Error-prone, mis-printed and unreadable barcode labels continue to cost businesses tens of thousands of dollars annually due to chargebacks, fines and rejected shipments. For example, retailers like Walmart have detailed requirements for on barcode label design/placement. Non-compliance can cost the shipper $5,000 for the second infraction which can double with each infraction. In order to reduce fines and delayed shipments, you need a label printer that can change the landscape of the supply chain. Barcodes, Inc. and Honeywell can help you deliver an industrial barcode printing solution with integrated label verification. Watch how the Honeywell PX940 with Verifier is ideal for regulatory shipment printing:

Contact us today for a free assessment and see if you have the right industrial printing solution in place. Ask us about TrueSupport and our other Design, Deploy and Support services.

Printronix’s T8000 barcode printer does it all. Their online data validation (ODV) eliminates compliance fees with automatic barcode validation. It is available on the T8000 and T6000 thermal printers. It ensures that all barcodes meets scanning standards and reduce unnecessary compliance cost.

With their ODV technology, you can:

• Deliver 100% scannable barcodes to your production area
• Eliminate unscannable barcodes from entering into your supply chain
• Reduce labor and costs and downtime
• Eliminate charge backs due to refused or delayed shipments
• Capture and display the raw data within each barcode, to provide further assurance that critical data is printed correctly

Additionally, coming soon built on the robust T8000 printer platform, the ODV-2D barcode printer. Printronix will have a new printer that is set to release in early 2018 which includes a built in data validator that grades both 1D and 2D barcodes to ISO standards and stores a detailed report of each transaction. The new technology will be able to read each barcode, overstrikes the label of a rejected barcode, and reprint a new label.

For any questions or a quote on any of your printing needs contact us at Barcodes, Inc.

Challenge
Astute Medical manufactures biomarkers that are used to identify high-risk, acute medical conditions in critically ill patients. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) issued a mandate that medical devices must carry a Unique Device Identifier (UDI), which requires a greater volume of information than had been previously required.

Astute Medical sought a compliance labeling solution that would meet UDI requirements in accordance with GS1 Standards. The manufacturer also wanted to receive accurate and repeatable verification results and a solution that included a Validation Protocol to document compliance with these requirements. We needed to not only comply with federal regulations, but also ensure that we were sending out our medical devices with a high-quality barcode, “to avoid returns,” explained Susan Shelton, Materials Management and Procurement Manager of Astute Medical.

Analysis

Astute Medical designs, engineers, and manufactures novel biomarkers that enable clinicians to identify acute conditions in their critically ill patients before the symptoms become evident. Products like the NephroCheck Test and Astute140 Meter fall under the guidelines of the FDA’s Unique Device Identification rule. This system was established to identify medical devices throughout their distribution and use, providing critical traceability that benefits the patient, caregiver, manufacturer, and distributor.

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Accurate barcode verification is key to avoiding issues with large customers like Walmart and the DoD as well as the costly fines involved with non-compliance. In addition to having the right verifier, regular calibration of your verifier is essential to consistent performance.

All of the verifiers from Webscan are easily maintained with their various calibration cards but for many people the cards are somewhat of a mystery. In the following some of the key questions that come up with verifier calibration are covered to get you started on your way.

Why do I need to calibrate?

Calibration is the process of the adjusting Reflectance levels. Checking these levels routinely will ensure that you’re getting the most accurate results.

Do I need to calibrate more than once?

Every company has their own policy on how often you should calibrate, at Webscan we recommend you do it every 30 days.

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When you hear the term verification in regards to printing barcodes we are referring to much more than just making a readable barcode. Verification is a much more specific requirement for the quality of a 1D barcode or 2D symbol according to an agreed-upon quality standard. Not meeting these standards with your customers, be it Walmart or the DoD, will end up costing you in fines and time lost.

Lucky for all of us we have manufactures like Microscan who make verification easy so you can catch the barcodes that don’t meet the mark before they ever leave your facility. There are essentially 3 main things that can go wrong when printing a barcode that will lead to failing verification.

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Compared to a standard barcode scanner, verifiers are more technically advanced devices and choosing an appropriate one for your needs requires some very specific concerns. Where a barcode scanner’s only goal is to simply read the barcode and transmit the embedded data, verifiers are analyzing and grading the actual print quality of the barcode. Most businesses never need to get into the nitty gritty of verification but for those that are distributing their products to other vendors like Walmart or the DOD there are heavy fines for sending barcodes that do not meet very requirements.

Verifiers not only are more technically advanced than regular scanners they also carry a much heftier price tag. These 6 tips will help guide you to a verifier that will meet your needs and get the most on your investment.

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