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Introduction
When you think about identification of physical items, naturally you think of part numbers, serial numbers, nomenclature and manufacturer names. If this is all you've considered, then this article may introduce you to manufacturer and user requirements operationalized through the standards community (e.g., unique identification of items, returnable transports and product packaging).
Accurate and rapid identification is critical to managing today's sophisticated supply chain no matter if you are the original equipment manufacturer, transporter, user or maintainer. Successful identification entails choosing a data carrier, identifying the data structure and ensuring conformance to the standards governing these choices. These three factors are, as a matter of fact, the subject of the first three working groups that comprise ISO/IEC JTCl/SC 31 (hereafter referred to as SC 31). In addition, specialized working groups for Radio Frequency Identification (RfID), Real Time Locating Systems (RTLS) and Mobile Item Identification and Management (MIIM) comprise the three remaining working groups. With over 75 standards published or in progress, along with more than a dozen technical reports, SC 31 covers a wide breadth of technical content.
Among data carriers there are common 1D choices such as the Universal Product Code (UPC) and Code 128; or, for higher capacity needs, 2D symbols such as the Data Matrix and PDF 417 are popular choices. Additional capabilities continue to expand as data carriers have moved to non-line of sight applications through RFID, RTLS and MIIM.
Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) technologies provide timely and cost-effective data on the business processes that cover product life cycles including ordering, back office operations, manufacture, distribution, sale, use, repair, warranty and product returns.
Automatic Identification and Data Capture Comes of Age
If you are old enough to remember manual typewriters, the introduction of computers and when taking a phone call meant standing next to a wired phone, then you can recall when checking out meant a register and someone who could make the register sing by typing in prices from stickers affixed to cans, boxes and bags. Were you absolutely sure the checker typed the price in correctly or that it was even properly priced in the first place? This all changed in 1974 when the first UPC bar-coded item was scanned through...