Implementation
GS1 Kenya is the most important implementation resource for bar code identification in Kenya. This page takes new bar code users through the basic steps they must take to begin using bar codes.
Ten Steps to Bar Code Implementation
- Step 1: Get a GS1 Company Prefix
- Step 2: Assign Numbers
- Step 3: Select a Bar Code printing Method
- Step 4: Select a "Primary" Scanning Environment
- Step 5: Select a Bar Code
- Step 6: Pick a Bar Code Size
- Step 7: Format the Bar Code Text
- Step 8: Pick a Bar Code Color
- Step 9: Pick the Bar Code Placement
- Step 10: Build a Bar Code Quality Plan
Step 1: Get a GS1 Kenya Company Prefix
Before a company can begin using bar codes, they must create the numbers that go inside the bar code. These numbers are called GS1 Identification Keys. The first step in building a GS1 Key is to obtain a GS1 Company Prefix from GS1 Kenya. GS1 Company Prefixes are used to identify over 1 million companies today and form the foundation of uniquely identifying everything in the supply chain.
Step 2: Assign Numbers
After receiving a GS1 Company Prefix, a company is ready to begin assigning identification numbers to their trade items.
The process is fairly simple. You learn about how to format each number then use the GS1 Company Prefix in combination with reference numbers you assign. GS1 Kenya will provide you with specific information about how many numbers you can assign based on the length of your GS1 Company Prefix.
Step 3: Select a Bar Code Printing Company
To begin, you should decide what you are bar coding and if the bar code will carry static or dynamic information inside it. An example of static information would be simply a product identification number (GTIN) on a cereal box. An example of dynamnic information would be printing serial numbers on product labels.
If your bar code has static information and you need a large volume of labels then you will likely ask a printing company to print your labels. If you need a small volume of labels or need to print labels with dynamic information you will likely need an on-demand printer like a laser printer in your office or thermal transfer printer in your warehouse.
Knowing how you will print your bar code is an important question to answer in developing a good bar code implementation plan. GS1 Kenya is there to assist you in making the right selection and will also help you find a printer.
Step 4: Select a "Primary" Scanning Environment
The specifications for bar code type, size, placement, and quality all depend on where the bar code will be scanned.
There are four basic scanner environment scenarios for trade items:
- Product package scanned at the retail point-of-sale (POS)
- Product package scanned in a general distribution
- Product package scanned at POS but also scanned in distribution
- special environments like medical device marking
By knowing where your bar code will be scanned you can establish the right specifications for its production. For example, if a product package is scanned at Point-of-Sale (POS) and in general distribution, you will need to use an EAN symbol to accomodate POS but print it in a larger size to accomodate distribution scanning and ensure the placement meets automated distribution scanning requirements.
GS1 Kenya will always be available to guide you in this process
Step 5: Select a Bar Code
Selecting the right bar code is critical to the success of your bar code implementation plan, but here are some high level tips:
- If you bar code a trade item that will be scanned at the retail point-of-sale (POS), you must use an EAN symbol.
- If you are printing a bar code with variable information like serial numbers, expiry dates, or measures, then you will use the GS1-128
- If you just want to print a bar code carrying GTIN on a corrugated carton, ITF-14 may be the choice for you.
There are other factors to consider, so contact GS1 Kenya to see what implementation products and services we offer.
Step 6: Pick a Bar Code Size
After the correct bar code symbol is specified together with the information to encode in it, the design stage begins. The size of the symbol within the design will depend on the symbol specified, where the symbol will be used, and how the symbol will be printed.
EAN/UPC Symbols
EAN/UPC Symbols differ from ITF-14 and GS1-128 Symbols because they are scanned by retail omni-directional scanners. This means that EAN/UPC Symbols have a fixed relationship between symbol height and width. When one dimension is modified, the other dimension should be altered by a proportional amount.
Because of this relationship, EAN/UPC Symbols have a nominal height and width specified. A range of allowable sizes from 80% to 200% of the nominal size are also specified and a figure showing the range of dimensions can be found in GS1 General Specifications, Section 5.1, Appendix 7. This range of sizes is often referred to as ""magnification factors"" on purchase orders specifying EAN/UPC Symbol sizes. The minimum, nominal, and maximum magnification for EAN/UPC Symbols are shown in Figure 1.3.1-1.
