PolyLabel.com BLOG

What is "Sunrise-compliant"?

2005-03-16T15:03:00.000-05:00

Sunrise compliant. This is a phrase that has been thrown around for quite sometime now, as far as discussions involving bar codes go, in particular the EAN code.

As you probably know (since you are reading a BLOG regarding bar codes) the EAN code (European Article Numbering System) is equivalent to the UPC code (Universal Product Code) accept that it is used just about everywhere outside of the United Stated and Canada. Previously, the EAN could not be scanned and used in the U.S. and Canada. That has now changed as of January 1st of this year.

Being "Sunrise-compliant" means that:

All systems must scan, process, and store U.P.C. (UPC-A and UPC-E),
EAN-13 and EAN-8 symbols
All systems must accommodate varying length Company Prefixes

So why is this a BIG deal?

Retailer A and B both want to sell "over the seas" merchandise. Retailer A is and has been Sunrise-compliant since January 1st while retailer B has not yet insured that his systems meet Sunrise-compliant standards. So while retailer B struggles to get his systems up-to-par, retailer A can sell without worry, leaving his competitor behind.

Bar Code Medication Administration

2005-02-03T10:38:00.000-05:00

Being a part of the Bar Code Industry, one is always looking for more evidence as to how bar codes can help steer business and other industries towards the path of efficiency. But can bar code save lives as well?

At this point, pretty much everyone knows that bar codes aren't just used on cartons of milk or snack bags but are actually used in many different fields and in many different ways.

If you've been to a hospital or other medical facility lately, you will have noticed that, more often then not, patients are sporting bracelets with bar code labels on them. How can this help? ...

The Veterans Health Administration's proprietary drug-dispensing system, the Bar Code Medication Administration (PDF), has been credited with a 74 percent reduction in problems caused by the wrong medication being administered and a 91 percent reduction in "wrong-patient" errors since the VA began using it in its hospitals five years ago.

So I guess bar code technology can save lives.

Baking By Bar Code?!?

2005-02-02T10:26:00.000-05:00

Those of us in the bar code industry are extremely aware of the important role that bar code technology plays in our daily lives. We see them everywhere, but what NEW roles will bar codes play in the future ... or even today?

Here is a small excerpt from CNET’s News.com, describing a couple of NEW products making use of bar code technology in NEW ways. The full article can be viewed at Baking by Bar Code.

Published: January 7, 2005, 9:21 AM PST
By Matt Hines Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Perhaps the most forward-thinking, yet eccentric, gadget in the bunch is Salton's Beyond Bread Maker and Beyond Microwave, both of which offer not only Internet connectivity and storage space for recipes, but also the capability to cook via bar code. With the bread maker, after the "chef" adds the ingredients and scans the bar code on any of several bread and cake mixes, the machine promises to prepare the selected foodstuff correctly. Bearing a price tag of $150, the bread maker comes preloaded with more than 100 recipes set to launch when a carbohydrate connoisseur scans in the corresponding Universal Product Code. When used with Salton's home hub, the device can access an information network that
contains additional bar codes and recipes. The microwave comes preloaded with cooking instructions for 4,000-boxed foods. It also has a "learn" function so that users can create and store directions to go with new bar codes. It costs $150.
(Internal BLOG Use)

Is Bar Code Quality the Weak Link in Your Supply Chain?

2005-01-24T13:45:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting article discussing the importance of a quality bar code label and, equally as important, a bar code label verifier. This article was originally published on the Uniform Code Council website.

By Mark Frey, Director of AIDC Uniform Code Council
There is an industry joke that a bar code that can’t scan is just bad artwork. Behind that humor is a real issue for supply chain executives who are responsible for their company’s bar coding activities. An unscannable bar code can cause a costly break in a company’s supply chain, adding unnecessary expense and delays to critical business processes. Inefficient supply chain practices also spill over and impact your trading partners. It has a rippling effect on the entire supply chain and becomes more costly to correct as it moves forward.
While the Uniform Code Council is synonymous with bar codes because of its pioneering development of the Universal Product Code (U.P.C.), promoting bar code quality is an important focus of the UCC. As more and more companies and industries embrace the standards of the EAN.UCC System to mark and identify trade items, assets, and logistics units, bar code quality is critical to ensure these bar codes scan and work under “realworld” supply chain applications.
One of the most important tools used to measure bar code quality are verifiers. The higher the quality grade, the better the bar code will scan at various points in the supplychain. However, when comparing verifier results, users may get different readings from different brands of verifiers.
For example, a manufacturer may mark their product with a U.P.C. bar code and complywith UCC guidelines and specifications. Using brand X verifier, their readings state that the bar code looks good. When the product is shipped to their trading partner (a retailer),a different brand of verifier states different results.
The perceived difference in bar code quality between the manufacturer and the retailer creates a real supply chain issue. Both companies believe they have the correct readings.This creates a costly supply chain bottleneck as these companies must bring their trading to a standstill as they clash over the significance of the results.
Like all good scientific procedure, results must be consistent and reproducible by many if an instrument is to be used for meaningful measurement. Businesses need to have the confidence that their testing equipment will produce accurate measurements.
As industries have become more global in nature, the importance of bar code quality becomes even more critical. A product, asset, or logistics unit marked with an EAN.UCC System bar code can literally travel across the globe from manufacturer to final consumer. A problem with bar code quality is no longer a
“local issue” when your trading partner is half a world away.
The UCC and EAN International launched a global project to promote the importance of accurate verification of bar codes. Participating in the project were many members of the EAN.UCC Global Symbology Committee, a group composed of 20 senior technical staff members from several prominent AIDC companies.
The project solicited six leading verifier manufacturers to participate in the test. All participating vendors noted their adherence to standards such as ANSI and ISO specifications. Of particular user interest was the tolerance specified for vendors that were documented in ISO/EIC 15426-1, “Automatic identification and data capture techniques - bar code verifier conformance specification- Part 1: Linear Symbols.”The goal of the project was to determine what was causing the rumored differences inmeasurement, such as operator training or poor conformance to the specifications. Two separate testing sites were established, one in England and the other at the UCC’s AIDC testing lab near Princeton, New Jersey.
Engineering symbols and their values were calibrated with the same instrument used to measure bar code symbols on many of the calibration targets sold. The instrument, calledthe “judge” in the industry is NIST traceability and is owned by the UCC. Test symbolsfor the UPC-A, UCC/EAN-128, and ITF were measured at different apertures (6, 10, and 20 mils).
The project produced a number of interesting findings. All verifiers could meet the requirements of the ISO specifications. The tolerances as specified in ISO/EIC 15426-1need to be tightened. The current
ISO specification allows one verifier to differ as much as a full letter grade and still meet ISO/IEC specified tolerances. An amendment has been filed and is currently in progress. In addition, data collected on each specific verifier was shared with each vendor. This information will be used by the vendors to improve their products, if necessary.
Users need to be trained on the use of Calibrated Conformance Standard Test Cards. Results measured from these engineered cards can be compared to the tolerance published by the manufacturer of your verifier. If the results are unfavorable, it could indicate that your technique could be bad or your verifier needs to be repaired. The UCC will be releasing new updated Calibrated Conformance Standard Test Cards for UPC-A,EAN-13, UCC/EAN-128, and Interleaved Two if Five (ITF) in the first quarter of 2003. A users guideline on how to best use a verifier consistently has also been produced.
Identification is the heart of any supply chain. Bar coding must enable fast, complete, and accurate identification of your trade items, assets, supplies, and logistics units. If you are not using the correct tools to ensure high-quality bar codes, you run the risk of making your supply chain weak and brittle. And a bar code that cannot stand is not just bad artwork, but expensive artwork, too.
Mark Frey is the Director of AIDC for the Uniform Code Council. He can be reached at (609) 620-4587 or via e-mail at mfrey@uc-council.org.

Introducing Our NEW PolyLabel.com BLOG!

2005-01-21T16:31:00.000-05:00

PolyLabel.com is pleased to announce the commencement of our very own BLOG!

Our PolyLabel.com BLOG is intended to provide our customers with the latest news and information regarding Bar code labels, Asset tags, Security Seals and other relavant issues surrounding the bar code label industry. You can also read about our own company news, information, promotions and more. In addition, we will be providing XML Feeds to keep you connected with all of our latest postings.

Please click the XML button on the right panel to learn more about XML Feeds or simply copy http://feeds.feedburner.com/PolylabelFeed into your XML Feed Reader.

We hope you come to appreciate and enjoy this service and would like to officailly welcome you to our PolyLABEL.com BLOG! Please visit our website at www.polylabel.com.