Batch coding, also known as lot coding, is a process by which companies use marking and coding equipment to put the same identifiable number on product packages that share the same characteristics with each other. By putting the same number on a group of units, they are creating a “batch.” Using this method, businesses have a leg up when handling recall efforts, developing their own internal quality assurance process, and adhering to legal compliance.
Business owners that want to understand why batch coding is required should read along to learn about the different ways the system can be used to benefit companies big and small.
The primary purpose of batch coding is to give manufacturers a web of distributors to contact in the event of a recall. If a manufacturer is told that one unit has malfunctioned or caused harm, they can trace all the other units in that batch to their point of distribution.
Once they have found the distribution point of each unit, they can easily contact the distributors and initiate a recall. This seamless process has made the act of recalling dangerous or malfunctioning products easier and more consistent.
Batch coding can also benefit a company’s internal processes. For quality assurance purposes, business owners can pick units at random and test their quality. If the unit is working properly, the business owner can be assured that other identical units in its batch are working just as well. If the unit has not performed properly, however, that tells the business owner that they should look into the rest of the batch.
Those wanting to know why batch coding is required probably will not be satisfied with this answer: because the government says so. Governmental bodies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) need to make sure companies can handle a recall. For that reason, business owners must create batch coding systems that can live up to the standards of regulatory bodies.