The use of barcode technology has been growing over the past few years. It has become a basic necessity for businesses in many sectors. This technology has totally changed the way businesses sell and track their assets.

Barcodes provide many advantages such as accuracy, ease of use, timely feedback and improved productivity. Because of this, almost every industry is using this technology today, which includes but not limited to:

• Manufacturing – picking, packing, assembly, shipping and receiving

• Warehousing - making inventory tracking easier, faster, and accurate

• Retailing – point of sale, price check, inventory control, anti-counterfeiting

• Education – library book tracking, time and attendance, asset control

• Healthcare – bedside medication administration, pharmacy, labs, asset control

Applications

The transportation and logistics industry is fast paced and involves complicated tasks that require 100 percent accuracy, while maintaining costs. Therefore, it is very important to employ the most sophisticated technology to be successful. Barcode technology is extensively used in this sector because of its ability to eliminate human errors and expedite the work flow process.

Tracking and safety

In the transportation/logistics sector, tracking and safety of the products is as important as successfully delivering them on time. Perfect asset management is very important in transportation and logistics industry. Barcodes are used at the various points of the flow of goods right from the point of origin to the point of consumption - and even if it comes back for support.

Each and every time the product switches hands, vital information such as sender, receiver, product details, etc. must be recorded. Recording these details manually has low efficiency and is more prone to human error. Using barcode technology can be very helpful as it quickly and accurately records all the details at every check point.

Advanced data capture

Fixed mount barcode scanners capture the information on a barcode on the pallet or carton through the transportation process. As human intervention is eliminated in this process, errors are reduced and processes go faster. Barcode scanners help in collecting detailed information easily and save it for later analysis. Barcode technology makes it very cost efficient to capture information at any point.

Load planning

All the crucial information such as order number, items packed, final destination, etc. can be encoded in barcodes, which makes it easy for load management. This technology helps to verify loads and to handle seamless load sequencing. It also helps in order planning and picking those loads.

Routing and scheduling activities

A typical transport procedure starts from the provider (or manufacturer), transport company, distributor, retailer, and ends with the customer. Planning the routes and scheduling the activities is very important to make sure that the items reach the correct destination on time. Using the traditional bills consumes a lot of time, effort, cost, and, of course, is prone to errors. That may prove costly if the product lands in a wrong place. Barcode usage provides a better solution - all the bill information is encoded into a single barcode. By scanning the barcode during the bill recording provides fast and accurate details assisting in proper planning and scheduling.

Barcode technology is used in every application in the transportation and logistics industry, such as load management, route planning and scheduling activities. The businesses or companies in this sector cannot afford to ignore it.