Alko requires that all transport packages made of cardboard must be provided with a bar code which can be read with a handhold scanner at Alko shops. Marking the transport packages with Alko’s product number is recommended, but not obligatory.
If possible,the transport package code should be indicated already on the offer, then we will get it automatically into all our systems. We recommend the following forms of bar codes, as they function well on the scanners that we use:
- ITF-14, which is also known as a DUN code
- EAN-13, but when using this code it must differ from the EAN code of the consumer package (e.g. bottle), because the scanner concludes from this code also the quantity of consumer packages.
Other forms of bar codes can also be acceptable, but their functionality must be separately checked out. This can be done by sending an original size scanned image of the code to Alko’s Material Flow Control Centre (mok@alko.fi) for checking. The scanners at Alko shops recognize with certainty only the bar codes with numbers, so letters and special characters (including the brackets) should be avoided.