Everyone knows that barcodes are ubiquitous and that they’re used pretty much everywhere. But to just what extent are they used? Sure, we see them in supermarkets and warehouses all the time, but there are a number of different industries that rely on barcodes, which you wouldn’t necessarily pick at first. To highlight their universal importance, here are 7 industries which surprisingly run on barcodes.
1) Healthcare
Healthcare is actually one of the largest industries that runs on barcodes. Healthcare workers use barcodes to organise inventories and track medications and surgical equipment. They’re also used to print patient labels which allows staff to keep track of patient identity and history.
2) Fruit and veg
It may seem unlikely, but fruit and veg is another industry which relies solely on barcodes for logistics and distribution. Ever wondered why there are tiny barcodes on your apple, pear or mango? This is so that suppliers and distributors can easily keep track of stock – it would be mayhem without barcodes!
3) Sports
Professional sporting institutions also depend on barcodes. Whether we’re talking about gyms scanning your membership card, or football teams ordering more guernseys before preseason starts, sporting institutions heavily rely on barcodes to get the job done.
4) Entertainment
Think about the last concert you went to. There were lights, speakers, subwoofers, cables, instruments, amplifiers, compressors and a whole bunch of other equipment. Must be hard to keep track of, right? Not if you use a barcode system. Entertainment businesses use barcodes to keep track of their loads and loads of equipment.
5) Agriculture
It’s true – barcodes are even being used for crops, cows and sheep. Today, more and more crops and livestock are assigned a unique barcode. These barcodes allow agriculture specialists to scan the barcode and monitor their inventory through specially designed harvest management software.
6) Schools
Schools and universities also have a high number of devices like laptops, tablets, sound systems, etc. They keep track of these devices by keeping a barcode system so that they can quickly identify items and never lose track of them. Keeping an tightly held inventory is super important when you’re dealing with the unpredictability of children!
7) Home businesses
It doesn’t matter whether you’re operating a warehouse the size of Amazon’s, or a home business with 5 key products: a barcode system is going to help you out immensely. Many home business owners keep track of their stock using a barcode inventory, even if they have a small number of products.
Many businesses can benefit from a barcode system, so yours probably can too. Get in touch with the experts at Barcode Labels to have a set of high-quality barcodes created, or to invest in your own barcode label printer. Barcode Labels can set up a fresh barcode system for your business, improving efficiency and making your job easier.