Beep… Beep… Beep… that’s the distinctive sound made when someone scans a barcode on items going through a grocery store checkout line. Barcode technology began revolutionizing the efficiency of the grocery checkout process decades ago and is now fostering huge advances in healthcare, law enforcement, and manufacturing.
Barcodes represent key product or item data in a visual way that machines can read. Codes are either one-dimensional (1D) or two-dimensional (2D) and contain information that scanners read and transmit to centralized computer systems for analysis and use by a myriad of companies and industries. In fact, barcode technology is the foundation that gives consumers worldwide the confidence that products they order online will be fulfilled accurately and will arrive on their doorstep. It also allows consumers to track where their items are in the transit process.
Code Corporation: An Industry Leader
Code Corporation is on the front lines of this evolving technology revolution. The 24-year-old company is a pioneer and leader in the barcode-scanning hardware and software industry. Code is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has offices in Boston and the Netherlands. In addition, it maintains a sales and distribution force throughout the world, and is particularly growing its salesforce in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (known as EMEA).
Code’s products and solutions are used in many industries and applications, including software development, healthcare/medical offices, industrial and manufacturing sites, and retail and commercial locations. In addition, law enforcement officers use its readers to scan licenses and registrations and streamline eCitations, eCrash reports, and roadside checks. They also use them to facilitate accurate chain-of-custody and asset tracking for critical case information and forensic evidence.
“Our mission is to empower intelligent decisions through data capture, no matter the industry or application,” said Kent Hansen, CEO of Code Corporation. “We create industry-leading, game-changing solutions and are proud to have more than 1 million scanners deployed to customers in 100 countries.”
Focused on Innovation
From its beginning, Code has focused on innovating its products and services. Its image-based scanning and decoding technologies have earned more than 100 patents, and its hardware and software solutions offer unmatched accuracy, data transmission, and security – all of which are critically important to customers. The company’s readers are highly accurate, which is crucial as organizations use real-time computing to make machines smarter, factories more efficient, and protect electronic records. Code’s readers use industry-exclusive decoding algorithms for a 99.9995% scanning accuracy rate and can read barcodes on almost any surface, whether they are laser-etched on metal, plastered on glass, or poorly printed on cardboard.
Code also routinely looks for ways to provide software to customers in an easy-to-use manner. In 2021, the company launched a Developers Portal to connect customers to its CortexDecoder software development kits (SDKs), software packages, and associated documents such as licenses.
“Our Dev Portal is a ground-up build that provides a much more robust platform and better user experience,” said Brian Lampright, Code’s senior product manager of software. “The portal features a user-centric design that streamlines workflows. Its self-guided nature makes it easier and faster to search for and access SDKs or essential documentation, such as online click-through contracts.”
Driving Safety in Healthcare and Tracking COVID-19 Vaccines
Code’s readers and software solutions have been well received in the healthcare industry based on their ease of use and practicality. Its barcode readers feature disinfectant-ready plastics and easily swappable batteries, providing an advantage for medical professionals working on the COVID-19 frontlines. Those benefits also make the readers incredibly useful in medical offices, pharmacies, and hospitals to track medicine and supplies as well as identify patients via their barcoded wrist bands.
Code recently collaborated with four healthcare tech firms to create an app that increases efficiency, accuracy, and speed in healthcare environments with mobile barcode scanning. Their Electronic Health Records (EHR) app brings patient information to mobile medical devices, making it easy for healthcare professionals to access. It also helps address issues caused by inaccurate transcriptions, such as medication errors, that affect seven million patients annually in the United States. The app integrates a mobile, web based EHR system that more than 2,300 healthcare organizations use and incorporates Code’s scanning platform system to deliver fast, accurate, and reliable barcode scanning from healthcare workers’ mobile devices.
“Barcode scanning with either iOS or Android mobile devices instantly streamlines workflows by cutting the cord to critical health information that has been historically tethered to a desktop-based EHR,” Hansen said. “This mobile capability helps reduce risk and provides greater precision and speed to patient care by scanning medication barcodes, patient IDs, and other treatments, eliminating the need to transcribe information manually, which is required by other systems.”
Code’s readers have played a key role in tracking, tracing, and verifying the shipping, condition, and administration of COVID-19 vaccines for safety. When vaccines are shipped, they are accompanied by a thermal sensor that records temperatures during transit. If temperatures rise above minus 70 or 20 Celsius (based on manufacturer), the lot is blacklisted. Personnel at vaccine administration sites can use their barcode scanners to verify lot numbers and expiration dates as they arrive, providing another critical safety check.
Code Named One of Top Workplaces in Utah in 2020
The key to Code’s culture and products has always been its employees. Over the past few years, the company has experienced a steady 24% growth in U.S.-based personnel at its Salt Lake City headquarters and its Boston technical center. Between 2020–21, Code’s European operations grew by 150%.
“Our people set us apart and help us reach beyond the expected to achieve the exceptional,” Hansen said. “They are what make us successful in offering top-notch scanners and software to our customers.”
In January 2021, Code was named one of the Top Workplaces of 2020 by The Salt Lake Tribune. The award is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey. The anonymous survey measures 15 drivers of engaged cultures that are critical to the success of any organization, including alignment, execution, and connection.
“We are very grateful to The Salt Lake Tribune for recognizing Code Corporation as one of the top workplaces in Utah,” Hansen said. “This honor is a tremendous validation of the work ethic, creativity, and determination of every member of our team. Last year was challenging on many fronts. The fact that we have been able to come together to serve our clients, including many healthcare organizations, in the midst of a global pandemic is a testament to effective teamwork. Our ability to innovate has resulted in bringing new products to market including a Dark Gray version of our flagship barcode scanner that is disinfectant-ready, which enables more employees in more industries to stay safe and efficient.”
Leveraging Barcode Technology into the Future
Barcode technology and applications are evolving rapidly, with Code leading the industry. For instance, as the 2020–21 coronavirus pandemic subsides, Code is applying lessons learned to its mobile device scanning hardware. Changes will support caregivers in both improving care quality and preparing for future public health challenges. Similarly, the firm is partnering with a bevy of Scan & Go retail providers globally to provide the scan engines, barcode readers, and software that enable contact- and line-free shopping at brick-and-mortar stores.
Code’s world is not only changing as users seek new ways to capture data, it’s also growing—literally. In early 2021, the firm inked a deal with a global IT supplier to distribute Code hardware and services throughout the U.K. and Ireland. Driven by its expanding European operations, Code barcode readers are making strong inroads with manufacturers, automotive suppliers, and logistics firms within EMEA. Projects include Code’s scan engines being integrated into ticketing and wayfinding kiosks, as well as OEM firms private labeling Code hardware for use in retail, ticketing, entertainment, and food service point-of-sale solutions.
“From the early days of making it faster and more efficient to buy groceries to driving a revolution in healthcare safety and record-keeping, barcode technology has certainly come a long way and will continue to evolve,” Hansen said. “The Code team is excited by the possibilities that advancing technology will continue to bring to the industry. We are committed to being on the forefront of these changes to continue to offer the best hardware and software solutions for our customers.”