In 1974, engineer George Laurer refined the design of black bars on a grocery label, developing the barcode system that would become the backbone of modern retail and supply chain operations, as reported by The Times of India. His work on the Universal Product Code (UPC) enabled retailers to scan products quickly, track inventory, and streamline checkout processes—a technology still in widespread use today.
Laurer, an engineer at IBM, built upon earlier barcode concepts by creating a standardized pattern of bars and spaces that could be printed on packaging and read by optical scanners. The first item scanned under the new system was a pack of Wrigley's gum at a Marsh supermarket in Ohio, marking the beginning of a retail revolution that slashed checkout times and reduced pricing errors.
Today, barcodes have evolved into QR codes and other 2D formats, but Laurer's original linear design remains the foundation of global supply chain identification. The technology continues to be critical for inventory management, product tracking, and consumer data analytics across retail, logistics, and manufacturing sectors worldwide.