PFFC - July 2008 - (Page 36)

BRAND SECURITY Microtags Microtags have been used to combat counterfeiting since ancient Egypt. Microtags are a covert anti-counterfeit technology because their microscopic size renders them invisible to the unaided human eye. The human eye cannot resolve images less than 100 microns, so while the tag is there, your eye cannot see it or the indicia. The microtag markers are a covert crossover technology commonly used in anti-counterfeit brand management. All markers per batch are identical in their chosen feature. Brand owners can change the feature when compromise is suspected. This is referred to as a “migration path” to stay ahead of the bad guys. A Different Kind of Option This is an example of a logo design. The “®mark” shows one example of detail. If the item’s authentication is in question, the manufacturer simply needs to examine the item with a 100X magnifying lens for evidence of the tag. The tags also can withstand typical food processing including cooking. ferent kind of option. Technologies that provide “in-contact” authentication of the end-use product will help not only to shape compliance with the Bioterrorist Act but will provide brand owners with a strong security option to mitigate the upstream risk of adulteration, gray market dilution, and counterfeit components. Peter D. Gabriele is technical director for ARmark Authentication Technologies and holds a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in biochemistry from the Univ. of Hartford. He also earned a graduate degree in biotechnology from Johns Hopkins Univ. Gabriele is a past recipient of the Roon Foundation Award and the Dahlquist Award. Contact him at 717227-5922, pgabriele@rmark.org. Andrew T. Hogan is a product development chemist for ARmark and holds a bachelor’s degree in polymer science from the Univ. of Southern Mississippi. He has more than eight years of product development experience, including six years in p-s adhesive formulation development and three years of polymer development for p-s adhesives. Contact him at 717-227-3243, ahogan@rmark.org. Finding the right security technology for food chain defense depends on what you expect to mitigate. It helps to know what you expect to find! Adulteration, contamination, and “counterfeiting” all present different options to mitigate the risks associated with food chain security and defense. If location and volume control is important, then a track and trace technology like RFID is an option. If package authenticity and inventory control are desired, then overt technologies like holograms, security labels, and bar codes are an option. If contamination and adulteration are the issues, then you must know for what you are looking. All technologies are constrained in some way. There is no single solution to brand protection. The brand owner decides the level of risk mitigation based on the chosen technology. ARmark markers are a dif- John creates balance. Imagine what it takes to make a 2,000 lb roll purr like a kitten at 7,000 RPM. John knows. With computerized accuracy, John DeWindt achieves perfect balance on every roll. He starts with the shell. Then the entire roll. That’s how Webex ensures smooth roll performance at any specified speed. Want your line to purr? Call Webex. Get more than just a roll. Get precision roll performance. www.webexinc.com PFFC-ASAP 120 36 | JULY 2008 WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM 920-729-6666 http://www.webexinc.com http://WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of PFFC - July 2008

PFFC - July 2008 Contents First Glance Calendar of Events From the Editor Web Lines Process Management News Clips Narrow Web & Label Reporter Narrow Web & Label What’s New Products Cover: Special Report Start with Security 2008 TAPPI PLACE Conference Printing Partnerships Paper’s Pledge Edible Markers Flexography Exclusive Research: Critical Trends What’s New Products Services Directory Classified Marketplace Advertisers Index Experience Speaks

PFFC - July 2008

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