UFI in the Database
Our database creation tool (Redlike Manager) is going to contain a new column in two different tables already on the Master level (editable again on the level of System and Zone):
- UFI for each product base,
- UFI for each colorant.
In case your UFIs are going to be constant or changing rather rarely, you can set them up directly in the database and disable any work with UFIs for the user in Redlike itself. This can be done in the new configuration which is going to be part of UFI implementation in Redlike (POS software).
UFI Code of the Base
As for the product base, the UFI is going to be taken directly from the database and it can (but does not have to) be shown in the information panel directly in Redlike.
It is expected that the information about the base UFI code is going to be written directly on the product can. Nonetheless, we provide the possibility to print it out as an additional label. For this purpose, Redlike is going to support multiple labels with multiple layouts which can be printed out on various printers. Thus, we can have one default template and default printer for “normal” label printing, and one template with its printer specially dedicated to UFI (or any other information). Whatever way you choose, the label can either contain the pre-filled value taken from the database, or it can be modified manually. This will allow the user to correct potential mistakes and increase flexibility.
For other cases (and as a protection measurement), base UFI code confirmation feature is going to be available. This secures that the appropriate UFI code is being manipulated with. Manual insertion or correction of the scanned barcode/QR code is also possible. This feature can be either turned off or on at all times, or it can be only requested if there is no UFI code present in the database for the given product package. If turned on permanently, the confirmation can be sped up by having the base UFI code pre-filled from the database.
UFI Codes of Colorants
The aforementioned new configuration will let the user set whether or not they want to be using UFI codes at all. If the user selects the option of working with it, more configuration is available. Namely, the user can decide how to use UFI codes:
- use UFI codes from the database: constant UFI codes as described above – when performing refill, this UFI is going to be pre-filled and cannot be changed,
- use UFI code from the last filling: no matter the amounts, the last provided UFI given during the refilling is used,
- use UFI code of the most abundant colorant batch in the canister: UFIs are provided during the refilling, and then Redlike calculates how much % of which colorant batch is present in the canister and based on this calculation, it chooses which UFI should be used, whereas the one with the biggest representation is considered the main one;
- for this option, also the definition of a threshold for each canister is possible (for example if threshold is 10 %, then the colorant batches, which amount under 10 % in the canister, will not be shown).
New UFIs are stated during refilling and can be easily kept from the last refill. Inserting new UFI code can be done by scanning its barcode/QR code or by manual insertion in case the barcode reader is malfunctioning in the POS. The UFI code is then displayed in the canister detail (and the formula preview same as base UFI codes described above) along with the possibility to edit the current UFI code, and to access the history of all previously refilled colorants with the relevant UFI codes.
The detail of UFIs is going to provide two important overviews:
- what is the current status of the UFIs present in the canister,
- the entire history of all previously refilled UFI codes.
As for printing of the colorant UFI on the print label, we provide two additional configurations:
- print the colorant UFI on the print label,
- print the percentage representation of the colorant on the print label along with its UFI.
