Thursday 14 November 2013

General Information Regarding Product Numbering Schemes

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.

What comes to mind first when products on numbers are discussed are the set of black bars found at the back of every product for sale. This set of black horizontal bars is what we commonly refer to as barcodes. They are machine readable data that can be used to determine the price of a particular item. We often can see this in action each time we pay a visit to our local grocery stall. There are different product numbering standards used today and two of the most implemented types of codes are the Universal Product Code (UPC) and the Electronic Product Code (EPC).

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.

Regardless of type and location, manufacturers also add coding to many of their products and need to be able to imprint serial numbers or batch numbers quickly. This would also include expiration dates in the case of food items and beverages. A specialized printer is needed to place these numbers on every product. This type of machinery is known as an ID coder. There are plenty of options when it comes to choosing ID coders. Some of the popular brands include VideoJet, Imaje, Altima, and Domino coders.

Because of their high cost, a great number of manufacturers choose to get refurbished ID coders from ID product companies. Some also prefer generic coder inks and make-up fluids. These ID coder companies can provide you with good quality versions of coder inks from the major brands which will provide excellent printing results, all for a much cheaper cost than if you purchased inks directly from the manufacturer of your printer.




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