Labeling in logistics
A closer look at product identities
Karlsruhe, Germany | March 26, 2026
Companies that stock, move or ship goods face the same challenges: How can products be clearly identified at all times, processes sped up, errors prevented and legal requirements met? Labels provide the answers. Companies that set up their labeling thoughtfully gain control over their supply chain.
Areas of application
- Receipt of goods: Companies with many suppliers are familiar with goods labeled in different formats, diverging barcodes or missing data internally required. Every discrepancy results in loss of time. By automating this work stage, speed and process reliability benefit.
- Stock: A warehouse is only as efficient as its labeling system. Racks, shelves, floor space and containers require unique identifiers so that a warehouse management system knows what is located where at all times. Thermal transfer labels with barcodes or two-dimensional Data Matrix or QR codes reliably fulfill this task, even under mechanical stress and in rough environments.
- Palleting: For companies that stock or ship goods on pallets, pallet labeling is a critical part. Pallets must be clearly labeled both for internal use and external shipping. Pallet labels made of durable material can withstand stacking, conveyor systems and outdoor storage.
- Intralogistics: In order picking, readability determines process speeds and error rates. Handheld scanners, wearables and terminals assembled to vehicles read barcodes or RFID tags and log each transaction in real time. In companies with high throughput, labels on load carriers are subject to high mechanical stress in continuous operations.
- Goods issue: Speeds are essential. Shipping labels on consignments display a recipient’s address, a barcode and routing information for the transport operator. Direct thermal printing is sufficient as such labels do not need to be durable over a long period of time.
- Transport: Shipping labels leaving a warehouse environment pass through conveyors, sorting systems and distribution centers. If data cannot be identified, they will not arrive at the destination. Companies that ship to major retail partners are also bound by routing guides. These specify exactly how labels must be designed and to which spots be affixed. Deviations may result in contractual penalties or refusal of acceptance.
Recommendations for labeling
- Industrial label printers suit for picking stations and packing tables. Select a model according to a product and label volume. Special purposes are possible as well.
- Print and apply systems at workstations enable fully automatical labeling of items in motion, without any manual intervention.
- When it comes to dispensing pre-printed labels, labeling heads directly built into packing lines ensure necessary throughput even during peak periods.
- Smart Labels: cab printers providing an UHF RFID module read and verify transponders embedded in labels right before printing and automatically sort out incorrect tags.
Direct thermal vs. thermal transfer
The choice of printing method depends on an application. Direct thermal label material react directly to heat, eliminating the need for a ribbon. While quick and cost-effective, the prints are sensitive to heat, UV light and wear. Direct thermal therefore suits for short-term markings such as shipping labels or picking slips. In thermal transfer printing, color pigments are transferred from a ribbon onto a label material. Depending on the ribbon quality – pure wax or resin, or mixtures of both – the imprints resist to scratch and smear, humidity, cold or heat, oils and chemicals. Thermal transfer is recommended wherever labels must remain legible for months or years, such as with internal warehouse labeling. Many cab label printers support both methods and can be flexibly used for various tasks.
Linerless labeling
- Principle: Traditional self-adhesive labels consist of a top layer, an adhesive layer and a siliconized liner. The latter becomes waste after printing. Companies with high label volumes are familiar with the problem: Liner material must be collected and disposed, resulting in monetary costs. Linerless labels are printed directly, cut to a target length and applied. No liner = no liner waste
- Benefits: A single roll can sometimes hold 40 to 50 percent more labels than conventional media. Fewer roll changeovers are required and downtimes in production systems are reduced. The CO₂ footprint improves significantly, which is more and more seen as a key factor in sustainability reports and when engaging with business partners. Direct thermal printing eliminates the need for ribbons, offering another aspect of sustainability and low-maintenance labeling in logistics.
- Materials: Anyone looking for linerless labels when both marking cardboard boxes and products opts for standard silicone-coated linerless materials. Unlike these, InNo-Liner self-adhesive material is not sticky from the outset. It therefore does not require a silicone surface. Only when attaching a label onto absorbent cardboard or similar paper-like substrates, the adhesive is activated by atomized steam on a special stroke applicator. Since linerless labels are generally provided continuous, companies gain additional flexibility: Labels of various designs and sizes can be processed on the same roll. They are trimmed to the desired length with the help of a cutter.
Recommendations for linerless labeling
- HERMES QL print and apply systems with standard silicone-coated linerless materials. In collaboration with HERMA, cab has in addition further developed HERMES QL for InNo-Liner self-adhesive material.
- In the dedicated label printer segment, cab provides a linerless model of its benchmark SQUIX product line.
The common thread along the supply chain
For many companies, traceability is a duty, whether due to legal requirements, industry standards or demands set by major clients. Traceability is the result of physical labeling and digital data management seamlessly working together. Serial and batch numbers link each product to its history. Every scan is fed into an inventory management system in real time. In events of errors, affected batches can be pinpointed and recalled quickly with no great effort.
cab anticipates growing demands on labeling systems. Decreasing RFID costs, increasing automation and the trend to linerless technologies are shaping future developments. The digital product passport as intended by the EU will further raise the bar for data carriers and print quality. Those who develop a future-proof labeling strategy sooner rather than later lay the foundation for sustained performance and consistently efficient processes.
See cab online at www.cab.de/en
Company profile
cab is Europe’s biggest manufacturer of label printing systems. The range of devices includes solutions for marking individual components, units, products or packaging. Healthy global growth, pioneering technologies, products designed according to the needs of operators and the competent support of all customers are prior goals of the company. Employees at locations in eight countries and 850 distribution and service partners around the globe are there to meet the targets.
Contact
Guntram Stadelmann
Marketing, Technical Editing
cab Produkttechnik GmbH & Co KG
Wilhelm-Schickard-Str. 14
76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Phone: +49 721 6626-285
Email: g.stadelmann@cab.de
www.cab.de/en