News

Loftware and SATO Unveil Cloud-Connected Label Printing Solution for Supply Chain Efficiency and Agility

21/05/25

Solution eliminates printer driver dependencies, streamlines user management, and enhances operational flexibility

TOKYO & PORTSMOUTH, NH, May 21, 2025 – Loftware, the global leader in Enterprise Labelling and Artwork Management solutions, and SATO Corporation, a pioneer in the development of auto-ID and labelling solutions, today announced the availability of their cloud-connected label printing solution for AEP-equipped SATO printers¹. This comes at a time when the adoption of cloud-based technologies is on the rise, with the Loftware/SATO partnership supporting this shift to streamline business processes and enhance supply chain agility.

Cloud-enabled printing with SATO and Loftware Cloud

The joint solution, which connects Loftware Cloud with SATO's cloud-connected printers, eliminates printer driver dependencies, allowing IT teams to avoid installation, troubleshooting, updates, and management. This significantly reduces maintenance and support costs, while enabling businesses to print from any PC browser, providing flexibility to scale or adapt operations without technical constraints. Additionally, users can access the latest approved label templates from anywhere, at any time, through a secure browser and seamlessly print from their SATO printer. The platform also streamlines user management, enabling administrators to quickly add and approve new users in minutes without the need for license keys, reducing administrative burden and improving operational efficiency.

The Loftware/SATO partnership supports a range of industry applications, including supplier compliance to ensure accurate and timely labelling and RFID tagging for improved supply chain efficiency; in-plant labelling to enhance process control within factories; retail labelling to maintain consistency and compliance with industry standards; and third-party logistics (3PL) labelling to enable seamless integration for logistics providers.

Hayato Shindo, Group Business Officer at SATO Corporation commented: “In today's fast-paced business environment, manufacturers face many challenges, such as changing customer, legal and regulatory requirements; remote working and collaboration; rapid scaling up of operations; and improving productivity while reducing operating costs. Traditional desktop label design applications, while effective in the past, are no longer sufficient to manage these complexities. The solution provided by SATO and Loftware addresses these challenges head-on by offering a centralised and secure platform for label design and printing.”

Loftware Cloud expands labelling capabilities across internal stakeholders, external suppliers, co-manufacturers, and co-packers, who all play a role in the complex supply chain process. With seamless integration into both on-premise and cloud-based business applications such as ERP, WMS, and PLM, Loftware Cloud optimises workflows for greater efficiency and accuracy.

SATO's cloud-connected printers further enhance this solution with effortless installation and mobility. Simply connecting a LAN cable ensures the printer is ready for immediate use. This plug-and-play functionality makes it easy to relocate printers as needed, giving businesses the flexibility to adapt to changing operational demands.

Denis Stojanoski, Loftware Senior Alliance Program Manager, added: “Our partnership with SATO delivers a powerful cloud-connected label printing solution that streamlines supply chain operations, enhances efficiency, ensures compliance, and eliminates IT complexities. Businesses can now achieve greater agility and scalability, all while reducing costs and improving overall workflow management.”

Loftware and SATO’s global partnership extends over a quarter century. In recent years, the two have developed an advanced RFID encoding and logging solution to help businesses meet stringent traceability standards. The partnership between Loftware and SATO represents a strategic shift toward addressing specific use cases to better meet modern business needs. For more, contact Loftware and SATO.

1. Models compatible with SATO’s Application Enabled Printing intelligence: CL4NX Plus, CL6NX Plus, CT4-LX, CT4-LX-HC, FX3-LX, PW4NX, S84NX, S86NX and LR4NX-FA

ENDS

About Loftware

No matter what the challenge – digital transformation, time to market, or brand authenticity - Loftware can help you make your mark. We understand how global supply chains work and know that each item you produce, and ship is an expression of your company’s brand. Our end-to-end cloud-based labelling platform helps businesses of all sizes manage labelling across their operations and supply chain. Loftware also helps companies deal with evolving customer and regulatory compliance issues. And we offer extensive expertise with a global presence maintaining offices in the US, UK, Germany, Slovenia, China, and Singapore. We serve companies in automotive, chemicals, clinical trials, consumer products, electronics, food & beverage, manufacturing, medical device, pharmaceuticals, retail/apparel, and more. 

About SATO

SATO (TOKYO:6287) designs and manufactures hardware, labels and tags and develops software to integrate with third party offerings as automatic identification solutions. These solutions streamline workflows, enabling data capture and visualisation for a connected world of productivity, safety, reassurance and sustainability. By giving things a digital identity, SATO helps businesses in retail, manufacturing, food, healthcare and transport & logistics run smoothly. Founded in 1940, SATO has a presence in 26 countries with a workforce of over 5,700. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, it reported revenues of 143,446 million yen ($992 million*).

More information about SATO can be found at www.sato-global.com

*Based on an average exchange rate of 1 USD = 144.58 JPY

All company names and product names listed are properties and trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Media contacts: 

Laura Hindley, Senior PR & Communications Manager, lhindley@loftware.com

Kevin Leidheiser, Public Relations, kevin.leidheiser@sato-global.com