Cross-referencing and printing product bar code labels during receiving is the most labor-intensive aspect of RF implementation. This process can take several months.
We recommend that you enter all products with a manufacturer's bar code label into the system before you turn on receiving. Contact vendors to identify which ones provide bar code labels and to notify them that you now require bar code labels. Each vendor can tell you what bar code format they use (usually UPC).
Most vendors supply UPC codes on disk, which you can upload and cross-reference into the system. You can manually cross-reference bar codes directly from an RF terminal using the Product PU Maint screen.
Once you have uploaded or manually entered bar codes into the system, use the Program Editor to run the utility FIX.UPC.CODE to trim all UPC codes that do not follow conventional 11-digit UPC formatting. The utility applies the following trimming logic:
|
Number of Characters in Original UPC Code |
Characters Used After Trimming Logic Applied |
|
11 character UPC code |
Characters 1-11 |
|
12 character UPC code |
Characters 1-11; last character trimmed |
|
13 character UPC code |
Characters 3-13; characters 1 and 2 trimmed |
|
13 character Hoffman UPC code |
Characters 1-11; characters 12 and 13 trimmed. |
|
14 character UPC code |
Characters 3-13; characters 1, 2, and 14 trimmed |
As you cross-reference the UPC codes into the system, the system matches codes based on the 11 characters used defined by the trimming logic.
For products that do not have existing manufacturer's bar code labels, use the system to print a Code 128 bar code label for that product based on Eclipse internal product identification from the product file.
Note: You can also use the Product Data Warehouse companion product to load UPC codes into the system.
See Also:
Cross-referencing Product Bar Code Labels in RF