Getting Specific: Why Barcode Quality is Important

We got a call from a sporting goods manufacturer. The big box sports store they supplied notified them that their logistics labels were non-compliant. The message was clear–fix it or lose their shelf space. Apparently, this was not a new problem. Why it had not been dealt with conclusively was unclear, but now, the business was on the line.

Regulated Industries

Bad barcodes in healthcare are a serious variation on this theme. If a UDI barcode isn’t working right, the FDA will take regulatory action against a manufacturer: warning letters, fines, recalls, or even market withdrawal are tools they can and do use. Even when the problem is resolved, manufacturers face ongoing FDA scrutiny and inspections to ensure compliance. At a minimum, non-compliance can affect the manufacturer’s ability to sell a device or drug in the US market. But this isn’t just loss of shelf space—patient safety and even lives can be (and have been) jeopardized.

Aerospace

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Barcodes play an equally critical role in other heavily regulated industries. In aerospace manufacturing, components such as jet fan blades are subjected to extreme conditions. Failure can have catastrophic consequences. Barcodes help ensure that parts are properly tested and meet safety standards. Barcodes help manufacturers comply with strict guidelines by providing verifiable records of each component’s history. Barcode systems enable aerospace manufacturers to identify defective parts, tracking and recalling those parts while at the same time, investigating the root cause of failures and preventing future recurrences.

Automotive

This same scenario takes place in automotive and truck manufacturing. Barcodes help track parts and components, ensuring they meet stringent safety and quality standards by regulatory bodies. Barcodes also help ensure vehicles are assembled with the parts that comply with the work order.
In the chemical industry, barcodes help to track hazardous materials, ensuring compliance with environmental and safety regulations.

Digital Link

Soon, the new Digital Link barcode will replace the ubiquitous UPC, bringing health, safety, sustainability, recycling, nutrition, allergy, and other critical information directly to the user.

• Barcode quality is specifically important. Important to you, to your loved ones and to others you don’t even know. People with whom you travel on an airplane. People who share the highways, an entertainment event; people being served in a restaurant.
• Barcode quality is important to you personally, to your business and to those your business serves.
• How do you ensure that your barcodes are compliant? We can help.

Questions or comments? Contact us here.