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THE Hongkong Article Numbering Association (HKANA) is the local authority in charge of issuing article numbers, better known as bar codes, on consumer goods packages.

  At Computer '93, the HKANA will be educating visitors how ''article numbering'' works.

  ''The term 'article numbering' refers to the method of identifying products being circulated in the trade cycle, or the manufacturing-wholesale-distribution-retail chain,'' said Ms Anna Lin, the association's chief executive.

  ''It makes life easier for everyone in the cycle by giving the products special identities,'' she said.

  The article number becomes a product's ID, which is then used by all parties involved in the trade cycle.

  A product - and all its variations in size, colour and packaging - carries its own number.

  ''To make the consumer goods distribution process easier, article numbering has to be of a universally accepted standard,'' said Ms Lin.

  At present, the world's most widely used article numbering standard is EAN (International Article Numbering Association Code), which, typically, has a standard 13-digit bar code.

  EAN was established in 1977 and now more than 50 countries - throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan and Southeast Asia - have adopted its coding system.

  Another system, called the Uniform Product Code (UPC), is mainly used in North America and is largely compatible with the EAN code.

  The HKANA, which was set up in 1989, is the only organisation authorised by EAN to issue article numbers in Hongkong.

  The local association is also responsible for the distribution of UPC codes for suppliers in the territory.

  When a local product is assigned an article number by the HKANA, its manufacturer has to find a printer capable of handling the demanding requirements of printing a scannable symbol on its package.

  One of the most obvious advantages of having a bar code on a product is at the retail end.

  At the check-out counter, scanning machines read the bar code and the store computer will give the product and price details.

  At the same time, the back office of the retailer records each transaction and automatically updates the inventory record.

  ''The growth in bar coding systems has been rapid over the last four years,'' said systems consultant Mr Terence Wong, of exhibitor Bar Code Systems Co.

  Bar Code Systems Co is now more than 12 times the size it was when set up with a staff of two in 1989, according to Mr Wong.

  Today, it boasts a staff of 20 and has a client base of more than 700 users. Its annual turnover for 1992 was about HK$10 million.



The secrets behind the bar codes