Industry labeling of returnable packaging
Unification and a single industry standard for containers are analogous to state car numbers. Convenient identification format understandable to all market participants.
Marking with the “factory number of containers” in a single industry format allows you to track the turnover of containers between production and retail outlets, as well as track the movement of micro-batches of raw materials, semi-finished products and products within the production to the box and organize control over critical points of HACCP quality control (English Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points is a concept that systematically identifies, evaluates and manages hazards that significantly affect product safety).
The unified industry standard for labeling returnable containers provides unique opportunities for all market participants: meat producers, distributors, retail chains and retail outlets. Due to a single labeling, it is possible to ensure product quality control at all stages, as well as control and tracking of the life cycle of containers:
Production
Commissioning
Turnover within production
Sending to retail chains and distributors
Automation of control of turnaround time, breakdowns, “losses”
Acceptance of returnable packaging from retail chains to production facilities
rejection
Service and repair
Decommissioning and decommissioning
Recycling
For retail chains, unification allows you to organize quality and quantity control of products received at the level of “micro-batches”, when each box, pallet or package is a unit of logistics accounting.
To automate identification both in production and in retail chains, it makes sense to simultaneously apply several marking options at once:
Linear barcode
QR code format: site registry + number
RFID tag
Text and digital marking
Linear barcode
The use of a linear bar code provides the ability to account for containers and products for any workplace. The linear bar scanner has the lowest cost among automatic identification tools and can be used both in production and at retail outlets – to confirm the receipt of products and account for returnable packaging. Benefit of application in inexpensive cost and high equipment – almost all enterprises, retail chains and retail outlets use barcode scanners and data collection terminals.
QR code
The use of a QR code link provides a unique opportunity to keep records and control the turnover of containers without the use of special software. A smartphone and internet access are required.
Each QR code is a unique container page that allows you to add accounting functions, as well as automatically generate scanning reports. In the future, it is possible to use a QR code, depending on access rights, to receive information about the history of production, laboratory analyzes of raw materials, semi-finished products, products, packaging, which of the employees performed production operations. Example of access rights: “retail customer”, “sales agent”, “TD manager”, “production”, “security”, “manager”.
RFID tag
It is used as a means for automatic identification at points requiring high bandwidth and eliminating the human factor. For example, when rejecting, as a means of shadow control, when placing boxes (tare) on a washing conveyor or when semi-finished products or finished products are received from the conveyor. Large retail chains are also actively considering RFID technology to automate the control of the quantity and quality of incoming products.
Text and digital labeling
Necessary for repair and service functions if tags or encoding are damaged, as well as a means of manual identification in case a code scanner or RFID tag fails at a control point in a retail network or at a factory.
Unification
The main problem of implementation for now is the inability of market participants to agree on a single format and standard for labeling returnable packaging. Each enterprise tries to solve the problem of accounting, quality control and tracking on its own.
