Compliance and quality are often conflated, and while they are similar, they are not the same. Compliance is necessary for quality but not sufficient. Sort of like how water is necessary but insufficient for soup.

Compliance is a floor

Compliance is the ticket to the show. It’s not the box seat. A compliant barcode is good enough; it’s the threshold, the minimum bar required to avert rejection. Here’s what a compliant barcode isn’t:

  • The best it could possibly be
  • A confident assurance that the barcode will scan successfully on every scanner, everywhere, every time
  • A declaration of consistency
  • An indication of how far or near the barcode is from rejection

 

Compliance isn’t Reliability

In contrast, quality is about reliability under real-world conditions. Here is what quality addresses:

  • Quality is grade headroom. Compliance is the floor. Quality reports where you are, from the floor to the ceiling
  • Grade distribution over time. Quality evaluates consistency over time
  • Parameter-level insight. Quality pinpoints specific attributes leading to the final barcode grade, so you know what’s working, what’s not working so well, and what to do about it.

Quality is a Range that starts with Compliance

It’s not a threshold, it’s a metric. A scale. We live in a world of uncertainty. Nothing is nailed down. While it’s helpful to know that a thing or a process is yielding a passing result, without deeper insight into how, when or why that thing or process will fail, we are running on hope.

Hope is a story based on unmeasured circumstances, feelings, attitudes and opinions. History does not predict the future. It’s a conspiracy of beliefs.  If it teaches us anything, it is to trust what can be measured. I gauges what is real. When we can detect change, we can learn to control it.

Quality is a Strategic Differentiator

Compliance isn’t quality. It is a subset of quality. And quality is not just about metrics. In its best sense, put to its best usage, quality is a strategic initiative in the fulfillment of a promise. Looking for a competitive differentiator? You just found the best one.

Want to put it to work? We can help. Contact us here.

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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