
Coding systems
oding systems are used in industry to mark products. Every product that is manufactured in the EU must be coded/labelled in some way, from the colourful labels on jam jars to the best-before dates on food.
What types of coding systems are there?
Depending on what you are producing and what your production environment looks like, you will need a suitable coding system. Which system is used depends, among other things, on:
- The material to be coded, e.g. cardboard, plastic, wood, metal, etc.
- The industry in which you operate. This is because industries such as the food industry or the automotive industry have very specific coding quality requirements
- The speed at which your products are manufactured or packaged. This is because coding systems are usually integrated directly into the production process.
Direct and indirect marking systems
Different marking systems are required for different types of marking. These are divided into direct and indirect marking systems.

Direct marking systems
Direct marking systems mark the product directly, using a laser or ink.
Example of direct marking on a bottle. The print head does not touch the bottle.

Indirect marking systems
In an indirect marking system, a label is printed first and then applied to the product. There are fully automatic and semi-automatic systems for printing and applying the labels.
Here is an example of indirect marking. The label is printed and then automatically applied to the product.