Why You Should Have Barcodes On Your Inventory
by Maverick Label | June 04, 2013
Benefits Of Bar-Coding Your Inventory
Many companies limp along without a viable bar-coding system because they think it will take too long and cost too much to set up a product barcode system. However, if you are trying to keep track of all of your products manually then you are wasting valuable time and running your business less efficiently than you need to. Here are a few of the benefits that a barcode system has offered my company:
- The ability to track exactly how much of a specific item we have in inventory and where it is located.
- Access to a system that makes it very easy to input and retrieve pertinent data.
- Greater efficiency when receiving, moving, shipping, or storing products.
- Greater ease exporting data quickly and efficiently to other departments, such as accounting.
- Up -to-date, easily accessible reports that detail product usage, stock levels, and ideal times to reorder inventory.
As you can see, there are many benefits that a bar-coding system can offer you, so if you want to increase your efficiency and keep accurate inventory records, then putting barcodes on all of your products is well worth the effort and the extra costs involved with the initial setup.
How To Get Started With Your New Bar-Coding System
Setting up a brand new bar-coding system isn’t as complicated as it may seem, but it will require some time and effort initially. To get started on your way to a more efficient barcode product system, complete the following steps.
- Create a master list of all products
It is very important that this master list be complete and accurate, so be sure to include at least the following information for each product:
- Product description
- Unit of measurement
- Item number
You may also wish to include the vendor information, product cost, and any other information that will help you to keep your products organized.
2. Purchase and place barcodes on your inventory
As long as you have your item code information you can then purchase barcodes that reflect each product’s unique item code. Once you have purchased enough barcodes for your current inventory as well as extra for future inventory, you can then begin the project of applying the barcode labels directly to your products. This information is typically placed somewhere on the back of your product labeling so that it can be easily accessed but is still inconspicuous.
If your entire inventory is located in one facility then this process should be fairly simple. However, if you store some of your products in another location you will need to make sure that they receive barcodes as well and that they know how to use your new bar-coding system and apply the barcode labels to the correct products.
Selecting A Bar Code Printer
The good news about setting up a barcode system is that most of the hard, detailed work is done right in the beginning. So although it can be difficult to set up a barcode system initially, it will only get easier from there.
One of the most important things you can do to ensure that you have quick access to barcode labels when you need them is to locate a barcode printing company that is efficient, affordable, and dependable. After all, the last thing you want to do is hire a barcode printer who can’t keep up with your demands and can potentially cause you to go on backorder while you wait for bar codes to be printed and delivered to you.
If you are tired of trying to keep track of all of your inventory without an efficient system, then find out as much as you can about setting up a barcode system for your products. Not only will you have an easier time tracking your products, but you will also free up a lot of your time so that you can focus on helping your business grow and succeed.