Happy 40th birthday UPC barcode

Now scanned 5 billion times every day, the Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode made its debut 40 years ago with a 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum that was scanned and purchased at a Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.

“Locally, the barcode announced its arrival on Australian and New Zealand shores in 1979 at Sims Supermarket in Victoria, which was the first barcode scanning store in the region. This occurred in the same year APNA was formed (now known as GS1 Australia - a local arm of the global not-for-profit organisation that develops and maintains the most widely used supply chain barcode standards in the world),” said Honeywell Scanning and Mobility Country Manager, ANZ Tony Repaci.

“By 1986, 90% of grocery items in Australia and New Zealand had a 13-digit International Article Number (EAN) barcode and 500 grocery stores had scanning technology. From there the barcode was adopted in point of sale (POS) in successive Australian retail operations such as department stores, pharmacy and liquor. The barcode has become so entrenched in our shopping experiences that we now take it for granted that scanning devices will be used at POS for a fast and accurate transaction.”

The barcode continues to play a critical role in improving efficiencies, increasing productivity and enhancing the overall customer experience across a variety of industries - from providing a speedier check-out at the grocery store to scanning at a hospital bedside, to enabling goods to be tracked throughout their lifetime or simply using a phone to board an aeroplane.

For more than 40 years, Honeywell Scanning & Mobility has developed innovative solutions to meet the evolving demands of customers across industries, including retail, healthcare, field service and transportation and logistics. Honeywell’s contributions to the AIDC industry include, but are not limited to, the following innovations:

• 1971: First on-demand barcode printer
• 1972: First contact-wand barcode reader patented
• 1974: Invented code-39, still the most widely used barcode in the world
• 1982: First handheld laser scanner with built-in decoder
• 1995: First handheld 2D imager and introduced the Aztec code barcode
• 1996: First omnidirectional handheld laser scanner
• 2007: First near-field/far-field imager
• 2013: First wearable solution to integrate voice and hands-free scanning