A “no-read” barcode is an essential metric for tracking manufacturing and shipping operations. A no-read scan requires a worker to manually key in same part or package, wasting both time and money. Items that are not rejected by system can end up in a master database, making it difficult to track and trace them.
Why do no-reads occur? It’s not just one thing, and you’ll need a few things to track it down. First, check for damage with a barcode verifier to find out why a code is unreadable. Barcode verifiers let you know usability of a code by indicating whether code is readable and whether there are any issues with its readability.
While a barcode reader can only tell you that code is unreadable, a verifier determines that every decoding aspect functions effectively and shows what is wrong.
Technavio says the market for industrial barcode scanners is expected to grow by $ 388.38 million at a 5% annual growth rate from 2021 to 2025.
Using barcode verification to test barcodes helps companies ensure they are printing, marking, or transmitting correct data. That’s because barcode verification is necessary for manufacturing process to make sure every barcode is readable. If codes on products are unreadable, cashiers will have to type in information by hand. This is a long intensive process can introduce errors. Retailers may turn down products that don’t meet standards.
source: Business Wire
Three steps to test barcodes:
1. Choose right barcode verifier:
Before choosing a verifier model, it’s essential to identify the symbology standard and quality level used in your system.
A few things to note:
- How big should barcodes be?
- How wide a field of view does a barcode verifier have? Can you read smallest codes with it?
- What standards do you need to follow? For instance, GS1 or ISO standards.
- How easy is software to install?
2. Make a protocol
Create a protocol for barcode testing or grading. To ensure the quality of your barcodes, you must verify their accuracy regularly and have a plan for fixing improperly printed barcodes. If printing fails include a plan for investigating cause and resolving it. According to manufacturing guidelines, we must have a process for diagnosing and correcting any failure modes. You can use a checklist to diagnose any printing problems. You must ensure protocol is a normal part of your printing or marking procedure.
3. Sample continuously or randomly.
To choose between inline barcode verification and random sampling, you must consider which is right. Many companies test barcodes by looking at samples, where these codes check regularly.
For instance, a consumer package might be tested every 20 or 90 minutes.
However few barcode verification manufacturers now provide 100% inline verification that shows grading results and reports for all barcodes.
Conclusion
The best way to prevent a No Read is to know quality of barcode being read. The fundamental goal of most printing companies is to produce high-quality barcode labels that meet standards and specifications and reads resulting in higher quality test results. When a label does not meet quality standard required by contract, it can cause problems for both client and printing company. Every company wants complete customer satisfaction. So we have highest standards in labeling materials and solutions to ensure your satisfaction with absolutely no-reads from our end.
To helps manufactures to meet their barcode standards we have Visionify’s multi level label checking solutions. That detects all types of label defects like fold, skewed, wrinkled labels, and many. Ship your product with zero label defects that gives you customer satisfaction and no product recalls. Call us to get a demo we are here to help you.
