Artificial lens and surgical delivery technologies have revolutionised cataract treatment

Barcodes to eliminate risk

A supplier of artificial lenses wanted to use barcodes in picking, packing and labelling. They called on Codeway for advice.

Aims

1. To eliminate the risk of supplying the wrong lens.
2. To increase productivity.
3. To help customers track lenses to patients.

System

The system uses finger ring scanners and mobile computers for picking. There are scanners at workstations for packing and tracking. Industrial label printers produce identification labels with 2D Data Matrix codes.

Compliance with industry standards

A ISO standard controls packing and labelling of the lenses. As with other industries this requires manufacturer, product, batch and serial numbers, and expiry date. Specific information includes dioptric power with lens and body diameters.

The company designed new label formats for their existing printers and added an additional printer for pack labels. Later on they add added an Epson industrial printer to colour code certain labels.

Benefits for eye clinics

The ability to scan Data Matrix 2D code is of great potential benefit to eye clinics:

1. Manual methods of managing of lens inventory are time consuming and imprecise. Receiving deliveries into stock by scanning barcodes ensures accuracy and takes minutes. Attempts to reconcile stock on the shelf to paperwork can take hours and are often doomed to fail.
2. Tracking systems monitor expiration dates and can enforce FIFO (first-in, first out) foreach type of lens.
3. Scanning the lens code and the patient number is all you need for traceability.

Case studies in clinics using barcodes confirm these results.

Summary

This application shows the advantages to suppliers and their customers of identifying products at source with Data Matrix codes.