Frequently Asked Questions

Explore some of our most frequently asked questions.

Our Story
What does digitise mean?

At Scannable, we have adopted the phrase "digitise", to mean two things:
1. The integration or application of an AUTO-ID technology such as a 2D barcode (QR or Data Matrix), NFC or UHF RFID tags, making your products scannable.
2. The connection between each product's unique serial number and the relevant product information such as certifications, user instructions, declaration of conformity, care guides, and the many other helpful documents and collateral brands now make available.

Why should we digitise our products?

Managing and keeping track of height safety PPE is a pain.

Digitising your products allows for rapid and accurate addition of inventory and management of assets through their service life.

Why do I need Scannable to apply data matrix to our products?

Well, you might not. You might be doing that already...

But, are your products easy to search for, and is the product data accessible in the way your customers need it?

Connecting your unique serials and product data into the Scannable pipeline makes your products searchable, accessible and manageable to all users via one brand-agnostic solution.

Which is best: QR, Data Matrix, NFC, or UHF RFID?

It depends on the market segment you want to service.

Data Matrix is the best 2D barcode option for "direct part marking", i.e. laser etching carabiners.

NFC is great as it does not require a specific reader now that mobile devices come with NFC readers built in.

UHF RFID is the industry standard for asset management, allowing for read on contact of single items, and distance scanning of multiple items.

What’s a ‘critical question’?

A critical question is any question relating to the safety or usability of your gear. 

What is a digital identity and why do I need it?

A digital identity gives each piece of your equipment its own webpage that anyone can access. The webpage contains all information about the piece of equipment that an equipment user or auditor needs to do their job. 

Why should we use Scannable?

Scannable makes managing products easy for equipment owners by bridging the data gap. This decreases the cost to the customer by reducing time spent manually adding new equipment to their system, therefore increasing customer satisfaction and keeping your products competitive. Think of us as a data distribution network that delivers your data to all sizes of end users. 

Why should we put our product data in your database?

There is no consistent manner to distribute data in the height safety industry. Resellers and equipment users are left to copy and paste from your websites or pricelist.

Centralising the industry's product data makes it easier to search and compare, and allows users to draw down that data the way they need it: in excel, via API to their chosen software, or within a brand-agnostic kit list.

With our global product catalogue, equipment owners can automatically populate any system used for equipment management, which means your customers can have your product data in their software of choice.

How do we give you our product data? 

Manufacturers of safety equipment have different options to connect their systems into our data distribution network. We are building integrations with leading ERP solutions, so you can publish your product data through a single API. We have also built the tools necessary for manufacturers to upload data to the cloud, and to create and manage product serialisation from the cloud, rather than on each production line.  

How does it work?

To get started, Scannable can easily connect technical and compliance data to your existing serial numbers, whether they are alphanumeric, 2D codes or NFC/RFID tags. This gives equipment owners the best user experience for equipment management, minimising the time it takes to retrieve safety and compliance data and documents. The data can then be saved to the equipment owner’s system of choice with just a few clicks. 

If you are looking to further improve your serial technology, Scannable can help you to upgrade your serial numbers to become “web-enabled”. This gives every item a unique digital identity which is linked to its own webpage. Using QR codes or NFC tags, the unique digital identity can be scanned by a mobile phone—without using a specific app, just the phone’s existing camera or NFC technology—bringing up the serialised product’s webpage.

These are created using the product’s existing barcode and serial number at manufacture. Resellers of products like rope and wire that are cut and spliced can also create unique digital identities for each length of rope, maintaining traceability back to the original spool of rope.

How have you made recalls easier?

Having your data available in Scannable also means that you can send recall notifications directly to product owners and users, so you know that the recall is going straight to the hands of the people who use the product. 

I work on ropes. Why should I use Scannable?

We give you all of the information you need about your equipment, and the tools to make this information easy to use. And, we do it while removing manual data entry from equipment management.   

I’m a large company. How can you help? 

If you’re a large company with solid asset management in place for your Plant, we know it can be hard to deal with the smaller bits of equipment like ropes and carabiners. We connect to your Asset Management system, allowing you to keep track of the many pieces of low-value but highly regulated equipment you own. 

I’m a medium-sized company. How can you help?

If you’re a medium sized operation and are finding that your asset management system just takes too long to populate, we get your equipment saved with all of the safety and compliance data and documents you need, in just a few clicks. 

I’m a contractor/sole trader. How can you help?

If you’re a sole trader or contractor, there’s currently not a good option to log and track your gear aside from a notebook or spreadsheet. We give you an easy to use app that lets you save a list of your equipment for free!

What happens if there are updates from the manufacturer for my product?

With Scannable’s network, updating product data has never been easier. Data pulled from our global product catalogue is automatically updated according to changes at the manufacturer’s end. 

I’m an equipment reseller. Why should I use Scannable?

Equipment users are increasingly seeking digital ways to track their kit. We offer a solution to your customers that works with every brand. We also give you the tools to maintain traceability of rope or wire from the master spool to each cut or spliced length of rope, long after the label can no longer be read - and without data entry.

How do you help us to trace rope?

Using our app, you can create a unique serial number for each cut length of rope - without any data entry. We pull the manufacturer specs, PDFs and images from our global product catalogue, so you don’t have to do the typing. 

Once you have created the unique serial number, there’s a few ways you can link this to the rope:

- Print Scannable’s QR code Rope Labels using your existing printing solution, readable with phone cameras 
- Add an NFC tag under your existing labels - which can be read long after a label can’t be, simply by scanning the tag with a phone
- Use a new label and printer solution, which prints and programmes NFC labels at the same time, which is best for rope labelling at scale. An NFC label looks just like an ordinary label, but has NFC technology embedded. 

When the NFC tag has been programmed (with just a few clicks), scanning the tag takes the user to a web page just for that length of rope. The page contains all of the manufacturer’s data, and links the rope back to its master spool. 

If a rope has been spliced, the splicer’s certifications and splice data can be recorded in the unique digital identity as well as the details about the rope and its master spool, making it easy for equipment owners to quickly reference these details. 

Being able to trace ropes digitally means recalls are simpler than they used to be, with push notifications sent to all owners of rope belonging to a recalled master spool.

Is there really no data entry?

Our global product catalogue can be used to populate and update your ecommerce website automatically, meaning no more hours of copying and pasting technical and compliance data from manufactures websites, and always knowing your website is up to date.  

What happens if there are product updates from the manufacturer?

With Scannable’s network, updating product data has never been easier. Data pulled from our global product catalogue is automatically updated according to changes at the manufacturer’s end.