Your code deployment processes should be the first line of defence against coding errors. Here’s a look at upstream strategies for preventing costly coding mistakes.
“To err is human…”
Way back in the year 1711, English poet Alexander Pope produced this often-repeated phrase in his poem An Essay on Criticism – Part II. And he was right, of course. To err really is human. Humans are fallible. Without careful management, errors are almost inevitable in practically any discipline you can think of.
“…to forgive, divine”
The second half of Pope’s legendary line remarks on the divinity of forgiving human error. Unfortunately, coding and marking is a process that’s starkly unforgiving to mistakes. Quality and accuracy are crucial, and the ramifications of coding errors extend far beyond the value of the product. For example, food manufacturers can lose contracts with big buyers due to coding errors, while mislabelled medication is potentially a serious health risk.
Confidence in coding standards has never been more crucial. Yet coding errors can be quite persistent. Studies have shown that when manually keying data, human operatives will produce – on average – one mistake every 300 characters. And in 2019, coding errors contributed to a 40% rise in food recalls in the UK.
Preventing coding inaccuracy
We recently wrote about the incredible virtues of automatic print inspection technology. And there can be little doubt that implementing automatic print inspection saves time and money on the production line, while quickly detecting errors. But the best way to work is to prevent errors in the first place. Otherwise, everything else is built on sand.
So it’s time to focus on what’s happening upstream; using your code deployment processes as the first line of defence against errors. Because you know what they say: prevention is better than cure. And you can go a long way to banishing upstream coding errors by implementing QuickDesign.
What is QuickDesign, and how does it prevent errors?
QuickDesign is proprietary coding automation software from Domino Printing Sciences. It’s a powerful tool for centralised label design and printer control. Perhaps, most importantly, it empowers you to mitigate the risk of operator coding errors, providing you with a safe and regulatory compliant way to add a vast range of code types to primary, secondary and tertiary packaging. With QuickDesign, you can be sure that the correct code design and layout is deployed to exactly the right printer, at exactly the right time.
There are five types of QuickDesign package available. Let’s take a quick look at each.
QuickDesign Lite
Strapped for operational budget? QuickDesign Lite is completely free and fully functional label design software. Ideal for small manufacturing operations, it allows you to design labels on your laptop and send your print run to your printer via a direct ethernet connection. It couldn’t be simpler. And you don’t pay a penny for the software.
>> Find out more about QuickDesign Lite
QuickDesign DataLink
The QuickDesign DataLink add-on makes it easy to populate product codes and label data directly from an internal or external library. This relieves operators from the burden of manual data entry and removes the risk of human error on the production line. Integrating with the label designer element of QuickDesign allows you to reduce the number of labels in your library to the minimum necessary, with all variable data retrieved automatically from the linked database. That brings simplicity, speed and unity to your label design and coding functions.
QuickDesign Unite
QuickDesign Unite is middleware that takes the language of your ERP or MES and translates it into Domino language – and vice versa. The result is a connected and highly efficient operational infrastructure, with remote label design capability that reduces operator involvement and can send the right labels to any printer in your network on demand.
>> Find out more about QuickDesign Unite
QuickDesign ProductionPlus
QuickDesign ProductionPlus is designed to bring speed, efficiency and control to busy manufacturing environments. It enables you to create labels for various production jobs in advance, offering rich scheduling features and batch quantity control. It’s the ideal way to enable your production teams to select jobs and summarise status information, for smooth and efficient coding and labelling on your production lines.
>> Find out more about QuickDesign ProductionPlus
QuickDesign Ultra
QuickDesign Ultra is a complete system licence that gives you unlimited access to the full suite of QuickDesign’s capabilities.
Which QuickDesign package is right for you?
You can see a feature comparison of the various QuickDesign packages here. Alternatively, get in touch with our customer service team to discuss your requirements and operational setup. We can help you select the most appropriate and cost-effective technology for your business.
Automatic allergen emboldening
With QuickDesign there’s an added bonus for manufacturers that code onto food and beverage products or other consumables. That’s because QuickDesign comes with an allergens library, with automatic emboldening of allergens on your labelling for legislative compliance.
Are you ready to banish coding errors?
As traceability and coding regulations tighten across industries, there is less and less margin and tolerance for coding errors. Coding accuracy is crucial to running your business successfully. For that, it’s necessary to use automation to mitigate the risk of human error. For us as a business, QuickDesign is the foundation of the innovations we are making with coding automation – which is all about helping businesses to run more smoothly, more efficiently and with less disruption.
To err is human, to prevent is divine.
If you would like to know more about how QuickDesign could help your business, get in touch with our customer service team.