The epidemic of product counterfeiting is growing rapidly in a multitude of industries. Whether you are a brand owner, a seller or a consumer, chances are you have encountered counterfeit products.
This poses a variety of health and safety threats across foods and beverages, medicines, health and beauty products, and reputational damages across all consumer product types.
In the race to authenticate products for brands to protect customers, Crane Authentication is adding two brand new products to its roster.
We recently sat down with Crane Authentication Product Manager, Heather Clarke-Hite to understand what these new offerings are and how they work.
Crane Authentication (CA): You’ve been with Crane for over ten years, finding solutions for brands to authenticate products, can you tell us about overt and covert features?
Heather Clarke-Hite (HCH): Overt and covert features offer two independent but complementary levels of security. The latter is by its nature invisible to the public and requires specific detection devices to locate and authenticate them.
PROFOUND™ Micro-Optic labels include world-class overt features, are easy to see and verify and can enhance a label or packaging with captivating moving and/or three-dimensional imagery. On-package labels that use holograms to help consumers authenticate if a product is genuine are now giving way to micro-optic labels as the more secure, better integrated, and engaging solution. And that is a big change I’ve seen in the past decade.
CA: Please tell us about the big news that is PROFOUND™ PLUS. What is it?
HCH: PROFOUND™ PLUS provides a covert layer of protection against fraud. The signature is embedded within the PROFOUND™ Micro-Optic labels, adding an invisible layer of extra security; impossible to remove and impervious to wear and tear. This is the first time a machine-detectable covert signature measurable with a handheld device has been designed into a micro-optic film.
CA: An invisible layer of extra security sounds very high-tech, how does it all work?
HCH: The security is high-tech, but for the user, it’s easy.
PROFOUND™ Plus films and labels have a unique micro-optic construction and chemistry that can be authenticated using the companion devices. The signature is detected by a small hand-held reader passed over the label. When the signature is authenticated, the reader gives a green light. It’s very precise and accurate. It is not for consumers, but for auditors, law enforcements and expert inspectors, to easily use.
CA: Why should one choose to use PROFOUND™ PLUS to protect their brands and products?
HCH: Covert solutions address different use cases. While overt solutions are by far the best option for consumers, auditors and analysts often prefer an auditable, absolute “yes/no” response independent from human judgement which may be impacted by environmental conditions and distractions.
Micro-Optic features are easy to authenticate even in low-light conditions; however, the inclusion of covert features can add a further dimension to product security, providing a seamless certainty. PROFOUND PLUS is invisible to the human eye and is detected only by specialized equipment. It is permanent and unremovable and provides currency-level security.
CA: Let’s talk about another new product offering. Can you tell us about the PROFOUND™ Pressure-Sensitive Label Films by Crane Authentication?
HCH: Sure. Our films are produced without adhesive liners. While many printers and solution providers prefer to use their own adhesive, some prefer to have ready to print films. The new range of PROFOUND™ Pressure-Sensitive Label Films provide a faster process and an accessible solution for more printers and package converters.
Our PROFOUND™ Pressure-Sensitive Label Film, is a 3D micro-optic adhesive-lined film, that is ready to print and convert to labels. These house-pattern films are off-the-shelf, ready for production and offer unmatched intuitive authentication and counterfeit resistance. PROFOUND™ Pressure-Sensitive Label Films are lined with pressure-sensitive adhesive. There are options that can be used in pharmaceutical applications and most other packaging surfaces.
CA: PROFOUND™ Pressure-Sensitive Label Films do sound profound; indeed, what do they look like?
HCH: They look amazing. I love hearing wows from people when they see PROFOUND™ Pressure-Sensitive Label Film for the first time. We currently have three house patterns ready for print and we are adding many more options as we speak. PROFOUND™ PLUS can be added as a customized solution to the ready-to-print house patterns.
PROFOUND™ Pressure-Sensitive Label Films
Specified Colors
Specified Design
Customizable Solutions
CA: These new products sound very innovative and exciting. How can customers find more information?
HCH: We are excited to hear from brand owners about their experiences and needs, and to relay some of our user cases. We’re also excited about the advantages PROFOUND™ PLUS and PROFOUND™ Pressure-Sensitive Label Films create for our customers.
To find out more about PROFOUND™ PLUS and PROFOUND™ Pressure-Sensitive Label Films, please email us.
Crane Authentication: [email protected]