Thursday 31 October 2013

Basic Information About Numbers On Products

By Keren Kipfer


The products that we see on the grocery market shelves and in our malls have some number coding on them that retailers and distributors use to monitor such items. Most of the time, this numbers or codes are imprinted on a products packaging or product body. Ordinary people do not necessarily need to learn how to interpret them but it important to keep in mind that those numbers serve a certain purpose. This is especially true if you are an owner of a manufacturing plant. Here are a few basic details regarding numbers found on everyday products and what they mean.

Whenever the term numbers on products are mentioned, it often refers to the strip of black bars found on product labels. This strip of black bars is what we call a bar code which is a scannable piece of data that can be interpreted using a specialized device and computer program. They are usually used at retail shops and grocery stores as a way to identify the price of a specific item. It is important to note that there are different types of product coding systems today. The most widely implemented product numbering systems used by major brands in the world are the Universal Product Code and the Electronic Product Code.

The Universal Product Code or UPC is a barcode system used by most manufacturers from all around the world to keep track of the items they produce and distribute. All products that use the UPC barcode system are assigned with a unique identifier in the form of a 12-digit number. Each number in the series is represented by a vertical black bar and white spaces which forms the barcode. No barcode is the same and the 12-digit number complies with a standard rule. It is fascinating to know that a maximum of 1 trillion barcodes can be made so no two products are the same.

The Electronic Product Code system on the other hand or EPC was developed to become a universal identifier which provides a unique ID number of every physical object from all countries. They are commonly used on RFID data carriers but not exclusive. They also can be constructed to work with traditional optical data carriers such as those using linear bar codes. EPC is compatible with existing product coding systems and can define new schemes when necessary. It was designed to cater to the needs of manufacturers from various industries.

There are also special codes that manufacturers place on their products in addition to UPCs and EPCs such as serial numbers and dates of expiration. This specifically applies on medicines, beverages and food items. For this reason, a special piece of equipment known as an ID coder is needed for printing these important numbers onto your products. There are several brands that offer this equipment. Some of the best known names are VideoJet coders, Altima coders or brands such as Domino, Maxima and Imaje.

New coders can be quite expensive, so it might be best to consider purchasing a used and refurbished coder. Some product id companies rebuild coders and restore them to near-new condition and this can be an excellent money-saving alternative to a new Domino coder, a VideoJet coder or some other type of CIJ coder. Branded inks are not necessarily needed and you can still get the same excellent result using generic types of ink and these product id companies also often create very high quality versions of Imaje ink, Domino ink and many other popular brands.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment