It’s really important for every company to keep a track of its assets. A company’s assets are owned by the company, so contribute to the overall value of the company. However, if you hire equipment or rent out equipment to customers there is a likelihood that you may not get that equipment back, or may get equipment returned to you which has been tampered with.

A good way to keep a track of any assets which you may hire is to use asset tags. Some asset tags even have a tamper-evident seal so that if the label is peeled off a ‘void’ message is displayed and so the equipment can be identified as being tampered with.

If you use tamper evident asset tags they serve as a two-in-one asset tracing solution. You can not only keep track of an asset, but can also see if the asset has been tampered with.

When a ‘void’ asset tag is tampered with, the remnants of the label are left behind with the word void left on the asset. This enables the hire shop or hire establishment to easily identify voided items and hence discuss the matter with the customer.

Posted in Asset Tags by Grahame

Everyone is familiar with the ubiquitous barcode label. They feature on just about every product you buy today.

Barcodes were introduced decades ago and although they are familiar to all, many people still don’t understand how the barcode system works. Basically, each barcode is unique to the product it is printed on. This unique code can be read by a scanner and then identified against a database of all stored barcodes on a computer system. This system can then hold important information about the item, such as the item’s serial number or identification number, the price of the item and other information such as stock levels of the item.

The information contained on this database can then be used in a number of ways. One way which is easy to see, is when a barcode is scanned at a point of sale or checkout. When the item is scanned, the item name and the price of the item is displayed. Things a customer doesn’t see here however is that the stock numbers of the item are reduced when the item is purchased. The database can be set up to let the store know when current stock is running out so they can order more.

Barcodes help with things such as when the item arrived on site, if the item has a sell-by date, if the item needs to be returned before a certain date and other such things besides.

Posted in Barcode Labels by Geoff

It’s easy for everyone to see that barcode technology has made the pricing and selling of products much simpler. Every product is now assigned a barcode label and when scanned at a point of sale terminal the item description and price is displayed for the cashier. When the item has been purchased, the stock quantities in the store are automatically adjusted and the stock taking and reordering of products becomes simpler too.

There are a wide variety of different barcode labels available, besides the ones that are printed onto good’s packaging at time of manufacture, these include:

• Aluminium barcode labels
• Polyester barcode labels
• Ceramic barcode labels

Aluminium barcode labels

Aluminium barcode labels are perfect to use in factories or industrial sites where the labels may see a good level of wear and tear. They are durable and hence long-lasting.

Polyester barcode labels

Barcode images are printed under a layer of hardwearing plastic on a polyester barcode label. These labels are also hardwearing and a good choice on fabrics or other such materials.

Ceramic barcode labels

Ceramic barcode labels are a layer of ceramic coating applied over a stainless steel base. They are heat resistant and can withstand very harsh conditions such as permanent outdoor use.

Posted in Barcode Labels by Geoff

Due to the current economic conditions there are many organisations who are trying to reduce business expenses. There are quite a few ways a company can go about doing this, but one ideal way is by using asset tags to track your assets.

If you decide to use asset tags you may have to spend a little money upfront to set the system up. But when fully running, you will find that an asset tracking system can save your company thousands of pounds every year.

Conducting an equipment audit when you are struggling is always a good idea. You can isolate items you may no longer need or items which will never sell, and gain funds for these via an auction. You can also prevent any of the items you own going missing in the future and reduce the chances of them being stolen.

Asset tracking

For large companies it can be difficult to keep a track of every item you own. This can lead to ordering of multiple or duplicate items which can be drain on a company’s resources. If the asset is tagged and added to a comprehensive database, all you items can be recorded.

You can also personalise asset labels and attach them using semi-permanent adhesive so they can withstand the difficult decisions seen in some industrial premises.

Posted in Asset Tags by Geoff

Asset tags are an essential tool to keep track of any inventory or stock you may have. The tags come in many forms but are essentiality a way of identifying the difference between items you own or stock you have. They are usually fastened onto the items either using an adhesive or are fixed to an item using a plastic tie.

Their use by private companies

Asset tags are used by countless private companies across the UK. The tags are fixed to every item they own and a database is kept by the company so they have a record of all their assets.

Barcode asset tags

To make asset tagging simpler, some asset tags now make use of barcode technology. The tag is still affixed onto the stock item but instead of just a reference number, a barcode is added. This barcode can be read by a scanner so stocktaking of items becomes much quicker and human error is reduced.

Asset tags are extremely cost-effective and give their users a host of benefits including enhanced identification of items, improved tracking or items, easier collection of data and advanced control of inventory.

Posted in Asset Tags by Geoff

Barcode labels are not usually expected to be exposed to harsh conditions such as high temperatures or dirty or greasy environments. In fact, the barcode labels which we are all familiar with would likely not survive for any length of time at all if they were exposed to just the standard conditions inside the average factory in the UK.

For businesses which need to use barcode technology in harsh environments, such as in heated rooms, cold stores or when products are exposed to chemicals, there are other options available.

Durable barcode label technology has been developed over the last few years which takes away the worry of a paper barcode label being damaged. The labels won’t peel, won’t fade and won’t disintegrate, meaning they can be scanned whenever you want.

The reason barcode labels can be used in these environments is due to the material in which they are made. Materials include overlaminated polyester, vinyl, and even some metals. And the super-strong adhesive which adheres the labels onto the products means the labels will stay in place for a guaranteed length of time.

Posted in Barcode Labels by Geoff

If you have to manage inventory or stock, you’ll realise the importance of keeping track of all the items you have on site. So, when it’s time for stock taking to take place, it’s not uncommon to spend days updating your records so that a complete inventory list is created.

It is really easy to make this manual process much quicker and more efficient however – by using barcode technology. If you use barcode labels, which can be stuck to all the items you own, you can use barcode scanning technology to scan each item so your database can be updated automatically.

By using barcode labels you can thus reduce the amount of time you spend stocktaking significantly. If you use stick-on barcode labels you can also reduce the chance of human error. The database you hold is updated automatically, all you have to do is systematically scan each item in turn and the stock take will be complete.

By using an up-to-date database of your stock items you can plan for the future and order more of those times that are performing particularly well, whilst cutting down on the items which are not selling so prolifically.

Posted in Barcode Labels by Grahame

Stock taking is the process by which you can verify the quantity and condition of your assets or stock within the business. This may need to be completed as an audit of current stock valuation or to provide valuable information relating to stock levels and possible discrepancies.

Despite its obvious benefits to an organisation, performing a complete stock take can be a time consuming and consequently costly exercise for any business. It may be performed as an annual intensive review, or an ongoing process.

One technique which can dramatically streamline the stock-taking process is the use of fixed asset labels. Such labels can help you to track and monitor all assets or stock, in accordance with your specific requirements.

It is significantly quicker to scan a barcode label on each asset or stock item than any other alternative method of recording and capturing the information related to an individual item. By reducing the time to capture such information, a business can save valuable man-hours currently lost to the process.

It is also possible to integrate the information contained with the scanned details on the barcode label to your businesses tracking system, further reducing the timely process of collating the stock-take information.

Posted in Asset Tags by Grahame

As a nation we are all used to seeing barcodes in the retail sector. They have become a ubiquitous part of daily life.

A barcode is a form of data, which is readable by a machine, which provides information about the object to which it is attached. It is classically made up of varying widths and spacing of vertical lines, although recent evolutions include rectangles, dots, hexagons and other geometric patterns.

In the retail sector many items now come with labels already containing the item’s barcode, but the uses of barcodes has extended far from groceries, reaching many new modern applications. Consequently the manner in which items are labelled with a barcode also evolves. In some of the new alternative uses, being able to use pre-printed barcodes can provide convenience and flexibility of use.

Pre-printed barcode labels can be used in many ways, including but by no means limited to the following areas:

• Relabeling previously barcoded items
• Medical care for patient identification (such as wrist bands, patient notes, report and records)
• Aviation for tracking items, such as baggage (or even passengers) through airport terminals
• Document management, for which the potential is endless

Posted in Barcode Labels by Bridget

There are numerous applications for security labels which are normally dependent on sector or individual requirements.

Some security seals can be used to prevent, or more accurately provide evidence of, tampering of pieces of equipment or products. There are two main categories of security labels which can be used to provide evidence of tampering.

• Tamper evident seals – these labels spilt apart if anyone attempts to remove them. They cannot be removed in one piece. These labels cannot then be re-used or re-attached.
• Void labels – these are labels designed so that even once removed they leave the word void on the product. These labels cannot then be re-used or re-attached.
The uses of such labels are almost endless:
• A visual deterrent to minimise the misuse or tampering of labelled items
• Labeling equipment or property of a company, including logos and a numbering system, to provide visual immediate evidence of ownership
• Ensuring panels are not removed from pieces of equipment except by authorised personnel
• Labels could be used as packaging seals to provide evidence that it has not been opened
• DVD or CD-ROMs cases could have labels applied to provide a further level of protection for your data
• Such labels even have applications in aircraft and vehicle security

Posted in Security Labels by Geoff