Micro-Bar is so named, as it is capable of obtaining all input from a barcode reader.  This means that a keyboard is not required and is especially useful in an environment that would not support the use of a keyboard or mouse.  Originally developed to be a front end to Micro-Shop, supplying input for products, this has great potential for environments that would benefit greatly from this kind of input.  The image below shows such a use in a Motor Garage where parts are taken from stock and placed directly onto the system by the technician.  In a recent implementation, the technicians used wireless scanners to perform the scanning of all input.  In this case, just 4 scans were necessary to input each product, ready for processing by the admin department.  In order to track who input what, the technician scanned their personal barcode first (the system produced ID badges for them), then the Job Card number was scanned (JobCards have BarCodes printed ready to be scanned), so the technician only needed to have the Job Card with them at the time of entering the part, followed by the part number obtained from either the bin location or from the product itself, finally the quantity was entered from a barcode printout (the system printed barcode sheets with a list of number barcodes that would be posted somewhere convenient in the workshop or parts department).  The focus on screen then reverted to the first scan point ready for the next imput. In the field, this operation took, on average, just 14 seconds!  The benefits of the system were many and included a massive reduction in time taken to process the part (studies suggest that generally, at least two people are involved in the operation and an additional two minutes per part needed), greater accuracy in entering the part number, substantial decrease in parts not entered onto a Job Card.  In the above example, the parts entered via this system were checked by admin staff and posted onto Job Cards since many parts were one-offs and were entered from purchase orders into the system after the technican had used the part - this in itself prevented unnecessary delays in the workshop caused by administration and company protocol.

Training is minimal, costs of additional equipment is very low and it could not be easier to implement into any environment - win-win on that score!

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