Improve overall bar code printing quality

With the increasing popularity of retail chain supermarkets, commodity bar code as an automatic identification technology has become an indispensable and most economical settlement tool for POS systems. The printing quality of commodity barcodes will directly affect the speed and accuracy of settlement, and it is a matter of great importance. Printing product barcodes that meet the standards becomes an unshirkable responsibility for barcode printers.

Shanghai Xinzhou Packaging & Printing Co., Ltd. is a wholly-owned holding company of Hong Kong Xinzhou Printing Group Co., Ltd. The group has been established more than 30 years ago. As a representative member of IPG (International Packaging Federation) Hong Kong, China, it has friendly business contacts with all walks of life and has established long-term good cooperation relationships with customers around the world. And the same industry is respected as a packaging printing company with good reputation and high quality products. Shanghai Xinzhou Packaging & Printing Co., Ltd. currently employs more than 400 people and is mainly engaged in various types of high-grade paper packaging color printing business. The industries involved are: food, cosmetics, tobacco, medicine and electronic communications. With the adjustment of the customer's product structure, in early 2003, Shanghai Xinzhou established a complete bar code printing quality management system under the training and guidance of the China Sub-center for Article Numbering Center in Shanghai, and successfully obtained the China Article Numbering Center. The "Product Bar Code Printing Qualification Certificate" was issued. Since the establishment of the bar code printing quality management system, we have not only caused incidents that caused customer complaints due to poor bar codes, but also gained trust and appreciation from more and more customers due to our strict bar code review system and professional advice. Here are some experiences and experiences accumulated in the operation of our company's bar code printing quality management system for your reference.

First, establish a set of product bar code printing quality control system

A complete and effective bar code printing quality management system (hereinafter referred to as the bar code quality system) determines whether the company can guarantee the continuous and stable bar code printing quality.

At present, many printing companies have passed the ISO9001 quality management system certification, and some companies even passed the ISO14001 environmental quality system certification. The bar code quality system should be organically combined with these systems to form a systematic management system.

Our company has passed the ISO9001 quality management system and HACCP food safety and hygiene control system before the establishment of the bar code quality system. Through analysis, we decided to integrate the bar code quality system with the above two systems, and use bar code quality control as a subroutine of the company's entire quality system, and fully consider the particularity of bar code printing quality, and maintain the relative independence of its quality management. , Prepared the "Product Bar Code Printing Quality Control Procedures."

The “Product Bar Code Printing Quality Control Procedures” includes the following: quality policy/objective for bar code printing, applicable scope, related standards, related documents, management responsibilities, control procedures, internal audit, management review, work instructions, records, etc. In order to make it easier for the QC department to perform bar code detection more accurately and effectively, we have also specifically formulated the Operation Guideline “Barcode Quality Test Operation Guideline”. In the Operation Guideline, we have described in detail the detection method and determination criteria of the product bar code.

Second, training

The perfect training system has a very important role in the quality management of bar code printing. Through training, each employee can clearly understand his job responsibilities and authority in the bar code control system, and master the necessary bar code knowledge and operation skills. All staff related to bar code quality, in addition to attending the training of bar code management agencies, must accept the company's internal bar code knowledge system training before taking up the job. The internal training is specifically undertaken by the person in charge of the bar code printing technology, and he himself receives various trainings from the bar code management agency from time to time, including the promotion and training of the new standards, and the new bar code system that is exposed in self-learning work.

Third, strict implementation of system requirements;

1. Business undertaking:

To undertake barcode printing business, customers must be required to present their registration certificate of “member of China Commodity Barcode System” or manufacturer identification code notice, or other valid certification documents that can use general product barcode, and submit the documentary personnel.

The documentary personnel must check the customer's “China Commodity Barcode System Member Certificate” and its validity period, and check the consistency between the manufacturer's identification code and the manufacturer's identification code on the design draft. The supporting documents must be filed together with the printing contract, business license, etc., and the period of storage shall be no less than two years.

The documentary personnel must check whether the vendor identification code and product item code provided by the customer are correct, and check the barcode code system; it is responsible for checking whether the product barcode design draft provided by the customer complies with GB 12904-2003 "Product Bar Code" 4.1, 4.2 and 4.4. Article 1.2 requirements and agree with the customer.

Once the documentary personnel conducted an audit, they found that "China Commodity Bar Code System Member Certificate" wrote "XXX (China) Co., Ltd." and the product was "XXX Co., Ltd." Customer communication: Originally, due to the development of the business, the company's name has changed, but it is unclear that the “China Commodity Barcode System Member Certificate” should also follow the changes. Through our company's reminder, the customer made a change application to the item code center in time to avoid the risk of illegal operations. This event made the customer aware of the importance of the professionalism of the printing company and also greatly improved the professional image of our company.

2. Design review

Our company's bar code is directly generated by the computer bar code printing film, does not use the original bar code provided by the customer. Therefore, for the customer's design draft, the prepress supervisor must use tools such as “Barcode Enlarger Measure Ruler” and “Barcode Symbol Bar Empty Color Matching Reference Table” to review the bar code magnification factor of the bar code symbol, the size of the left and right blank area, and the printing position. Whether the six elements, such as the reference list, the bar height, the font size, and the size, are in compliance with the requirements of the standards such as GB12904-2003. If it is found that the technical requirements for the above six aspects of the customer's requested barcode do not conform to the relevant standards, the prepress supervisor and the person in charge of the document must submit a request for modification to the customer. The customer confirms that the offspring is a revision. If the customer persists, the documentary personnel must request the customer to sign a "non-standard bar code printing confirmation agreement" and copy the "non-standard bar code printing confirmation agreement" to the Quality Department for archiving.

The “non-standard bar code printing confirmation agreement” can often protect the printing company from self-protection. A well-known German electrical production plant entrusted our company with packaging printing. Its packaging design draft was completed in Germany and customers directly provided CD-ROM to our company. My company's design department reviewed the contents of the optical disc and found that the product's barcode had a problem that the magnification factor was too small. It reminded customers that the problem might have a big impact on the product's scanning, but the customer insisted that it was not possible to modify any content on the disc. Finally signed a "non-standard bar code printing confirmation agreement" with our company. Two months later, the customer received a complaint: a serious problem found in supermarkets in the UK that barcodes could not be scanned. Because our company has signed a "non-standard bar code printing confirmation agreement" with customers in advance, we have avoided huge compensation.

3. Quality control of barcodes during production

Before the formal production, the first inspection of the product is required by QC, and the tested product can continue production; when it fails the inspection, QC needs to check whether the product has a “non-standard bar code printing confirmation agreement”: a) If yes, It can be released to continue production; b) If not, the captain must be required to immediately stop the equipment adjustment until the QC inspection can continue production;

Fourth, statistical analysis;

There are many unforeseen problems in the actual production process. For example, changes in printing materials or unstable properties may cause problems with the printing of barcodes. In order to systematically analyze the causes of the problems, find solutions, and QC will issue monthly barcodes. Related issues are recorded and analyzed. For problems with high frequency, we will call the relevant departments of the company to discuss and analyze and find solutions. For problems that cannot be solved within the company, we will contact with the barcode center and consult the appropriate solution.

In the past, most of the company's printing bar code materials were paper. Recently, many cosmetic manufacturers changed the packaging materials from paper to transparencies for the novel packaging of products. In the beginning, our company encountered a series of problems such as insufficient barcode lining and low print contrast. Through the collection of problems and statistical analysis for a period of time, with the help of the China Center for Article Coding (Shanghai) Center, the relevant printing processes were modified and the bar code detection method was improved, which solved the problem.

Fifth, self-audit;

Every year, our company conducts two systematic reviews of the operation of the bar code. Mainly through the extraction of a certain number of customers:

a) Check whether it has a system member certificate or relevant supporting documents;

b) review the validity period of its system member certificate;

c) Check whether the information on the certificate of the system member is consistent with the information on the product packaging;

d) Extract a certain number of products from the customer to see if they have conducted the first inspection and the test results are good;

e) whether the bar code that does not meet the requirements has been signed with the customer "non-standard bar code printing confirmation agreement";

Each company has its own style in the operation and control of the bar code printing quality control system. However, as long as the bar code printing quality can be given enough attention, it is strictly implemented in accordance with the established system and the system is continuously improved and improved in the course of implementation. , will be able to control the quality of the bar code printing. I hope some of the above experience can give you some inspiration and reference.

Reprinted from: Shanghai Xinzhou Packaging & Printing Co., Ltd.