Applications of barcodes is being increased in a wide range of industries. An inventory control can be considered as a set of hardware and software tools which help in automating the process of tracking inventory. Various kinds of inventory including clothing, food, books, equipment, and others can use barcode system.
A barcode system consists of four components including barcode labels, barcode scanners, barcode printers and a database. Barcode labels are the tags that contain the data of barcodes in various symbologies. Barcode scanner is the device that is used to read it. Barcode readers are of various types. Symbol barcode scanner, HP Laser barcode scanner and others are mostly used for reading data on barcodes. The labels are printed by means of a barcode printer. The data read by barcode readers is stored in a database. The database consists of the information of inventory.
It is necessary to ensure quality control in businesses that handle transactions including consumer goods. Inventory information of a product in a retail store includes the amount of quantity, description of the product, and the code number. Inventory management by barcode systems has many advantages. Manual checking which consumes time and errors can be avoided by application of barcodes. Barcode inventory systems can be applicable in storing patient records in healthcare industries. Patient visit, dosage of drug administration, any allergic responses, and other related information can be tracked by barcodes using a patient identification card with barcodes. When a patient visits a hospital, all the details can be known by checking the identification card which saves a lot of time.
Barcode inventory control system can also be used in locating items of order list of a warehouse. It also helps in encoding shipping information such as tracking numbers and delivery addresses. Location and analyzing inventory information can be made simple by using barcode inventory control system in real-time. With advances in the inventory management of various products, manufacturers of barocde components are facing high competition. Symbol scanners, Zebra Printers and others are some of the products of prominent manufacturers.