Why Do We Need Universal Product Code (Upc) Number

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Why do we need Universal Product Code (UPC) numbers? Why do we need Universal Product Code (UPC) numbers? Because when each company uses only its own part number for the same product as it moves through the supply chain, what results is confusion and inefficiency. Historically, companies have assigned their own part numbers to the items that they buy and sell. This worked well enough in a slower time when supply chains were less complex and when products themselves were less complex. Those were times we now refer to as the "good old days." Increasing competition and demands from customers to deliver products faster and cheaper shapes the world we live in today. At the same time, the array and complexity of products in our economy has increased dramatically and that trend will clearly continue and even accelerate. In order to be competitive and also profitable, companies need to find ways to reduce or eliminate costs associated with routine and repetitive business transactions. Those transactions often fall in the areas of purchasing, billing, accounts receivable, and accounts payable. It is in these areas that the confusion caused by translating part numbers is most noticeable. Time spent translating one part number to another part number for the same item adds very little, if any, value to the transaction. The errors that result from errors in translation are the cause of many problems in invoicing and making payments. These problems consume people's time and slow down cash flow. All these expenses simply eat away at profit margins that are already thin enough. In addition to the operating problems caused by using different part numbers for the same item, another consequence is a lack of accuracy and clarity in sales history data. Part number translation errors result in sales of some items being undercounted and sales of other items being overcounted. And
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