The food and beverage industry is currently one of the most rapidly
growing and largest in the world. It also experiences the highest international
trade and flow of imports and exports as raw materials for foods and beverages.
Final products are also shifted constantly between countries.
This is due to certain reasons like the-ever increasing population which
creates greater demand. It is also due to rising standards of living and
purchasing power in developing countries, which fuels demand for food and
beverage.
Combine this rapid escalation in demand and supply for more units of food
and beverage with increasing standards and requirement of accountability and
traceability – you have a supply chain crisis waiting to happen! This leads to
several supply chain problems for the food and beverage industry. Some of the
main ones briefly are:
1.
Traceability Issues
The increasingly wide supply chain with more stringent regulations is
making it hard to keep track of goods from the beginning stage to the final
stage.
2.
Safety and Quality Compromised
The sheer volume of product being traded means that safety and quality
cannot be assured at every stage.
3.
Lack of Communication
The increased volume of goods being added to the supply chain from new
outlets every day means communication gaps are created.
Advantages
of Barcode Label Software
Modern barcode label
software
, if implemented correctly and diligently, can help solve or
scale down the vast majority of these problems. It is important to realize that barcode label software
is much more than simple ticket-printing of the past. It can house complex and
multipurpose information which can be synced with fast and responsive online
cloud platforms. This enables rapid exchange of information, which gives rise
to several benefits for the food and beverage industry.
1.
Tracking Shipment Distribution
With barcode label
software
being standardized and implemented across the world, it is now
possible to have minute-to-minute updates of the shipments. You can keep a
track of various checkpoints, where the shipment is, who has it, and when it
will reach the destination. This can allow easy tracking which is necessary for
running a successful food and beverage supply chain.
2.
Recording Expiry Dates
Modern barcode label
software makes it convenient to record and keep track of expiration
dates. Previously, the expiry dates were separately printed. This made it
difficult to keep track of the expiry status, particularly if a batch was
broken into multiple shipments. However, with barcodes, this information can
now be fed into the labels. This can ensure greater and more accurate
record-keeping.
3.
Eliminating Contamination and Quality Defects
If an item of a particular batch is found to be contaminated or has a
serious quality defect, then with the help of barcode label software, it
becomes easier to recall and destroy that bad batch. This can save and prevent
public ridicule, blame, and fallout for food and beverage companies.
4.
Reducing Over-purchasing
Due to faulty tracking and late deliveries, retailers often over-order
the goods from suppliers. This can lead to waste. With modern barcode labeling,
which provides concrete updates of shipment status as well as shipment size and
inventory number, a retailer and buyer can keep track of how much product is
due and required.
Conclusion
These are the various advantages that modern barcode label softwarecan bring to the
food and beverage industry. It is the need of the hour to implement this
technology to improve the quality of food items and drinks delivered to the end
customers. Talk to one of our Printer & Barcode Technology Specialist about barcode label softwarefor the food and beverage industry now (800) 643-2664
.
