In the late 1970’s, barcode technology was centered primarily around grocery store point of sale. UPC was the only barcode anyone had heard of, and the major providers of barcode scanners were the flat-bed omni-directional scanners at the check-out counters.

1. Barcode – Getting Back To Basics
In the late 1970’s, barcode technology was centered primarily around grocery
store point of sale. UPC was the only barcode anyone had heard of, and the
major providers of barcode scanners were the flat-bed omni-directional scanners
at the check-out counters.
Flash forward to 2014 and we have QR codes that are barcodes whose only use
is to connect a cell phone user to a web site for product information. Barcodes
are seen not only in retail stores, but are used extensively in industrial
companies, hospitals, pharmacies, manufacturing processes and so on. We
track inventory, tools, biotech samples, documents, and vehicles. We identify
consumers for loyalty discounts and citizens on driver’s licenses.
While RFID seemed to be the “next great scanning technology”, the lack of
standards and the cost of the equipment and RFID tags has users falling back to
traditional barcode applications.
So what’s the next new application in your organization for bar coding? Go back
to the basics. Barcode was designed to “Track, Trace or Count” an item. It
replaces written or keyboard records because of its ease of use, speed and
accuracy. Barcode increases productivity by up to 80% and the accuracy of a
record resulting from a barcode scan is virtually 100%.
Look for a process that requires data entry or written lists to record the location of
an item. This could include Capital Assets, Tooling in a manufacturing company,
any kind of Inventory, important Documents – whether active or archived, lab
samples that go through multiple testing processes where details are
accumulated.
Then look outside of your immediate 4 walls. Do you have truck drivers
delivering or picking up goods, service technicians visiting homes or businesses
to repair electronics, contracted employees who are issued company assets such
as expensive tools or vehicles? These are all examples of how barcode

2. technology can help your company increase productivity and accuracy as well as
preserve assets and improve your bottom line.