The Definitive Guide To Asset Labeling

We’ve all been there – trying to read the serial number embedded on a cylinder, tote, or other returnable asset wondering if one of the digits should be a ‘3’, an ‘8’, or a ‘B.'

And this could be particularly painful if you’re a chemical or gas distributor having to determine exactly which asset was delivered and returned from customers. Fortunately, TrackAbout’s innovative technology automates this otherwise painstaking and error-prone manual process using smartphones and labels.  

Laser Scanner or Imager for Barcode Asset Tracking - Which Is Better?

Many of us think of lasers when we think of scanning barcodes. Indeed, lasers were the dominant scanning technology for the first several decades of the barcoding industry. Around 2007, new imaging technology became competitive with lasers. Today lasers are no longer the best choice in all (or even most) scenarios. So the question remains between laser scanners versus barcode imagers: which should you choose for your business?

Pitfall: Serial Numbers are Not Unique

When tracking your equipment, every item must have a unique identifier (ID) assigned so the system can tell them apart. This can be called the “tracking ID”, “tag ID” or “barcode."

But how do you choose the format of that unique ID in your serial number tracking system? What do you encode into the barcode?

Use Shortcut Barcodes to Accelerate Your Work

If you only think of a barcode as a tracking ID, think bigger. Shortcut barcodes can be used as work accelerators enabling great gains in worker productivity.

Barcodes: A Brief History

The first barcode, with a design like a bullseye, was invented in 1948 by two Drexel University students named Norman J Woodland and Bernard Silver. They were interested in tackling the problems of the supermarket industry, which sorely needed a better method of inventory management and customer check-out. The pair received a patent in 1952. Long story short, it worked in the lab but was wildly impractical due to the limitations of the technology of the day.