Protection against counterfeiting

 
Safety Vossloh-Schwabe protects itself by labeling products using Tesa Holospot technology. 
 Product and brand piracy have developed into a mass phenomenon in the course of global economic activities. In a study published in 2005, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) put the global damage at around 200 billion euros. According to the OECD, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Vossloh-Schwabe is now taking measures against unwanted product pirates with a comprehensive security concept from Tesa Scribos GmbH. The company, which is part of the Japanese Matsushita Electric Works Group, has been impressing its customers in the lighting industry with electrotechnical and electronic components for decades. "We offer a high-quality, innovative range and have become one of the world's leading manufacturers in the industry. Unfortunately, this also makes our products attractive to professional counterfeiters," explains Nicolai Seitz, Product Manager for magnetic control gear.
High economic damage Vossloh-Schwabe became aware of counterfeit operating devices, particularly in the Middle East and China. This results in around two million counterfeit products per year, which are hardly visually distinguishable from the originals and represent a loss in sales of at least six million euros. However, the focus of the newly introduced protective measures is not only on the economic damage, as Seitz reports. "Due to inadequate insulation systems, the use of cheap imitations increases the risk of fire and explosion, for example. In addition, the service life is only around ten percent of that of the originals."
To eliminate the associated risks for luminaire manufacturers and users in future, Vossloh-Schwabe relies on the expertise of Tesa Scribos. The wholly-owned subsidiary of Tesa AG specializes in system solutions for securing and identifying branded products with a broad portfolio.
Simple testingIn close cooperation with Vossloh-Schwabe, Tesa Scribos developed a tailor-made application concept for the Tesa Holospot system. The self-adhesive polymer label, in which a data field with up to four independent information levels is located on just a few square millimetres, adheres firmly to the product and can contain various overt and covert security features such as consecutive serial numbers, trademarks or other product-specific information that is inscribed in advance using a high-resolution laser.
Luminaire manufacturers, sales and retail partners have the opportunity to check the authenticity of products - with the naked eye as well as using a set of magnifying glasses supplied. In combination with the communication measures, employees and customers can clearly identify Vosslow-Schwabe products. "We expect a deterrent effect and consequently a massive reduction in counterfeiting," says Seitz.
 
Sabine Flaxman