Bar-coding

Today bar coding technology is an integral part of many modern companies aiming to optimize business projects, enhance processing of any information operations and reduce risk of human factor error.

As a representative of one of the available technologies of automatic recognition and identification of goods and materials, bar-coding refers to the category of the most optimum tools in terms of price/quality. First of all it is explained by market availability of vast diversity of cheap, but quality equipment and consumables. Cost of typographic or label bar-coding of package is significantly cheaper compared to application of electronic, RF or magnetic marks.

Use of bar-coding technology is based on the principle that bar-code is a unique identifier of the goods, in which only minimum required information is coded. Any additional information about the goods is already stored in IT system data base, from which interaction of hardware-software tools of bar-coding system is ensured.

Practical implementation of bar-coding system is reduced to three stages – assignment of an individual code to the goods, coded in the bar-code; physical marking of the goods by means of applying bar-code on its package (directly or with the help of stickers) and reading of this bar-code followed by its identification in the course of any actions produced with such goods.

Bar-coding is widely used in ERP system from Microsoft Dynamics NAV and can perform various functions, e.g.:

  • Acceptance of goods at warehouse
  • Shipment of goods from warehouse to the customers (in particular, machinery and spare parts)
  • Transfer of goods inside of the company
  • Holding inventory check of the company
  • Instant receipt of full information about any goods
  • Packaging of the products on pallets and boxes and storing of a list of contents in the system
  • Establishment of sales order
  • And other areas where data input is required

Bar-coding scanners can be involved in automation system absolutely at any place, where user participation is required. Practically any processes of the system can be transferred to scanner for convenience of the user, for example:

  • adding rows in sales order with indication of product range and its quantity and further shipment;
  • establishment of a new transfer documents, adding rows with transferred units in it, followed by shipment and acceptance by another participant of the process.

Such various possibilities of automation with the use of bar-coding require regulation of any business-processes, where such technology is supposed to be used. In this sense applied bar-coding system requires introduction of strict rules of goods distribution management, reflected in respective regulations and instructions for the staff.

NaviServ Company has a vast experience of implementation of bar-coding systems together with Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Automation with the use of scanners has been performed at agricultural companies, industrial plants and small companies and has proved to be successful everywhere.

Bar-coding solution for Microsoft Dynamics NAV has been built on the basis of typical solution from Microsoft Company and amendments performed by NaviServ Company.