For those who are new to packaging or supply chain management – marking and coding is the method of printing essential product and traceability information on packaging, labels and other manufactured materials. Everyday examples include barcodes, serialisation codes, and expiry or ‘best by’ dates.

There are several reasons why product owners need to print marks and codes on their product packaging, cartons and so forth.

These include:

• Meeting traceability requirements: By printing barcodes and serialization codes on every product that is manufactured, as well as the cartons that are used to transport these goods, product owners can trace their products as they move through the supply chain. This enables anyone who is involved in the supply chain to identify individual lots, shipments and packages – telling them where the products have come from and where they are destined. This also allows product owners to quickly recall products if they need to.

• Providing assurance on product authenticity: In the pharmaceutical industry, for example, where counterfeiting is an issue, product owners use marking and coding to prove the authenticity of their products. This makes it possible for retailers, consumers and anyone else in the supply chain to immediately trace the product back to its point of origin to check that it is genuine and safe to transport, sell or use.  

• Providing information on product freshness: Shoppers check the expiry, “best-by” and “use-by” dates on the products they buy to ensure that they are safe and fresh to consume. These markings help consumers to derive the maximum value from their basket of goods, as well as reduce food waste.

Ultimately, the purpose of marking and coding is to keep everyone in the supply chain, retailers and shoppers 100% informed about the product – providing details on its origins, authenticity and freshness.  

Sourcing the best coding and marking equipment
If you are looking for marking and coding systems that can produce consistent, accurate, high quality and perfectly legible codes at high speeds, even in environments that are dirty or humid, contact Pyrotec PackMark. We offer a comprehensive range of coding and marking equipment and consumables from international industry leaders Markem-Imaje, ALTech and Harland Machine Systems, among other brands.