SMART LABELLING SOLUTIONS
Get smart Smart labels are becoming increasingly popular in a range of sectors for their ability to hold much more information than traditional labels and be tracked. This trend is set to continue, which provides opportunities for resellers.
Can a barcode or QR code influence a customer to purchase a particular product? The results of a recent survey say that it can. A survey by GS1 US found that 79% consumers are more likely to buy products with scannable barcodes/QR codes to access additional product information. This demonstrates how important smart labels – those that provide more than just basic printed information – and the printers that are used to create them are becoming in the marketplace. There are various advantages of smart labels over traditional solutions. “Printers that can produce 2D barcodes or RFID labels/tags provide endless possibilities over devices that can only print standard barcodes,” says a TSC spokesperson. “2D barcodes, like QR codes and GS1 Data Matrix, help improve consumer engagement and enable better supply chain management such as improving product recall preparedness. RFID technology facilitates better inventory and asset management across the supply chain, saving time, money and resources.” Deyon Antoine, product marketing manager at Toshiba Tec, adds RFID technology can encode data to onto labels with IC chips and antennas. “Not only do they print the human readable information for line of sight identification by barcode readers and scanners, but they are also able to encode a lot of data into that label, which would otherwise not be possible to fit onto a conventional label, making it smart,” he explains. Neil Baker, head of auto ID sales for Northern Europe at BIXOLON Europe GmbH, agrees that traceability from RFID is a plus. “By pre-loading unique information or simply numbers onto these labels which are then attached to individual items, they can be tracked and traced by antennas scanning the unique codes and cross referencing them against third party inventory software,” he says. “This increases procedure efficiency and
reduces failure rates to about 0.5% compared to traditional barcode label scanning and tracking options.” Sustainability is another advantage in smart label printing, Neil adds. “As although the initial cost of investment of a RFID printer can be quite high, the total cost of ownership over the years is relatively low, as RFID labelling streamlines processes and raises efficiency and productivity.” Smarter RFID RFID is getting smarter, and the integration of RFID with IoT technologies is set to expand significantly in the future, says the TSC spokesperson. “RFID sensors combined with IoT devices will not only track objects but also monitor conditions like temperature, pressure and humidity,” they say. “This integration is especially important for industries like pharmaceuticals and food logistics, where monitoring the environment (cold chain) is crucial. IoT-enabled RFID will enable real- time updates and alerts, ensuring products maintain optimal conditions during transport, thus reducing spoilage and waste. “The rise of IoT and connected devices makes RFID a valuable tool in smart warehouses and factories. RFID tags can communicate with IoT sensors to provide data on product location, condition (e.g., temperature or humidity), and movement, enabling predictive analytics and enhanced
Deyon Antoine product marketing manager
toshibatec.co.uk
“
Not only do they print the human readable information for line of sight identification by barcode readers and scanners, but they are also able to encode a lot of data into that label...
”
emea.tscprinters.com/en
CONTINUED
printinthechannel.co.uk
45
Powered by FlippingBook