Barcoding and Mobile Systems
Barcoding and mobile systems are a combination of hardware and software that allow your business to assign, scan, and manage barcodes.
Barcode hardware includes items such as barcode scanners and label printers. Barcode software is the system that manages the barcoding and inventory information. To learn more about barcoding hardware and software, check out one of our previous blogs on barcoding inventory management.
There is a wide range of hardware that is manufactured today for use in Barcode Systems. The best known brand of handheld scanners and mobile computers is Symbol, which is now a division of Motorola. Other manufacturers include Intermec, HHP (Hand Held Products), Microscan Systems, Unitech, Metrologic, PSC and PANMOBIL.
For an effective inventory management system, barcoding and mobile solutions can be utilized to:
- conduct inventory counts
- verify inventory
- adjust inventory
The benefits of using barcoding and mobile systems are ease, speed, and accuracy. For instance, conducting an inventory count by using a barcode scanner is easier, quicker, and more accurate than conducting an inventory count manually.
A barcode system is a network of hardware and software, consisting primarily of mobile computers, printers, handheld scanners, infrastructure, and supporting software. Barcode systems are used to automate data collection where hand recording is neither timely or cost effective. Barcoding systems are not radio-frequency identification (RFID) systems even though the companies that provide barcode equipment will often also provide RFID equipment and many companies use both technologies as part of larger resource management systems.
