The Universal Product Code which is the most widely distributed and successful version of the barcode system was adopted by the grocery industry in 1973. the system was developed by IBM after some problems with similiar models prevented the achievement of commercial success. the UPC has revolutionized inventory tracking and management in the retail world and is widely accepted as the standard for product identification. Technologically, it was the sudden availability of the laser and the integrated circuit that made the barcode scanner feasible. as these technologies became mainstream,they helped propel the barcode model to critical mass and widespread acceptance. in June of 1974, at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio, a barcoded pack of chewing gum, became the first retail product sold with a scanner.Market penetration was initially slow, but the expectations for mass adoption was achieved in the late 1970s, as 85 percent of all products were imprinted with barcode labels. the barcodes on labels were useless if they could not be read, and today almost all stores can identify products with barcode scanners.
International interest in the barcode inventory software has resulted in different versions of the UPC and creation of the European Article Numbering system and the Japanese Article Numbering system. Today there are five versions of UPC identification and two versions of EAN. the Japanese version (JAN) is identical to one of the EAN versions in which the flag character is set to 49 which uniquely identifies the product for the Japanese market.
The UPC is divided into two main components.
* the manufacturers code
* the product code
The Barcode the first digit is always zero except for meat, produce and other products with variable weight. the following five digits represent the unique manufacturers codes, while the next five are the product code. the final digit is used as as a checksum to ensure that the prior eleven digits have been and accurately scanned. UPC barcode software includes an arithmetic calculation for determining the value of the checksum.
Manufacturers must pay an annual fee and apply to the Uniform Code Council for permission to enter the UPC system. the UCC issues the manufacturer,the six-digit manufacturer identification number with guidelines on how it should be used.
The manufacturer identification number is the first six digits of the UPC which can be seen on any 12 digit barcode label. the manufacture`s UPC coordinator is responsible for assigning unique item numbers to each product, ensuring that numbers are unique and not reused. Each item, as well as each packaged size of the item must have a unique product code. some versions of the code may contain an additional supplement, often used on books or magazines. Structural variations in the barcode indicate the orientation of the barcode to the scanner, allowing the barcode to be scanned from any direction.
Standard EAN also known as EAN 13 has 10 numeric digits, two or three flag characters which identify the country and also includes the checksum, but is otherwise identical to the UPC version a. One of the key challenges the creators of the barcode system faced, was the actual process of scanning and reading information from the labels. the simplicity of the system and international cooperation has contributed to quick adoption.
The use of barcodes and barcode scanners has been extended well beyond the management of retail products,and as barcode use has advanced, so has the complexity and capability of the the barcode inventory software.
The EAN system created by Norman Woodland is now the world`s most widely deployed inventory tracking system.
Barcodes are printed on virtually every product that is sold. the ability to identify products by scanning a label is a tremendous advantage, but there are also disadvantages inherent in the barcode system. There are advances being made as barcode technology evolves Visit barcode-life.com/ to find out more
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