BarTender® Simplifies and Streamlines Data Collection and Item Tracking

Customer Success Story: Work Sharp

Work Sharp, a manufacturer of consumer sharpeners based in Ashland, Oregon, is a BarTender customer. Recently, Work Sharp engaged with BarTender to solve several issues associated with ecommerce brand protection and channel management.

Work Sharp participates in the Amazon Transparency program – a product serialization service which uses unique serial codes to ensure that every item shipped to customers is authentic. However, the process was manual and limited the number of their catalog items that could utilize the Transparency program. Additionally, they had channel management issues resulting in their products being listed on the ecommerce marketplace by unauthorized partners at unsustainable pricing. This channel conflict resulted in significant loss of revenue and increased channel discontent.

BarTender was able to help Work Sharp solve both problems with an easy to deploy solution because it uses existing labeling infrastructure to capture the necessary data to facilitate the tracking and management of inventory:

• When an Amazon Transparency label is printed with BarTender, the process of registering the codes with Amazon is completely automated, making the process easier, more efficient, and with less opportunity for error.
• The BarTender label design was enhanced to support both a physical label and an e-label. The e-label contains data needed to identify the partner it was sold to. When printed, a physical label is produced, and an e-label is stored. The e-label information is only available to Work Sharp and is not visible on the physical label.
• BarTender partnered with Mojix, a leader in real-time, item-level visibility solutions, to improve inventory tracking for Work Sharp.
• Label information is transferred to the Mojix solution, a global supply chain management platform that provides real-time, item-level visibility, aggregating and displaying detailed insights into each item’s journey.
• When Work Sharp wants to investigate the history of a Work Sharp item being sold on Amazon marketplace, they purchase the item and scan the Amazon Transparency code to view the e-label’s private information. This enables the Mojix Source® app to provide information on the item’s logistics history.

Harold Boe, Chairman and Co-Founder of Seagull said: "The need for enhanced asset and inventory tracking and item-level traceability is growing, and labeling infrastructure is key to unlocking it. BarTender customers, having already invested in their labeling systems, can now leverage BarTender to simplify and accelerate end-to-end tracking."

Boe went on to say, “BarTender labeling solutions have helped countless organizations streamline their operations and reduce those costs by bringing together their disparate standalone labeling systems. BarTender customers can now go beyond optimized high-performance printing to enable serialization and traceability.”

Anthony Gibson, Amazon Global Account Manager, at Work Sharp said, “Partnering with Seagull has been a game-changer for Work Sharp. The integration of BarTender's advanced labeling and serialization capabilities is nearly seamless. It has allowed us to enhance our brand protection with Amazon Transparency without compromising operational efficiency. This collaboration has enabled us to combat unauthorized sales and protect our margins, leading to an anticipated additional revenue of over $1 million annually. We are thrilled with the results and look forward to continued success with these innovative solutions.”

Gibson added, “Work Sharp initially found Amazon's Transparency program overwhelming due to the cost and complexity of unique item labeling. However, BarTender's advanced labeling and serialization capabilities made it possible for us to join the program. This not only enhanced our brand protection but also boosted customer confidence. BarTender is a game changer.”

"Data capture at the source allows us to drive true intelligent insights for smarter and more predictive supply chain decision making,” said Chris Cassidy, President and CEO of Mojix. “Our successful collaboration with Seagull and Work Sharp exemplifies the power of combining cutting-edge technologies to address complex supply chain challenge. By pairing real-time item-level visibility solutions from Mojix with BarTender's robust labeling and serialization capabilities, we have created a solution that truly

optimizes inventory management and traceability. This collaboration demonstrates the significant value that can be achieved through innovative partnerships and empowers Work Sharp to protect their brand while increasing margins. We are excited about the positive impact this solution has delivered and look forward to furthering our collaborative efforts."

The new solution from BarTender is designed to complement a customer’s existing track and trace solution – ERP, WMS, MES, inventory management or asset tracking solution – or be used in conjunction with a new solution.

BarTender is exhibiting at the GS1 Connect Conference in Orlando, Florida this week. To learn more about BarTender, please visit our team at booth #20.