Wasp Barcode Technologies: The Barcode Solution People

Barcodes Help the Lost Find Their Way

Recently my husband and I had the distinct pleasure of attending a Dallas Cowboys home game in the luxurious temple to football that Jerry Jones built in Arlington, TX. He really spared no expense, including using top-of-the-line Motorola MC75 mobile computers to scan spectators’ tickets. Now, being a breek® (barcode geek), I always take mental note of barcode equipment being used, but what they did with these devices is what I thought was worthy of a blog post. I think it’s commonplace now to go to a sporting event or concert and have your ticket scanned at entry. It’s the modern technological way to track attendance and deter counterfeit tickets. Cowboys Stadium took it to another level. When they scanned the ticket of the woman in front of me, the MC75 gave them an audible alert. They told the woman that she was at the wrong entrance and asked her to wait over at the side. I assume they were going to call someone to direct her to the right place. I was impressed how they took advantage of offering better customer service through the mundane, but necessary, task of scanning tickets. It reminded me of a coworker’s account of something similar at an airport. As he was in line to board his plane, he noticed that the airline was also using mobile computers to scan the tickets at the gate. Another traveler quite a bit ahead of him had his ticket scanned and was quickly told that he was about to board the wrong plane. Boy, did they ever help him to avoid a really bad day! That’s pretty slick for the entertainment and travel industries, but can it be applied to other types of businesses? Sure, it can! Instead of people being directed to the correct places, though, it would be the company’s fixed assets. The term “fixed” is used loosely as we all know how company property can be moved, checked-out, and “borrowed”. Imagine you need to use a particular tool to finish a work order; a tool that should be in the tool crib. However, when you go to get it, you can’t find it anywhere. Walking past a coworker’s work station, you see that very tool! You say, “Hey, Dave, isn’t that suppose to be in the tool crib for everyone to use?” But Dave insists that he brought that tool from home. If you had an automated asset tracking system, all of your assets, including that special tool, would have an asset label with a unique barcode. With a quick scan, your mobile computer would tell you right away where that tool really should be. Before you even go looking for an item, an asset tracking system will tell you that item’s assigned location or if Dave actually checked it out the proper way instead of “borrowing” it. Companies of every size all over the country lose many hours searching for misplaced assets. They can also lose money replacing assets thought to be lost, but magically it appears shortly after its replacement is bought. Automated asset tracking systems can save lots of time and money, realizing a return on investment in no time. I am a breek® not just because barcodes are a growing technology or marketing fad (i.e. QR codes), but because barcodes are so versatile and beneficial!