Shipwreck by Milan Seitler on Unsplash

The decision has been made. You have the go-ahead from purchasing: go ahead and buy a barcode verifier. Motivated by what?

(a) The cost of chargebacks,

(b) collateral damage to your vendor reputation,

(c) a mandate from your ISO auditor, or

(d) recognition that quality can be a strategic advantage.

Maybe something else.  Pain is often the motivation. Sometimes the motivation is more visionary or strategic. Whatever the stimulus, the decision to move forward has been made. Now you must choose.

Bad Habits by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

How do you choose?

A human paradox raises its ironic head. Sick, depressed, scared or angry, most of us want comfort food. Or a drink. Or a smoke. Or a shopping spree. It promises to fill a need, but does it really solve a problem?

A major purchase decision is a similar threshold. Thousands of dollars in the balance. Your career (always) under the magnifier. Choose wisely or embarrass yourself (or worse). What is the smart decision? What will win accolades? There are two seemingly safe passages: (a) something familiar and (b) something cheap. There is another way, better than smart. There is wise.

Fools can be smart. Better to be wise.

Here is a short list of what is required of a barcode verifier. When you have the go-ahead to buy one, here is what you should look for:

  • Accuracy – The device must measure and report barcode quality to a known degree of accuracy. It must comply with a standard that is accepted everywhere.
  • Reliability – The verifier should have a track record and a great factory warranty. Ask for user recommendations—not curated user reviews. And ask about how to keep the device accurate and reliable.
  • Authoritative – Even a non-working clock reports the right time twice a day. How can you be sure the verifier grade is unquestionably correct every time, all the time?
  • Easy to Use – Unless your expertise is barcode quality, you probably have other things to worry about. Complicated, confusing verifier settings are not helpful when you are working to meet a production deadline.
  • Easy to Understand – Do the test results help you make adjustments to improve the grade? If not, what good are they?
  • Realistic pricing – Yes, the cost of a verifier is a consideration. The plain truth is all verifiers are expensive, even the ones that are not accurate, reliable, authoritative or user-friendly. The real difference from a cost perspective is value.
Wisdom by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash

If the least expensive verifier produces a questionable result or does not point you to a solution to improve barcode quality, most if not all of your smaller investment is wasted.  The smartness of the decision will soon be forgotten when the foolishness reveals itself.

Keeping Promises

Quality is intrinsically important. It helps you and your client keep promises.

Quality creates a great strategic advantage.

Keeping promises is value; value creates loyalty; loyalty builds businesses.

We can help. Barcode Test LLC is an independent barcode test lab. We test barcodes as a service. Verifiers are the tools we use.

Contact us. We can help you find the right device, or test your barcodes for you.

Sign up to download our free 2D Barcode Quality Step By Step Guide.

 

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3db Barcode Testimonial

Our company (an advanced software company) recently worked with Barcode Test to source a barcode verifier.  Not long ago, we were awarded a contract requiring products to be marked with IUIDs in accordance with MIL-STD-130.  For that standard, marking labels must pass a verification test that evaluates many variables (contrast, size, clarity, syntax, modularity, and more).  After a thorough search, we reduced our options to a select few.

In our search for a verifier, the Axicon line caught our attention.  Barcode Test is our regional reseller for this product.   From the beginning, they were very prompt with their responses.  We ended up having a quick call with John Nachtrieb to go over our needs.  John was extremely easy to work with and provided a lot of great information.  He was very knowledgeable on the matter and was quick to offer up a demo unit (free of charge).

Upon receiving the demo verifier and testing it, a few questions arose.  John joined a call with us and answered all our questions.  Ultimately, the Axicon verifier wasn’t the best fit for us, so we shipped the demo back.  John was completely understanding.  A few weeks later, Barcode Test reached back out with another possible verifier for us to try.  While they didn’t sell that brand, they just wanted to help us find the best option that met our needs. They even offered to send us the unit that they have in-house to see if it worked to our liking. 

Barcode Test is truly a great company to work with.  Their service and willingness to help the customer are far beyond what you typically get from other companies.  They are experts in barcode quality assurance and seem willing to help in any way they can (even if that means not getting a sale and recommending another option that better fits the customer’s needs).  If anyone is in the market for barcode verification/scanning services or products, I would highly recommend giving Barcode Test a call.

Regards,

Production Manager