Koenig & Bauer is gaining traction with the ‘protected at print’ initiative it introduced at the end of last year.
The Vision and Protect team brings together technologies used by its currency printing division to offer a painless way to add a hidden layer of protection to printed packaging. The tools will help consumers or retailers identify genuine products by using an app to scan the packaging in the same way that banknotes can be identified. It helps brands by distinguishing the authentic product from its counterfeit lookalike.
Koenig & Bauer has certified a number of companies as able to deliver the protected at print service, including at least one in the UK. The printers can offer this as an additional value added service to what they print without having to change production methods or slow print or finishing lines. Brands can check CP3 qualified businesses on a registry on the Koenig & Bauer website.
The first line of defence against counterfeiting is aegis, a coating that includes a stegano image that cannot be seen by the naked eye, but is instantly picked up through the app. This requires a Cyrel flexo plate carrying an embedded image. It acts with standard coatings applied as part of the printing process without slowing the press.
The first applications will be in high value packaging where the financial and reputational risk to brands is highest. This includes limited release spirits, perfumes and cosmetics and pharmaceutical packaging. The end customer can check the validity of the product with the app which displays a large tick to indicate a genuine product. This is the same check that can be applied to euro banknotes and does not add friction to any transaction.
The technology can be used by other iconic products that may be susceptible to counterfeiting, Dyson vacuum cleaners, video games consoles, toys and so on suggests Koenig & Bauer UK Managing director Chris Scully. “It can stretch to lower value items because aegis is not interfering with the printing process and the cost per item to be protected at print is low.
“We can see that can be quite a take up for a number of packaging printers to add value to the luxury goods packaging they produce.”
The aegis solution is only the first in the tool set. Koenig & Bauer can offer Ovjera, a pattern detecting scanning system that registers the original packaging, including the compassion of fibres in the board and materials in the database which is called down when a check is needed. Koenig & Bauer suggests this is a way to identify returns fraud. A scan of the returned product will check whether it is registered in the database.
The database can contain all kinds of information says Scully, including full provenance and where it should be sold. For a limited release whisky with a retail value of four figures or more, this can be used to verify that the individual number and certificate of authenticity is a match.
Again there is no impact on production as the cameras required to capture information and fill the database are mounted on press.
“This goes well beyond applying a hologram to a package,” says Scully. “It is easy to buy boxes of authentic looking holograms from China say.
“This is another layer that packaging converters can apply to bring themselves closer to their customers.”
The technology is not restricted to sheetfed litho printing. It will work with flexo and digital printing he explains. He adds: “It’s still in its early stages. This is something that brings real value to Koenig & Bauer customers.”
