The Benefits of Domestic Barcode Manufacturing

The global marketplace makes it possible not only to sell goods all over the world, but also to obtain services from anywhere. One emerging trend is outsourcing components of the production and shipping process to companies overseas, whose extremely competitive pricing makes them an appealing alternative to domestic companies.

While this approach may save money in the short run, it can also be fraught with hidden costs and inconveniences that translate into added costs or reduced profit over time. This shortcoming of outsourcing overseas is particularly evident in the barcode industry, where accuracy and reliability must be consistently flawless. Although working with a barcode specialist in the United States may require paying for international shipping, it also offers important benefits that are impossible to attain through overseas barcode outsourcing:

• Compatible business hours: Even companies located on opposite coasts offer overlapping business hours. Thus, domestic business partners can communicate via phone or email, on the same day. Furthermore, contacting a domestic partner does not require an expensive international call or trading overnight emails. The result is more timely and convenient customer service.
• Long-term experience: The United States has the longest history using barcodes for a wide variety of applications, along with the most comprehensive guidelines and compliance standards for their accuracy and use. Companies based overseas may offer cheap production, but they are often unfamiliar with barcoding standards for specific industries. That lack of knowledge can result in chargebacks, due to formatting or scanning errors. Domestic companies generally navigate vendor compliance and other guidelines with greater ease.
• Quality materials and equipment: Because other countries have less rigorous labeling standards, overseas barcode and label companies may not have consistent materials for US-quality labels. Furthermore, because they are removed from learning about industry updates and new technology, overseas companies often struggle to keep up with rapidly changing industry standards, which domestic vendors must abide if they wish to avoid compliance violation fees.
• Affordable, expedient shipping options: Overseas barcode suppliers often have longer lead times than suppliers in the United States. This is due in large part to overseas production methods that center around longer production runs and carrying more work in the up-front pipeline. While these methods can help drive down production costs on large projects, they work against barcode labeling because this is usually the last step in the production process. US vendors can often deliver barcode labels faster than overseas vendors, even when the extra time in shipping is factored in.

In the United States, barcodes enjoy the greatest range of applications, along with the most comprehensive and rigorous requirements for quality and accuracy. Thus, a domestic barcode and labeling company generally offers the latest technologies and the most thorough familiarity with industry standards. Coupled with improved accessibility, faster turn times and decreased shipping costs, this expertise ensures the most accurate and scan-able barcodes that the industry has to offer.