Posted to News on 17th Jul 2015, 09:38
Online Data Validation of printed barcodes ensures traceability
For batch traceability of their products, automotive manufacturers and their suppliers must adhere to strict quality standards (European standard EN 10204 and international technical specification ISO/TS 16949). In order to guarantee a completely documented process during the entire automotive supply chain, Printronix is introducing the worldwide ODV (online data validation) module. This fully integrated and automated system checks all barcode labels after printing with regard to their readability and guarantees that only 100 per cent correct barcodes enter the supply chain. Using Printronix ODV, automotive suppliers and manufacturers know they are safe regarding compliance requirements.
Worldwide, 165,000 new cars are produced every day. Each one of them is made up of thousands of parts. In addition to printing countless barcode labels used for parts identification and shipping, automobile manufacturers also have to print numerous labels and documents during vehicle assembly. In order to meet the high requirements for the product and process security, as well as quality control including full traceability, the automotive industry is especially required to permanently and correctly label security-related component parts.
Products can only be reliably traced if they are labelled with 100 per cent scannable barcodes. With the Printronix ODV system, automobile parts can be reliably and efficiently labelled. Automotive suppliers are increasingly focusing on the automatic validation of the printed barcodes. Neil Gurdin, Director Sales Western Europe at Printronix, points out: "In addition to fulfilling the most strict compliance requirements, avoiding costs caused by interrupting the production is a further advantage of using a validation solution. Stopping an assembly line due to unreadable labels can entail serious follow-up costs or even fines. This can be avoided with our ODV system".
The ODV module, which is available as an option for the Printronix T5000r Thermal Barcode Printer, provides 100 per cent bar code accuracy during the entire supply chain, assuring that a bad bar code will not be used and that the labels will scan when received at their destination point. The ODV system instantly checks all barcodes after printing with regard to their readability as laid down in standards and specifications. If the system detects an incorrect or bad barcode, it renders it illegible using halftone prints and immediately prints a correct replacement label. This read-after-print quality control prevents incorrect barcodes from entering the supply chain. Manual intervention is no longer required, since the process is fully automated.
The closed-loop quality system developed by Printronix for the printing output management regulates the process of barcode codification and guarantees that all barcodes are printed correctly. Two different XML databases save both the data input for the print as well as the data of the actually printed labels. The printer also transmits the barcode information and the quality data to the host. By comparing both sets of data it can be quickly and reliably determined whether all labels were indeed printed.
Follow the link for more information about the Online Data Validation from Printronix.
