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Bar coding
is the latest technology sweeping the Indian industry. It is used
to capture and track data. There is a growing need to
gather information in a more accurate and timely manner throughout
every process/application. This information has to be tracked accurately
once it is gathered.
Automated Data Collection Technology is used to enter
information into a business computer system. Here machine readable
bar code symbols are used to increase the speed and accuracy
of collected data. Bar Codes are graphical representations of information
encoded within a defined pattern of alternate-width dark bars and
white (blank) spaces representing numbers or characters.
The first three digits in the bar code are the country codes. eg.
890 for India. The next four digits are allotted to each manufacturer.
The next five digits are the product code. It allows for 1,00,000
different products to have separate codes from 00000 to 99999. The
last digit is the check digit which is calculated by using the previous
12 digits.
The lines within a bar code are called "bars". The spaces
and the area around the bars, which are usually white or a light color,
are known as "quiet zones". Each bar code is unique.
This unique arrangement of the bars and spaces is referred to as a
"bar code symbology" or "bar code format". Since
bar codes are designed to suit specific business applications, they
vary in size, shape and data content.
The components of a bar code
Country Code: Each country is identified by a specific
country code. For e.g.: India's country code is 890
Check Digit: This is the checksum, or error checking
digit that is automatically calculated from the previous 12 digits.
Manufacturer Number: These characters represent the
manufacturer's code, which is assigned to each manufacturer by EAN
India.
Product Code: These characters encode the item's unique
identification number.
Center Guard Bars: These two longer bars divide the
two halves of the code.Initially, the use of bar code technology was
confined to traditional manufacturing and distribution businesses.
Now, with the advent of the personal computer and the introduction
of point-of-sale (POS) terminals at local supermarkets, the use of
bar codes has become increasingly popular.
Some Bar coding Applications:
- In manufacturing units, to track work in progress and provide
real time production information.
- In retail stores, the use of item inventory number in bar code
form allows for quick inventory via a portable barcode reader.
- To track documents. Bar code labels are affixed to each case
folder. This permits a folder's movement to be tracked, making
it easy to accurately identify the present location of all active
files.
- To validate security routes. Specific check points are labeled
with bar code tags. The security guard carries a compact portable
bar code reader and at each check point, the location tag is scanned
and the date/time automatically recorded.
- Library cards use bar coded ID cards for fast, accurate sign-out.
- Many rental companies issue bar coded cards to their regular
customers for the same reason.
- Hospital patients have bar coded wrist tags.
- Now they are being used to tag birds and insects for research
studies.
- In direct mail marketing, mailers are often sent out with bar
coded information which can include the date of the mailing, the
source of the mailing list used, which of several test pieces
was sent, etc.
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