Spot the difference

12 February 2007



Overt and covert security offered by laser written holographic labels


A multi-level, anti counterfeiting system based on technology involving the laser writing of selfadhesive metallized polyester film is set to widen its market and help counteract dangerous fake car parts, drinks and pharmaceuticals, following a UK launch last month.

Designed to deliver product and packaging authentification and identification throughout the supply chain Holospot, discovered in the late 1990s at Mannheim University, has been developed by Hamburg based tesa scribos following a €10M investment by parent company and adhesive tape specialist tesa AG.

The continually developing technology, already being used by Siemens VDO and Nivea, is based on the principle of marking each product or packaging with a holographic structure containing four levels of information. Each level presents a different degree of verification: ranging from readable to the naked eye through to recognition through a laser reader. Each product can be given its own individual signature, which is claimed to make it easy to authenticate, identify and trace at every stage of the supply chain through to purchase by the consumer.

The technology is founded on the ability of PET adhesive tape produced by the tesa group to store a large amount of information in holographic form - up to 1Kb/ Holospot. “I am not aware of anyone else that can create a similar optical structure. It has everything to do with the clarity of our film,” managing director Joachim Suesse told Converting Today. In basic terms the data is written by the laser using programs that determine the strength and direction of the energy. The laser passes through the surface of the PET and modifies the polymer just above the metallized inner surface in a nano scale of impressions in a way that changes the reflection properties of the material. Joachim Suesse said that resolution was a mind boggling “1M dots/mm2”.

The system will adhere to most materials, including textiles, board, glass, metal and plastics. Data and graphics are scalable and can be placed on surfaces as small as 5mm in diameter. Custom designs can be tailored to meet the visual and production demands of products and packaging across consumer and industrial sectors says the company.

Secure production

For security reasons, Holospot labels are currently produced exclusively by tesa scribos with the laser written holographic structure carried out only at the company's Heidelberg site. “We have sufficient capacity to be able to supply throughout Europe within 24 hours,” said Joachim Suesse. “We are not interested in deals that involve writing equipment, as that would dilute the security. However, we will consider deals with secure converters where we send proscribed Holospots and these are then combined with other labels. We would still be in control and we would know where each spot had been sent.”

The technology operates at four levels to protect products - identifying, authenticating, dissuading and proving authentication of each product, reducing the opportunity for product counterfeiting or manipulation; identification of each product to verify the entire production/retail chain, and combat the risk of over-production spilling onto the parallel market, or the misappropriation of stock; dissuasion of potential counterfeiters and retailers from skimming-off counterfeit products; providing proof that can be used in legal proceedings and safeguarding know-how, brand image, sales and market share.

Businesses are claimed to benefit from advantages in marketing and greater ROI through enhanced brand protection. The unique label on each product contributes to consumer safety and can help boost confidence and trust in the brand, explains tesa scribos.

One example of how Holospot has halted counterfeiters in their tracks is described in a case study from Russia. The first copies of the Beiersdorf brand Nivea hair care products appeared there in 2003. Customer complaints concerning the poor quality of fake products alerted the company to the problem. “By 2004 counterfeit Nivea products had grown to 30 per cent of the market, “explained Michael Ellis, global head of brand protection. This rapid expansion in trade was due to the high quality of the packaging of copies and to organized piracy in retail distribution chains.

The company introduced the tesa Holospot technology by fastening a unique label on each hair care product. The holographic structure contained the Nivea logo, an individual serial number and additional coded information. Alongside the technology a telephone hotline for traders to report the incidence of fake goods was put in place. “By the beginning of 2005 we saw a dramatic recovery. We went from 30 per cent to zero per cent in eight months,” added Michael Ellis. And Nivea Hair Care's turnover in Russia increased by 40 per cent.

Investment in the technology includes a reading device for product verification together with a Holospot label cost of between €0.02 -0.05.



Contact

Tesa scribos
Tel: + 49 40 4909 2859





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Tesa scribos

Each Holospot may have an individual signature Each Holospot may have an individual signature


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