Every successful distribution operation runs on a few simple premises:  

• We know what we have  

• We know where we have it  

• We know how to move it  

• We know where it went 

But in the real world, there’s plenty of room for error. 

Items get lost between receiving and shipping. Batch numbers disappear into data voids. Inventory counts slowly drift away from reality until someone discovers a "surprise" shortage during peak season. 

At TRG, we specialize in closing those gaps. 

The Accuracy Problem 

Here's how some common inventory problems actually show up in the real world. 

A customer orders a product. Your system says you have 47 units. You don't. Now someone is walking the warehouse floor looking for missing inventory. And while they’re looking, they find other inventory your system never even knew about. Meanwhile, the original order is still delayed and the customer is unhappy.  

Or there’s the classic compliance nightmare. A recall hits. You need to identify and quarantine every unit from specific lot numbers, but you can’t track at that level. Or, maybe the data never made it into your system in the first place. Either way, you're now facing questions you can't answer with confidence. 

And of course, the financial impact only compounds over time. Your inventory accuracy drifts by 2 percent here, 3 percent there. It doesn't seem critical until you realize you're carrying safety stock to compensate for unreliable data, tying up capital in inventory you may or may not actually need.  

Whatever your problem, the root cause is often the same: the problem probably started at receiving, and everything downstream inherited the error. 

Beyond Basic Barcodes  

For many manufacturing and distribution operations, the real issue begins with old-school “1D” barcodes—those familiar black lines that have powered inventory tracking for decades.  

They served us well for a long time. But the future is quickly passing them by. 

"Barcodes have obviously been the backbone of inventory tracking for decades," explained Director of Innovation JW Franz, "But the industry is quickly evolving to adopt what's called '2D data matrix' barcodes, which can hold a lot more data than old school 1D barcodes." 

That extra data—batch numbers, lot numbers, expiration dates, etc.—is what allows distributors to maintain item-level accuracy as products move through receiving, sorting, repacking and shipping. 

Without this data, it’s just a matter of time before you’re stuck with one of the problems we listed above. 

Of course, 2D barcodes aren’t the only way to achieve better inventory accuracy. There’s also RFID tagging. 

"They both have the same information around serialization—batch and lot and date," said Franz. "The big difference is 2D barcodes are printed in a label while RFID info is encoded into an RFID chip then applied as a tag." 

Barcodes require line-of-sight scanning, one item at a time. RFID enables bulk reading without direct contact—valuable when teams want to track entire pallets or cases simultaneously. 

Taking Control

Here's the reality: even if you’re rocking the very latest technology, manufacturers don't always label products the way you need them labeled. Items may still arrive with 1D barcodes when you need 2D data. RFID implementation varies wildly. Critical tracking information may simply be missing. 

This leaves two options.  

Trust it to chance—or take control. 

We like option two. In fact, Franz will be at MODEX 2026 showing off a sample distribution system that puts this philosophy into practice. 

"Our system cuts right to it and just assumes the manufacturing facility isn’t labeling products the way we want them to," Franz explains. "So, we start by labeling everything with either a 2D barcode label or an RFID tag to get inventory data we can trust right from the start." 

From there, the visibility becomes scary accurate. Every item gets the data structure you need the moment it enters your facility. You see exactly what you received. Lot tracking works. Expiration date management works. And if that recall comes, you know precisely which units are affected and exactly where they are/were. 

How TRG Helps 

Not only does TRG’s sample distribution system showcase our automation expertise, it also shows how a variety of other services and solutions connect into a comprehensive distribution workflow, including: 

• Media & Consumables  

• Robotics & Automation  

• Endpoint Procurement  

• Unified Endpoint Management  

Because the best tracking system in the world fails if the labels are junk, the most sophisticated RFID workflow breaks down if your readers aren't properly managed and the tightest receiving protocols fall apart fast when you can’t trust your devices. 

This integrated approach is what allows our customers to manage every endpoint they have using TRG as their sole partner. 

But the best way to understand modern inventory tracking isn't through feature comparisons or technical specifications; it's by watching how product flows through an actual distribution workflow. 

That's exactly what TRG will be demonstrating at MODEX 2026.  

Want to see for yourself?  

Visit TRG at MODEX 2026.