What is a Seal Tracking System?

The foundation of a seal tracking process is that every seal is identified by a unique serial number. Before field application, this number is assigned to a specific shipment, vehicle, container or piece of equipment and recorded in the system.

Correct matching at the assignment stage prevents confusion in later inspection and delivery steps; a single serial number should not overlap with more than one record.

When a seal is physically applied, the user who performed the action and the date/time are logged. Interim inspections carried out along the shipment route are recorded the same way, noting who performed them, when, and with what result.

At the delivery point, the seal's integrity is checked and the result (intact, broken, altered, etc.) is logged. This three-stage record chain builds a traceable history from the start to the end of the shipment.

If a seal is found unexpectedly broken, missing or altered, this should be handled through an exception flow separate from the normal delivery record. The exception record should include the serial number, event date, responsible user and, where possible, supporting evidence such as photos.

Keeping exception records separate makes operational follow-up easier and allows later analysis of whether similar issues recur.

The technologies supporting a seal tracking process differ in reading speed, required equipment and level of automation. Barcode is a relatively simple and widespread solution; QR codes can carry more data and be read with a smartphone; RFID offers contactless and bulk reading.

The right technology choice depends on shipment volume, the devices used by field teams and automation priorities. These differences are summarized in the table below.

Seal tracking data — such as serial number, assignment, inspection and delivery status — can be transferred to an existing ERP, WMS or TMS system via an interface or file exchange. The scope and method of integration vary depending on the software used and the specific need; this is a general technology and integration guide and does not assume a specific software product.

One of the most important benefits of this integration is the audit trail: a record of which user applied or inspected which seal, and when, can serve as a reference for internal audits and potential disputes. Regular reporting also helps identify deviations early.

A seal tracking system links a physical serial number to shipment, vehicle, container, meter, employee and timestamp data. It therefore answers not only 'which seal was used?' but also who received it, when it was applied, where it was inspected, why it changed and what was observed at delivery.

A controlled spreadsheet or ERP field may be sufficient for a simple operation. Organizations with multiple warehouses, high shipment volume, shift teams or field service may require mobile scanning, role-based access, photographs, location, exception workflows and integration. The right system size depends less on the number of seals than on the number of custody points and the cost of error.

In the GS1 traceability approach, instance-level identification allows information about the history, use and location of a physical or digital object to be retrieved. The same logic applies to seal tracking: the serial number should be unique and reliably linked to the correct operational record.