EXPRESS GUIDE INTO BARCODES AND

BARCODE SCANNERS

BRIEF HISTORY OF BARCODESInvented in 1948 by Joseph Woodland, barcodes have seen the mass market only in the 70’s.

Woodland’s Idea was to mark products with zebra-striped code which could be easily read by machines and provide price and description of the item.

WHAT IS A BARCODE?Barcode a simple code in the form of pattern of parallel lines, sometimes with numbers, which can be easily read by a machine.

Before the barcodes the check out process required manually writing down or typing the product code, while the barcode can be simply scanned in a matter of seconds.

Imagine typing down a 12-digit code manually for 500 products and doing the same with a barcode scanner – that is why this technology is so revolutionary.

1D VS 2D BARCODESAs any technology, the barcodes have improved with time to become even more efficient. There are two types of barcodes: 1D, or linear and 2D.

1D

The most widely used barcode type is 1D linear barcode in UPC (Universal Product Code) format with a 12-digit number. There are different variations of the linear barcode which are more popular in specific organizations or governmental institutions, like US mail, where a POSTNET barcode is commonly used.

1D VS 2D BARCODES2D

2D barcodes represent a more complex solution which can store much more data, including text, but often require a more advanced barcode scanner. 1D Scanners cannot read data from 2D barcodes, while 2D scanners can usually read both formats.

One of the most popular barcode of 2D format is the QR (Quick Response) code which is often used for advertising purposes since it can be easily read by a mobile device and can contain the full URL address of a website or any other text, since the capacity of QR code makes 4296 alphanumeric characters.

BARCODE SCANNERSThere are different types of barcode scanners starting with primitive 1D scanners which can read only linear barcodes, ending with 2D scanners or universal mobile devices which can scan any code and transfer it to the system wirelessly.

Despite a common belief, barcode scanners do not store any data, but only read the number which is represented by the barcode and instantly transfer this data into the system.

This means that barcode scanners cannot work on their own and must be connected to a system where the data is stored and can be easily accessed and manipulated.

WHY USE BARCODES IN MANUFACTURING?The simple answer would be – to increase efficiency, drastically – this is especially true if you deal with large amounts of products.

Barcodes allow more efficiency even in the production stage where it can mark completed products with unique serial number so that each specific item could be easily tracked and traced

Modern ERP/MRP systems, such as MRPEasy, also offer barcode scanner functionality.

Besides that, MRPEasy is among the first ERP/MRP solutions which allow to use your mobile device on Android or iOS as a fully-functional D1 and D2 barcode scanner by simply taking a picture of the barcode.

This amazing feature might put an end to traditional barcode scanners as we know them.

Production planning and reporting Supply chain management Stock management CRM Managerial statistics, business intelligence Integration with online accounting solutions

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