GS1 Australia has launched the definitive guide to GS1 DataBar (formerly referred to as Reduced Space Symbology, or RSS bar code), a new bar code family that has been introduced into the GS1 System. A comprehensive website with information about GS1 DataBar and a list of compatible scanners can be found on the GS1 Australia website along with a readiness checklist and implementation toolkits for retailers and manufacturers.
Sue Schmid, GS1 Australia general manager of standards development, said anyone working in the supply chain, no matter what size their business is, needed to understand what GS1 DataBar meant to them.
“While GS1 DataBar is already in limited use, from 2014 it will be an open, global standard – just like existing EAN/UPC bar codes. This means manufacturers will be able to use it on any product intended for point of sale, with the expectation that it will be scanned successfully by retailers everywhere.
“This means you need to ensure all your scanners are ready for GS1 DataBar. Retailers will need to act now – and not wait until 2014,” she said.
The GS1 DataBar website can be viewed at www.gs1au.org/products/gs1_system/data_carriers/databar/