05 Oct The Spooky Truth About Barcode Verification
There are a number of reasons a barcode won’t scan, including distortion, low contrast, lack of standards, quiet zone violations, and print inconsistency to name a few. To avoid an unreadable barcode, advanced barcode verification systems can identify all possible reasons a barcode may become problematic.
What supply chain nightmares are made of
Like a spreading zombie apocalypse, the risks of using incorrect or unreadable barcodes will have widespread impacts that could infect your entire supply chain. For example, below are some chilling ways your business will be negatively impacted by barcode issues:
Chargebacks
If a barcode label can’t be scanned for any reason, the item associated with it will be refused and returned to the sender. What’s more, many retail marketplaces will chargeback the rejected product back to the original source because these items can’t be accepted.
Hefty Fines
On top of chargebacks, many industries such as health care and food service have strict compliance guidelines when it comes to barcoding standards. Incorrectly placed, inaccurate, and unreadable are major compliance issues that will likely result in big fines.
Lack of traceability
The romaine lettuce outbreak in 2018 taught the industry several lessons on the importance of traceability.[1] Supply chain traceability allows users to see end-to-end, start-to-finish, of a product. Barcodes play a significant role in safety and traceability which underscores the importance of barcode verification.
Unplanned expenses
The chargebacks and fines that result from a rejected barcode add up quickly. But, the bigger nightmare is the additional expenses involved. These include shipping and freight charges of returned items, wasted labels and packaging, and increased cost of labor.
No tricks, just treats, with barcode verification
Desktop barcode verifier system.
It’s all treats when it comes to the benefits of barcode verification. As a GS1 US Solution Partner, we have a unique technology that allows us to help companies across the country by providing barcode solutions that ensure barcodes and unique numbers will be accepted by major retailers and distributors all over the world. Below are a few benefits our barcode verification solution provides:
Full-spectrum barcode analysis
Barcode verification offers an overall barcode “score” in the form of a grade from 4.0 (A grade) through 0.0 (F grade). The grading scale is determined by international standards on how to assess barcode quality. For example, the following measures are determined for linear symbols:
- Edge determination, minimum reflectance, symbol contrast, minimum edge contrast, modulation and defects (such as spots and voids), quiet zone, decode, and decodability.
The full-spectrum barcode analysis will grade each measure listed above, along with an overall grade that represents your barcode.
Compliance-certified verification
Barcode verification is certified by GS1, is 21 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) Part 11 compliant-ready for all FDA regulated industries and provides Grade to ISO Print Quality Standards. In other words, barcode verification will give you confidence that your barcode will work throughout the entire supply chain process using a set of international standards.
Full-reporting and action plan
Once barcode experts thoroughly analyze a barcode, the next step is to provide a detailed summary of the barcode results. With AB&R®, we go one step further and provide actionable steps that you can take to ensure your barcode will scan the first time, every time through your supply chain.
Are you ready to learn more about how our barcode verification services can help? Fill out the form below and we’ll be in contact!
[1] https://www.fooddive.com/news/post-romaine-lettuce-outbreaks-lessons-in-traceability/525248/
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