Reduce your risk with BCA Barcode Alliance

Preplanning can save you money. That is the simple message from Barcode Alliance (BCA), the leading BEE supplier in the variable information sector, to all manufacturers in the build up to season. BCA knows that often that little piece of sticky paper is the last thing manufacturers think of when ordering stock for season. Which makes it all the more devastating if factories end up paying half a million a day in downtime because they don`t have their variable label printing stock managed.

Warren Scott, National Sales Manager for BCA says, "Your barcode planning should be as integral to your company as your material and packaging requirements. Instead of ordering on demand it should be a planned process optimising stock levels and stock holding." With major clients using up to 5 million labels per month, their importance is more obvious.

BCA encourages everyone to preplan their label stock requirements well in advance catering for the peak periods, including maintenance plans for their hardware such as printers. It is a mind shift that definitely reduces the embarrassment of downtime.

"If your orders are in stock, we have a turn around time of 24 hours," Scott adds. "We want to help you reduce your risk and exposure to loss of revenue through ineffective planning."

In preparation, BCA can help you with every aspect of variable information label printing, from printers, maintenance, and thermal transfer labels and ribbons. Their commitment and devotion to excellence has seen them develop a large and dedicated customer base.

Edward Abrahams, Procurement Manager of Falke Eurosocks, is one manufacturer who has seen the advantage of pre-planning his label requirement with BCA. "They don`t like to order on demand," Scott says, "they can see the potential risks of running short. They much prefer to make this part of their business planning, and generally order three to six months in advance."

Maintaining your printers and planning your barcodes can save you money in more ways than one. Recently the major supermarket chains have been clamping down on the poor quality of barcodes received. Products that don`t scan cost them money in labour time, as well as raised customer dissatisfaction levels.

Unwilling to bear the costs any longer the major retailers have begun imposing harsh fines on offenders issuing indecipherable barcodes. One of the primary reasons for barcodes not scanning is poor print quality and attention to global standards. With fines of up to R100 per product that doesn`t scan, it pays to preplan.