The Aomori prefectural government and local apple farmers plan to introduce a barcode system that will allow customers to check the history of each apple they buy. The move was prompted by growing calls for safer food, particularly in foreign countries.

Aomori Prefecture, a prime apple growing area in northern Japan, is seeking to expand the export of its apples to foreign markets. The new system will use the very common QR Code, a two-dimensional barcode. QR codes can be read by mobile phones, giving the customer information on where the apple came from and how it was cared for, such as how often pesticides were used, and even providing a photo and message from the farmer who grew the fruit. The data will be available in Japanese, Chinese and English.

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In has been 40 years now since a group of grocery store executives collectively decided to help unify product identification with the use of a barcode. No one would have know at that time that a simple set of black and white lines would become one of the most important technologies for trade in the 20th century.

The Universal Product Code (UPC) was the first movement to a standardized tool that every manufacturer and retailer could use to easily track products, maintain inventory better, and help speed up check-out lanes at the point of sale. The humble UPC hasn’t changed much since its creation in April 1973 but continues to provide an easy and efficient means to manage any product throughout its life cycle.

To better illustrate the UPC bar code’s extensive use and importance, Brussels-based nonprofit GS1, which maintains international UPC standards, has posted an online ticker to count the number of bar codes scanned around the world each day. According to GS1, the average number of daily scans clocks in at more than 5 billion! To think all this started with the first scan of a 10-pack of Juicy Fruit gum at a Marsh Supermarket in Troy, OH in 1974.

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This year marks the 40th anniversary that organizations united to adopt a universal way to conduct business using GS1 Standards. Beginning with a UPC (Universal Product Code) barcode, the GS1 System of Standards has set the foundation for a technological revolution that has changed the way companies, from manufacturers to retailers, conduct business around the world. Now, more than five billion GS1 barcodes are scanned every day.

In the 40 years since their adoption, GS1 Standards have grown into a global system, used by more than two million companies doing business in 150 countries across 25 industries, including apparel and general merchandise, fresh foods, consumer packaged goods, grocery, foodservice, healthcare, and defense

Introduced to speed the supermarket checkout process, the grocery retail industry was the first champion of standards in 1973. Today, supply chains representing nearly every sector in the world rely on GS1 Standards for identifying, capturing, and sharing information about goods, services, locations, and more in real-time. Barcodes and Electronic Product Code (EPC) enabled radio frequency identification (RFID) have evolved to capture a broad range of information to drive supply chain visibility.

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The worlds of Barcoding and Point of Sale are constantly evolving and changing to the needs of many types of businesses. Advances in technology and the need for mobility, constantly drive changes and advancements.

Keeping up with all the product updates, new solutions, and current innovations is no easy task. Luckily, there are a host of online resources from industry leaders and independent users we can put to use. In addition to this  site, these other resources are ideal for finding out about new scanners, mobile computers, and POS systems as well as different ways to implement them in your business.

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As a leading provider of  barcode, mobile computing, and POS solutions, BarcodesInc is always looking for new and viable partnerships to provide the best solutions for our customers. As such, we have teamed up with ShopKeep POS to provide complete point of sale solutions designed specifically for the iPad.

With the current adoption of new mobile devices like iPads, functions like the point of sale are evolving to meet the needs of emerging businesses. ShopKeep POS is a leader in this space and provides a dynamic, robust POS software that remains intuitive and easy to use.  Being a cloud-based software you can  ring up customers, print or email receipts, pop the cash drawer, accept credit cards, print to the kitchen, scan items, manage your inventory, update pricing and have real time access to sales numbers from anywhere.

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VDC Research, a leading Auto-ID and Barcode research firm, is hosting a webinar on February 26th on the benefits and impact of using barcodes within the ever expanding use of mobile to mobile communications. As more business move away from fixed to mobile computing solutions,  manufacturers of barcode scanning and printing solutions have the potential to be at the forefront of this ongoing M2M evolution.

The 45 minute webinar will cover:

• The measurable benefits of incorporating barcoding into enterprise operations as companies invest in resources to build out their M2M connectivity and communications platform in support of applications throughout the extended supply chain.
• The impact that the changing nature of barcodes is having on how enterprises connect and communicate with their customers via smart devices – both professional and consumer-grade.
• The role that barcodes play in triggering seamless communication across channels, networks and organizational boundaries.
• How barcoding with M2M helps companies leverage actionable business intelligence and analytics across diverse vertical markets and installation environments.
• Why M2M and IoT (Internet of Things) should be an integral part of barcode technology vendors’ strategic and operational objectives and how they can get there before it is too late.

You can find more details and register for the Feb 26th session here.

Smartware Group, developers of Bigfoot CMMS, and Barcodes Inc have teamed up to provide robust, scalable, and affordable solutions for maintenance tracking and management.

Bigfoot is one of the easiest to use yet feature-rich CMMS platforms available today with their Quick to Learn for Quick Results approach to interface and usability. Every aspect of your maintenance management from preventive maintenance, maintenance requests, work orders, predictive maintenance, inventory, and tool crib management are all covered. With Bigfoot you can increase efficiency by greatly reducing downtime while maximizing equipment reliability and longevity. Gain greater control over your asset base to spend more time working instead of maintaining.

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Looking for the perfect way to accessorize your look over the holidays? Or simply looking for a fashionable way to hold you New Year’s Eve party credentials. Barcodes Inc has the solution for you.

Shop our large selection of lanyards to find the perfect fit. We have hundreds of lanyards of different styles, sizes and lengths. We even can customize the look for all your special occasions – including New Year’s!

So Bling in the New Year’s with lanyards from Barcodes Inc

Trade In and Trade Up

Take advantage of the Intermec Trade In Program by trading in a competitive or Intermec pre-owned thermal printer and purchasing a qualifying new Intermec printer to earn up to $525 back.

Now’s the time to upgrade your legacy industrial, mobile or desktop printers to one of the industry’s most complete lineup of rugged, reliable and versatile printing solutions.

The Intermec Trade In Program offers compelling rebates on Intermec’s most popular printing products and is available until 12/31/2013.

Visit Intermec.tradeups.com for complete details

The co-inventor of one of the most indispensable technologies of the 20th century that labels every retail product, the barcode, has died. The death of Norman Joseph Woodland, who was 91, was confirmed by his daughter, Susan Woodland. She said he died on Sunday in Edgewater, New Jersey, from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and complications of advanced age.

Mr Woodland and Robert Silver were students at Philadelphia’s Drexel University when Mr Silver overheard a grocery store executive asking an administrator to support research on how product information could be captured at checkouts. The pair earned a patent in 1951 with Mr Woodland’s idea to create a shape of concentric circles. The technology did not catch on until the 1970s, when Mr Woodland’s employer IBM promoted a rectangular barcode that was adopted as the standard.

The barcode may have come from a humble beginning but has become the de facto means of tracking any kind of product or process today. Woodland’s innovation and contribution to the technology was crucial to improving businesses around the globe.