Seagull Software has rolled out a significant upgrade to its BarTender labelling platform, building item-level RAIN RFID tracking directly into the print process. The update bridges what has long been a frustrating gap in supply chain operations: the disconnect between creating a label and actually tracking the item it is attached to.
The problem is far from trivial. Industry research puts global inventory distortion at roughly $1.8 trillion per year, with mislabelling playing a notable role. On top of that, an estimated 43% of operations still lack complete visibility into individual items once they leave the labelling station. For sectors like retail, logistics, and healthcare, where compliance and accuracy are non-negotiable, that blind spot carries real costs.
BarTender now addresses this by automatically registering items in its Track and Trace system at the moment a label is printed. There is no secondary step required. The system captures EPC data, timestamps, location information, and system context, creating a complete item identity record via API in real time. This means that from the instant a label is applied, the item exists within the tracking ecosystem.
Four new APIs underpin the expanded functionality: a Logistics API, Shipping Order API, Events Metrics API, and Inventory APIs. Together, these give operations teams the hooks they need to integrate labelling data with broader supply chain and warehouse management workflows.
Matthew Brine, SVP at Seagull Software, highlighted the practical stakes. He pointed out that problems begin when labelling and downstream visibility are disconnected, leading to inventory loss, shipment errors, and compliance failures. The integrated approach removes that weak link by treating label creation and item tracking as a single, unified event.
Beyond the core tracking integration, the latest BarTender release includes several additional improvements. Intelligent Forms now support multi-page workflows, making it easier to manage complex labelling jobs. Cloud-based label design has been refined, and a centralised print queue gives administrators better control across distributed environments. Expanded audit and retention capabilities help organisations meet regulatory requirements, while enhanced dashboards provide global visibility into printing and tracking operations.
Seagull Software, headquartered in Redmond, Washington, serves more than 250,000 customers worldwide. Its reach spans manufacturing, logistics, retail, healthcare, and food supply, all sectors where accurate labelling and reliable item tracking are essential to daily operations.