-time data for build-to-order manufacturing and supply chain management practices.
Benefits of barcoding
Barcoding is the most cost-effective tool in an organization’s experience to ensure data credibility and thereby greatly reduce the impact of human error. Companies with integrated barcoding systems that employ barcode label printer and barcode scanner, to print data and scan data rather than typing numbers, to achieve 99% data accuracy.
Other evolutions of Barcodes
As technologies continue to progress, two-dimensional 2D codes with many symbologies are invented. The most commonly used are QR Codes, Datamatrix Codes, and Aztec Codes are among those inventions.
Barcode Label Printers and Barcode Scanners are the hardware that is most in use in retail stores, Transportation and Logistics, Healthcare, and manufacturing industries to take benefit of barcoding in the business process.