Bouquet firm replaces manual barcode scans
JZ Flowers uses online verification to improve accuracy of labels
JZ Flowers International is implementing an online verification system to check barcode labels on bouquets to improve accuracy and prevent financial penalties from retailers.
The company, which produces bouquets for supermarkets, employs more than 220 staff at three sites in the UK and Ireland.
Historically, samples of the first and last labels printed for each order were checked manually with a barcode scanner, achieving accuracy of about 99 per cent. But the company wanted to improve on this figure.
JZ Flowers is using Hand Held Products’ SV200 online verification system supplied by Label Store, with Datamax printers to speed up the printing process and cut costs by reducing the number of discarded labels.
The SV200 integrates with the printers and verifies random printed labels to ensure 100 per cent barcode accuracy and readability. It also checks the number of labels to detect missing or undetectable barcodes.
Bill Bradnum, quality control manager at JZ Flowers, says barcode faults can prove costly and time-consuming.
‘Having to take back an order can involve relabelling, stripping off unique bouquet sleeves and reproducing the whole product, which is expensive,’ he said.
‘We are looking for perfection on high volumes.’
The system has been implemented at the company’s Plaxton Bridge factory in Yorkshire, which produces more than 100,000 bouquets in a typical week, and more than 250,000 at peak times such as Christmas.
‘Barcodes have zero tolerance – they are either right or wrong depending on format and positioning,’ said Bradnum.
‘We have already seen a reduction to zero rejections from our customers, which have resulted in zero penalties.’
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