Workshop on Bar-code Implementation

Yesterday, I attended a workshop on Bar code implementation which was conducted by GS1 India.

Today, if you are an observant shopper, you will notice that every single product you buy comes with a bar code- be it a book, your tooth paste, pickle bottle, medicine- anything- bar code is the universal language through which a number of details are presented. It is this bar code that makes it easy for the person at the check-out counter at the shopping mall get the bill across to you real quick.

Although I am already aware of the EAN-13 standard for bar coding and am experienced in allottingbar codes to items in my organisation, this workshop was an eye opener.

For example, I did not know there was an EAN-8 system- neither did i know that the logic behind EAN-8 and EAN-13 is totally unrelated...

And then there is the GTIN-13 for retail units of a saleableproduct, the GTIN-14 for cartons of packed wholesale items and the EAN-128 for logistics packaging!!! whew!!!

The best part of the workshop was a 20 minute long presentation of a study conducted by AC Neilson's at South Africa, on the mistakes made in bar coding..It is fantastic really.. The color of the bars and the background, the white space around the bar code required to ensure bar code readers red the code righ the first time, every time, the position in which the artwork should be placed on a product, the heigh to width ratio and the results of truncating either of these dimensionsand a host of other factors to be considered to avoidbar coding mistakes-for a newbee to bar coding, these were lessons that woulkd hold me in great steed!

I know this is a little bit of a digression from the purpose of this blog.. But a little bit ofadditional knowledgewill always help yopu see.

Google for GS1 and download the presentation therein and look through the same.. You will be wiser on bar coding!!!