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Getting the hang of barcoding

Having a barcode-enabled inventory system at hand steps up your warehouse and order processing productivity. Identification and validation via a quick barcode scan takes way less time than it does when warehouse personnel go around the storage area and ‘read’ product names while hunting down items on their pick lists. This inefficiency really cuts into labor costs and affects accuracy.

HandiFox makes barcoding ubiquitous throughout the entire supply chain, from receiving inventory through selling at the customer’s door. If you are new to barcoding and looking to implement it, settle in and read on to get on board. 

Any compatibility concerns?

Check our system requirements or reach out to us to confirm you have the right barcode scanning tools. With the web app, any USB scanner will be fine as they basically work as a keyboard. To be able to do scanning in a warehouse area or in the field the following options are possible:

• a built-in scanner in select models of handheld devices (Motorolas and Intermecs)
• a phone camera with autofocus (works much slower than other methods)
• a Bluetooth scanner. The scanner must first be paired with the mobile device (per the scanner’s manual) and be capable of SPP (Serial Port Profile) mode

How to assign barcodes

If products on your stock have barcodes, you just need to let HandiFox record their alphanumeric values and assign each barcode to the associated item.

In the online app (web part) you can do it by going to Barcodes and clicking on an item, scanning in its barcode and saving the work. To record barcodes in the web app, any type of a PC-compatible scanner will do.

To assign barcodes on a mobile device,  go to Inventory → Item List, highlight an item and tap Edit, then switch to the Barcode tab and scan in the barcode.

If your products do not have barcodes, click to have the system generate a unique barcode for each of them. Please note that you cannot generate barcodes in the mobile app - this should be done in the web part of the software.

If you are not a novice in barcoding and happen to have a spreadsheet with items and their barcode values, use the Import feature (a sample file is provided). 

How to print barcode labels

Barcode labels can be printed from the web app. Go to Inventory → Barcodes and use checkboxes in the left-most column to mark the items you want to print labels for. Then click on the printer icon and select what fields should show up on the labels (item name, company name, sales description, sales price, barcode). The system will generate a document with labels which you can then send to your printer.

Please make sure someone sees to the tasks of putting barcode labels on products, otherwise the point of the barcode integration is kind of lost.  Also ensure easy access to them for pickers and other warehouse workers.

Key takeaways and action items:

1. HandiFox offers 3 barcode scanning methods - scan with a phone’s camera, a Bluetooth/USB scanner, or a handheld’ built-in scanner. The most performant one is the Bluetooth/USB scanner option.

2. For easy and quick item search, identification, selection and validation all items should have barcodes assigned to them. HandiFox allows you to scan in and record existing barcodes, import them via an Excel sheet or generate brand new ones (this last one available only in the web app). Also, you can customize and print barcodes labels.

Check the Barcoding page in our HandiFox Online Wiki or watch this video to get a better understanding of how to fuse barcoding into your processes.