Use GS1 QR Code For Maintenance Records and Certifications

Use GS1 QR Code For Maintenance Records and Certifications

The maintenance record details every repair and maintenance task performed on an asset or equipment. In essence, it tracks asset failures and repairs. It is a beneficial method for maintaining safety management in manufacturing. Maintaining records and certifications can be time-consuming and quite engaging.

Minor errors can lead to unwanted costs and may affect the overall running of your business. Manufacturers today utilize GS1 QR codes for maintenance records and certifications to track inventory, manage assets, and maintain quality control. This results in reduced risk of errors and streamlined product and data management. 

Are you interested in discovering ways to improve operational productivity in your workflows? Keep reading as we explore the reasons and methods for incorporating GS1 QR Codes in manufacturing.

Table of Contents

    1. Why Does Maintenance Record Keeping Matter In Manufacturing
    2. Benefits of Using GS1 QR Code for Maintenance Records and Certifications
    3. Challenges in Managing Maintenance Records and Certifications
    4. How Can GS1 QR Codes Improve Your Maintenance Record Management
    5. Creative Ways to Manage Certifications with GS1 QR Codes
    6. How to Create GS1 QR Codes for Manufacturing
    7. Best Practices for Using GS1 QR Codes For Manufacturing
    8. Integrate GS1 QR code into existing systems
    9. Manage Your Maintenance Records and Certifications Better with QR Codes 

Why Does Maintenance Record Keeping Matter In Manufacturing

Maintaining maintenance records is important due to multiple factors. A few of these reasons are detailed as follows:

Preventive maintenance

Keeping records enables the maintenance team to recognize trends and anticipate possible issues before they arise. It also permits the scheduling of maintenance tasks in advance, which reduces unexpected downtime and lowers the chance of major failures.

Reduce the cost of repairs 

Asset maintenance can result in increased overall costs for organizations. Some maintenance activities are very costly. The maintenance record contains information about each maintenance and repair performed on equipment.

With the help of the maintenance record, workers can easily decide when and which maintenance strategy is needed for a particular asset. This helps prevent asset failures and reduces the costs associated with repairs.

Informed decision-making

Complete maintenance records in a database offer valuable information about asset performance and maintenance significance. This data allows maintenance teams to make informed choices about allocating resources, managing spare parts inventory, and implementing maintenance strategies.

Increases safety 

The maintenance record contains information about the impact of each asset failure on the system, employees, and the environment. It also provides details on how workers or operators carry out their tasks.

By consulting the maintenance record, one can easily assess the severity of an asset, predict when it might fail, and identify preventive measures to avoid failure. It helps confirm that the equipment is safe and that operators or workers perform their tasks perfectly.

Benefits of Using GS1 QR Code for Maintenance Records and Certifications

GSI QR codes on equipment

GS1 2D barcodes, or the GSI Data Matrix, which is used widely in the manufacturing industry. This is particularly useful in storing information such as serial number and expiry date. 

Regarding record maintenance, the GS1 2D barcodes or QR codes offer a functional way to store and retrieve data throughout all your processes. They can also reduce the occurrence of errors in the workplace and help quicken production and delivery.

Successfully implementing the GS1 QR code for production processes in manufacturing companies can help address your main pain points in information management. Here is a breakdown of the main benefits of integrating maintenance QR codes in a company:

Improved data accuracy 

The QR code for manufacturing automates data entry and retrieval, reducing error risks while enhancing overall productivity. 

Enhanced information accessibility 

The information embedded in the QR code can be shared across various platforms. Your business will achieve better collaboration among team members and enhanced decision-making.

Increased compliance with industry standards

GS1 QR code for product manufacturing makes it easier to standardize and verify data. Your business will always be in good books by simplifying the compliance and audit processes. With just a scan, you can tell where a specific document is and provide access to the inspector. 


Reduction in human errors 

GS1 2D barcodes minimize manual data entry, which is prone to human errors. The entire process can be automated, ensuring that the data entered at one point is the same retrieved in another. Through automation, your business will save the time lost in manual data entry or error corrections. 

Challenges in Managing Maintenance Records and Certifications

Keeping track of maintenance records and certifications is not easy. It can be even more challenging for manufacturers who rely on paper-based systems. You must constantly deal with missing records, data entry errors, and other avoidable mistakes. 

Although you may have a well-trained team and experts to counter-check every document, a manual process is usually limited. The most common challenges to deal with include: 

Complexity due to volume

The large volumes of data in manufacturing plants can be overwhelming. Your business will likely struggle with information overload and too many errors when using traditional management systems. 

Manual processes and errors

Over Reliance on manual processes, especially paper-based systems, may not always work. Manual data entry will likely cause human errors and inaccuracies.

They are also time-consuming, and this can slow down operations. With errors and inefficiencies likely to occur in the process, your business may become non-compliant.

Accessibility and traceability

Manual record-keeping makes it difficult to achieve information accessibility and traceability. The fragmented manufacturing systems make it even more challenging to consolidate and access information quickly.

You also have to deal with delayed access since all data is stored in physical files that take time to retrieve. 

How Can QR Codes Improve Your Maintenance Record Management

When used appropriately, a maintenance QR code can automate record-keeping and significantly improve business operations. It can help your business overcome manual data entries and ineffective tracking systems.

When you implement GS1 QR code for maintenance records and certifications in your processes, you get a robust and scalable solution for managing documents:

Streamlined data management

QR code for manufacturing helps to put all the maintenance records into a centralized system. You can convert physical records into digital formats and embed them in QR codes. This will reduce paperwork and manual data entry. 

Real-time updates and accessibility by QR code for maintenance records and certifications

QR codes can be used for real-time updates, ensuring current and relevant maintenance records. This is particularly useful when timely decision-making is needed, or employees are required to access information on the go.

Enhanced traceability and compliance

QR codes are transparent and traceable by leaving a digital footprint with each scan. This creates an audit trail that ensures accountability and compliance with industry standards.

Creative Ways to Manage Certifications with QR Codes

GS1 QR code for maintenance records and certifications can improve how your business handles certificates. Everything from verification to data integration became easier: 

Easy certifications verification

GS1 digital link QR code makes certification verification quicker. Once you embed essential details into the code, anyone can scan it with their smartphone camera and verify its authenticity. This instant verification improves trust and saves time spent on verifications.

GS1 barcode for certification

Integration into digital systems

GS1 barcodes can be integrated seamlessly with other digital platforms. This helps to automate updates and synchronization across various platforms for all stakeholders to access current and accurate information.

Improved audit and inspection processes

Audits and inspections keep manufacturing on track. By integrating QR codes into your operations, these processes can be simplified. The inspectors can easily access all necessary information, eliminating the need for paperwork.

How to Create GS1 QR Codes for Manufacturing

Integrating QR codes for manufacturing in your processes is simple by using an online QR code generator. Here is a quick guide on what to do:
  1. Go to the GSI QR code generator and create an account.
  2. Fill out the primary identification key and other required information.
  3. Enter the URL and choose between a dynamic and static QR code.
  4. Generate the QR code.
  5. Customize the code if needed and test if it works properly.
  6. Save the QR code as an image and display it in specific areas of your manufacturing processes.

Best Practices for Using QR Codes For Manufacturing

QR codes offer you more control over your business information. You can redirect the codes to a new direction or use the same QR code for different purposes.

With maintenance records changing constantly in the manufacturing industry, adopting the best-use practices will make QR codes beneficial to your business: 

Ensure proper placement of QR codes

The position of your QR codes plays an important role in their usage. You must place the codes somewhere your audience can easily see and scan them. For instance, the code can be on a product packaging for customers but on top of a document file for inspectors. 

Choose an appropriate size

The size of your maintenance QR code can affect its ease of scanning. For the best results, larger QR codes work well. You may also choose to standardize GS1 QR sizing, which is 2cm x 2cm or a tenth of the intended scanning distance. 

Choose contrasting colors

A good QR code generator will suggest colors for your code, but it may be a good idea to make some customization. In such cases, make sure the colors are contrasting. You can use the typical black-and-white combination with high contrast. 

Integrate QR code into existing systems

QR codes can be used for more purposes than record maintenance and certifications. Considering how well QR codes can be integrated into your business's manufacturing and investor solutions can be beneficial. This could be a first step to minimizing disruptions and leveraging the full potential of all systems. 

Manage Your Maintenance Records and Certifications Better with QR Codes 

Integrating QR codes for maintenance records and certifications can greatly benefit manufacturing and other industries. By streamlining data management, enabling real-time updates, and enhancing traceability, QR codes simplify compliance and improve operational productivity.

Using a GS1 Digital Link QR Code Generator makes creating and implementing these codes in your business processes easy, helping you manage records and certifications more successfully. Embracing this technology can lead to more accurate data, reduced human error, and better overall operations control.


DISCLAIMER: We acknowledge that GS1, as well as the materials, proprietary items, and all related patents, copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property (collectively, “intellectual property”) relating to its use, are the property of GS1 Global, and that our use of the same shall be in accordance with the conditions provided by GS1 Global.