Greg Hrinya, Associate Editor09.18.15
Thinfilm, a global leader in printed electronics and smart technology, has collaborated with Xerox on a counterfeiting solution that is yet another step in the evolution of smart labels and packaging. Xerox is launching two new products, Xerox Printed Memory and Xerox Printed Memory with Cryptographic Security, which feature Thinfilm Memory.
These new solutions are designed for supply chain security applications, specifically in providing anti-counterfeit capabilities to the pharmaceutical market and the government. Supply chains like fashion, automotive parts and airline parts could also see revenue savings with these products.
“Xerox printed memory is a small, flexible label that contains a small amount of memory–or intelligence,” explains Patrick de Jong, marketing manager, Xerox Printed Memory. “Because it’s actually a small label using printed electronics, the cost advantages that come out of this bring to us an enormous potential in terms of applications.”
The label itself has 10-year data retention, and no battery or power source is required to preserve the information. The memory is available as web, converted single track roll, rolls of self-adhesive labels, or memory on cards, and it is then programmed by the customer. The standard 25-bit non-volatile memory stores over 33 million combinations. The label can also be manufactured with optional tamper-evident adhesives.
The labels are rewritable, and the technology can be incorporated into existing labels with GS1 serialization and track and trace features.
According to Jennifer Ernst, chief strategy officer at Thinfilm, traditional labels are quite easy to duplicate. “Anything that is purely printed is subject to some (form of counterfeiting),” says Ernst. “For example, we were talking with one company that used cryptographic QR codes, and those started getting cloned within weeks. They went to a 2-D holographic barcode, and that lasted about two months for somebody to figure out how to forge. Really it’s an arms race for most of the brands, where they’re continuously changing what they’re using to secure it.”
Common methods of counterfeit protection are expensive and frequently hacked. These methods include invisible ink, holograms and RFID tags. By integrating Thinfilm Memory with advanced security printing and digital cryptography, the solutions are inexpensive and difficult to counterfeit as every stamp is uniquely encrypted and can only be created by authorized personnel.
“The primary focus of the announcement is on an integrated label that has a combination of digital markings and uses the digital memory as a method of cryptographic security,” explains Ernst. “Neither of the two components of the label–the barcode or the printed memory–are human readable.”
The cryptographic algorithm combines the data taken from the printed memory and adds to it the data that is stored in the printed part of the label. “You have inspection of the analog signal of the memory,” adds Ernst. “There’s actually an electronic signal that the memory can generate that can be measured, characterized and tested against.”
The Memory products utilize a smart phone-based reader and can track and trace the location of a package’s authentication and verification of a product’s information. Tax stamps, for example, generate billions of dollars for governments by notifying whether or not the tax has been paid.
“The crux of it is, you want a low cost solution that can’t be easily counterfeited,” adds Ernst. “That’s what the Xerox product introduces. It’s something that can be manufactured cost-effectively, making the digital memory itself a formidable barrier.”
This new technology does not require the Internet for secure validation, as key solutions will work offline. According to Thinfilm, rewritable data within each tag can identify if a medication refill has been authorized, a shipping tax has been paid or whether a package passed through an authorized distributor.
According to de Jong, there are numerous markets that can benefit from this printed memory. In addition to pharmaceuticals and governmental tax stamps, de Jong envisions the fashion industry taking holds of his company’s capabilities. “Tax stamps for liquor and tobacco are counterfeited on a massive basis,” explains de Jong. “But the fashion industry–and sports industry with companies like Nike and adidas–are probably also a little bit behind in terms of utilizing technology to fight against counterfeiting. The pharmaceutical industry is really concerned about it because if you have a fake medicine, it could kill someone.”
“I think it’s an incredibly exciting product, and I’m thrilled to have Xerox adding the extra functionality on top of the Thinfilm Memory,” says Ernst. “I’m excited about that product, particularly in the tax market, because the tax label, you’re talking about billions of units, and it is a problem globally that countries wrestle with.”
Xerox teamed up with Thinfilm in December 2014, licensing the company’s proprietary printed memory. Xerox will manufacture this security platform at its plant in Webster, NY, USA. “It could become widespread fairly quickly after its release,” says Ernst.
According to de Jong, the initial reaction has been “overwhelming.” “We’ve been pitching some customers and have asked for their opinion in anticipation of the launch, and the enthusiasm is high,” he says. “The reactions and questions for this product are overwhelming because we’re talking about something that–in the eyes of many–is still seen as a futuristic product and difficult to imagine. Many people might not realize what it may do for them.”
To listen to a podcast with Thinfilm's Jennifer Ernst, click here.
These new solutions are designed for supply chain security applications, specifically in providing anti-counterfeit capabilities to the pharmaceutical market and the government. Supply chains like fashion, automotive parts and airline parts could also see revenue savings with these products.
“Xerox printed memory is a small, flexible label that contains a small amount of memory–or intelligence,” explains Patrick de Jong, marketing manager, Xerox Printed Memory. “Because it’s actually a small label using printed electronics, the cost advantages that come out of this bring to us an enormous potential in terms of applications.”
The label itself has 10-year data retention, and no battery or power source is required to preserve the information. The memory is available as web, converted single track roll, rolls of self-adhesive labels, or memory on cards, and it is then programmed by the customer. The standard 25-bit non-volatile memory stores over 33 million combinations. The label can also be manufactured with optional tamper-evident adhesives.
The labels are rewritable, and the technology can be incorporated into existing labels with GS1 serialization and track and trace features.
According to Jennifer Ernst, chief strategy officer at Thinfilm, traditional labels are quite easy to duplicate. “Anything that is purely printed is subject to some (form of counterfeiting),” says Ernst. “For example, we were talking with one company that used cryptographic QR codes, and those started getting cloned within weeks. They went to a 2-D holographic barcode, and that lasted about two months for somebody to figure out how to forge. Really it’s an arms race for most of the brands, where they’re continuously changing what they’re using to secure it.”
Common methods of counterfeit protection are expensive and frequently hacked. These methods include invisible ink, holograms and RFID tags. By integrating Thinfilm Memory with advanced security printing and digital cryptography, the solutions are inexpensive and difficult to counterfeit as every stamp is uniquely encrypted and can only be created by authorized personnel.
“The primary focus of the announcement is on an integrated label that has a combination of digital markings and uses the digital memory as a method of cryptographic security,” explains Ernst. “Neither of the two components of the label–the barcode or the printed memory–are human readable.”
The cryptographic algorithm combines the data taken from the printed memory and adds to it the data that is stored in the printed part of the label. “You have inspection of the analog signal of the memory,” adds Ernst. “There’s actually an electronic signal that the memory can generate that can be measured, characterized and tested against.”
The Memory products utilize a smart phone-based reader and can track and trace the location of a package’s authentication and verification of a product’s information. Tax stamps, for example, generate billions of dollars for governments by notifying whether or not the tax has been paid.
“The crux of it is, you want a low cost solution that can’t be easily counterfeited,” adds Ernst. “That’s what the Xerox product introduces. It’s something that can be manufactured cost-effectively, making the digital memory itself a formidable barrier.”
This new technology does not require the Internet for secure validation, as key solutions will work offline. According to Thinfilm, rewritable data within each tag can identify if a medication refill has been authorized, a shipping tax has been paid or whether a package passed through an authorized distributor.
According to de Jong, there are numerous markets that can benefit from this printed memory. In addition to pharmaceuticals and governmental tax stamps, de Jong envisions the fashion industry taking holds of his company’s capabilities. “Tax stamps for liquor and tobacco are counterfeited on a massive basis,” explains de Jong. “But the fashion industry–and sports industry with companies like Nike and adidas–are probably also a little bit behind in terms of utilizing technology to fight against counterfeiting. The pharmaceutical industry is really concerned about it because if you have a fake medicine, it could kill someone.”
“I think it’s an incredibly exciting product, and I’m thrilled to have Xerox adding the extra functionality on top of the Thinfilm Memory,” says Ernst. “I’m excited about that product, particularly in the tax market, because the tax label, you’re talking about billions of units, and it is a problem globally that countries wrestle with.”
Xerox teamed up with Thinfilm in December 2014, licensing the company’s proprietary printed memory. Xerox will manufacture this security platform at its plant in Webster, NY, USA. “It could become widespread fairly quickly after its release,” says Ernst.
According to de Jong, the initial reaction has been “overwhelming.” “We’ve been pitching some customers and have asked for their opinion in anticipation of the launch, and the enthusiasm is high,” he says. “The reactions and questions for this product are overwhelming because we’re talking about something that–in the eyes of many–is still seen as a futuristic product and difficult to imagine. Many people might not realize what it may do for them.”
To listen to a podcast with Thinfilm's Jennifer Ernst, click here.