Commercial N.Z. Forest award to study coding

Press, 28 December 1979, Page 12

Commercial N.Z. Forest award to study coding

Product identification codinc. i check-out system used in many United States and f uropear. retail stores will be studied under the N.Z. Forest Products, Limited, packaging study award by Mr Greg Costelloe. He will examine the unique coding system, which uses symbols which can be read on packaging by laser scanners installed at retail stores check-out counters. N.Z. Forest Products endows an overseas study award to the paper and paperboard-converting industry each year. The award is to encourage study of overseas developments in the paper or paperboard converting industry or both which will benefit the industry on New Zealand. It is open to any employee of a company involved in t’o conversion of paper and paperboard and can. in fact, be applied for more than once by an applicant if that person is unsuccessful. Mr Costelloe, who is production manager of UEB In-

dustries’ folding carton branch. Wellington, will visit United States, United Kingdom and Australia next year for a detailed study of j the coding system. Under the system the

basic symbol is a series of prjnted bars and spaces which is translated into a 13-digit number. The number identifies the product, where it was made, the name of the manufacturing company, and the .product’s exact weight and size. The code is used to produce detailed sales dockets, sales and market research information, and for automated reordering and stock control. The coding system was j still in the early stages of .development, but there was no doubt the system was here to stay, said Mr Cosl telloe. \ Australia was working toi wards introducing the system before the end of next I year, and the Grocery Council of New Zealand had set rup a working party earlier this year to study proposals. I The coding is used by reTail stores and warehouses fin the United States, and many European Economic Community countries.