Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging News Magazine
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Originally Published January 1998

OUR VIEW

Space: The Final Frontier

The UCC is developing solutions for bar coding healthcare products that have space limitations.

John Terwilliger
Healthcare Director
Uniform Code Council

They call outer space the final frontier—unexplored worlds left to conquer. In the world of small products, the final frontier to conquer is the enabling of automated product identification within limited space. This is especially true for pharmaceutical and medical products that are too small to include bar codes with all the information necessary for complete product identification. In response, the Uniform Code Council (UCC; Dayton, OH) and its international counterpart, EAN International, have set the course for a global solution to enable space-constrained products to use existing supply chain standards for identification.

The packaging challenge presented by space limitations is twofold. First, there are products that are too small to carry existing standard linear symbologies (such as UPC, EAN, and UCC/EAN-128) for identification. Second, there are business needs for additional information on product packaging and shipping units where there is not space for the existing symbology solutions.

In mid 1997, extensive research on these issues was conducted by a panel of users from major global companies and the UCC's Symbol Technical Advisory Committee of experts in the printing and scanning of bar codes. The panel addressed the healthcare requirement for primary product identification and applicable secondary information (i.e., expiration date, lot number, and serial number). Also, the panel assessed both existing and emerging technologies to address the business issues.

The research resulted in a consensus on the direction that UCC and EAN International will take to address the issue of marking for space-constrained packaging.

First, those businesses that use existing standard linear symbologies to encode the necessary information should continue to do so without hesitation. These symbologies will continue to be the core of the global system. Second, businesses that do not wish to upgrade existing systems can continue to use the traditional linear bar codes.

Third, for products and packages that can use existing standard linear symbologies to encode standard identification but require additional data that will not fit in the available space using standard solutions, a new composite solution will be used. It will include both linear and high-density bar code (e.g., two-dimensional symbology) components that are designed to maximize the leverage of existing printing and scanning equipment.

Fourth, for products that are too small for existing standard identification, UCC will provide a new linear symbology that can be used alone or as part of a composite symbology solution.

The expert panel based its recommendations on three compelling reasons. First, the solutions will work with the broadest range of existing scanners without impeding advances in technology. Second, using linear symbologies as the focal point improves the ability to implement supply chain solutions without a major disruption to supply chains. Third, new developments in linear capabilities enable effective marking of even the most space-constrained products.

In late 1997, the performance characteristics of the new space-constrained linear symbology were validated by UCC, and composite symbols that best fit business requirements were selected. In addition, expert teams are now developing the test methodology needed to bring the solutions to the marketplace.

These solutions have potential applications in other areas such as providing full product identification for retail products sold by weight or other variable measure and additional data on shipping labels.

The joint mission of UCC and EAN International is to maintain a leading role in developing, establishing, and promoting standards to facilitate identification and communication among organizations.

For more information, contact John Terwilliger at 937/428-3761 or send e-mail to jterwill@uc-council.org.