Off-the-shelf bar code software under fire

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 12/1/2003

Today, 80% of bar code label software is sold as off-the-shelf packages. But that's not what end users want going forward, according to the research firm VDC (www.vdc-corp.com).

By 2007, the annual compound growth rate for customized software will be roughly double that of standard packages (see chart at left). That trend has already started, says VDC. In a survey, half of the end users said they required an average of 45% customization of bar code label printing software.

Reasons for customization range from a need for better integration with enterprise planning and warehouse software to keeping up with changing compliance standards and system performance.