[Image: Show secondary coding on pack, displaying traceability, assurance and product promotion.]

Pyrotec PackMark, September 2020: Secondary packaging protects products from being damaged by other products, usually during transportation. It is also used to sort and track batches of product in a manufacturer’s inventory.

Secondary coding is what’s printed onto this layer of packaging. This is how information, such as barcodes, serialisation codes, and expiry or ‘best by’ dates, is traced through the supply chain and products are managed at retail.

Secondary coding is vital in the supply chain to meet the following criteria:

Meet traceability requirements

By printing barcodes and serialisation codes on every product’s secondary packaging, manufacturers can trace items as they move through the supply chain. This enables anyone who’s involved in the supply chain to identify individual lots, shipments and packages – telling them where the products have come from and where they are destined. It also ensures products can be quickly recalled if the need arises.

Provide assurance

Manufacturers use coding to prove the authenticity of their products. This makes it possible for retailers, consumers, and anyone else in the supply chain to immediately trace the product back to its point of origin to check that it is genuine and safe to transport, sell or use.

Promote products

Promotional coding and serialisation support marketing initiatives and help you easily implement them from the start. Markem-Imaje’s promotional coding solution, available from Pyrotec PackMark, makes it easier to use packaging to run promotions by allowing unique codes to be printed on demand, even at high speeds.

To find out more about secondary coding solutions, visit www.pyrotec.co.za.