Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85672
technology | by Lauren Heartsill Dowdle Cracking the Service Code Companies are using QR codes for more than just marketing. I Air Burners' QR codes take customers to the equipment's owner manual. How to start scanning To scan a QR code or Microsoft Tag barcode, fi rst visit the Apple iTunes App Store, Android Market or Black- berry App World on your phone. Search "QR code scanner" or type "gettag.mobi" in your browser and pick an app to download (many are free). After the app is on your phone, open it and click the "scan" button, which will activate the camera. Center the code, and the app will scan it and open the website. Bandit and Subaru Power Products are two manufacturers adding QR codes and similar "smart tags" to their literature, providing machine operation YouTube videos and equipment specs. "It seem like just about everyone has either a smartphone or a tablet PC," says Kim Hasenbank, marketing director of Bandit. "By using the QR codes, we can connect people straight to websites or videos." Scan this Microsoft tag or QR code to watch a video on how to use them. EquipmentWorld.com | April 2012 45 nitially used by the automo- tive industry to track vehicle parts, quick response (QR) codes can now be seen ev- erywhere from magazines to store signs. When scanned, these 2-D barcode patterns take smart- phone users with the proper app (see sidebar below) to websites and videos. While many manufacturers are using these codes to share product releases and videos, oth- ers are going beyond marketing and applying them to their actual equipment to provide service information. "An end-user in the fi eld won- dering how to best use or main- tain equipment probably doesn't have ready access to a product manual or computer," says Dennis Von Ruden, president of General Equipment, manufacturer of hole- digging, ventilation and surface preparation equipment. "But they all likely have a cellphone handy. "Using QR codes is just the next logical progression," Ruden says. "QR codes allow us to put so much information right at a customer's fi ngertips." General Equipment's QRs direct users to product-specifi c websites, includ- ing the operator's manual, parts