Eight tips for DoD bar code compliance
By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 9/1/2006
Companies supplying products to the U.S. Department of Defense have several choices for meeting the DoD's unique identification (UID) bar coding requirements. Choices range from applying printed labels, to affixing metal data plates, to directly etching bar codes onto the surfaces of products.
Zebra Technologies, a maker of thermal bar code printers, provides the following eight tips for choosing a permanent marking method and creating a successful DoD UID marking program:
1. Don't underestimate the complexity of creating a UID system.
UID compliance requires special software for producing UID numbers (called UIIs, for "unique item identifier") and for interfacing with the DoD's wide area workflow (WAWF) application—not to mention the time it takes to master a new set of acronyms.
2. Inventory all the items you and your subcontractors need to mark.
Catalog all the items, noting their life cycle or shelf life, their shape and size, the materials with which they're made and the conditions under which they'll be used.
3. Develop criteria for evaluating marking methods.
Important considerations include cost to acquire and maintain the marking system, ease of implementation, and how well the system works for permanently marking all items.
4. Form a broad-based implementation team.
The team should include representatives from IT, purchasing, engineering, etc.
5. Test, test, test.
Marks are permanent, so they must be accurate.
6. Consider the simplest, most cost-effective solution first, then add from there.
An estimated 80% of DoD supplies can be permanently marked with an adhesive label.
7. Optimize labeling systems for the task.
Suppliers who choose on-demand printing as their marking method should examine their labeling system to be sure they're using the most appropriate ribbons and labels for meeting DoD requirements.
8. Think long term to save time and money.
Suppliers who will eventually need to comply with the DoD's RFID labeling requirements should consider investing in a marking system that could support both initiatives.
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