Advancing Product Authentication
Commercial-scale counterfeiting costs businesses trillions of dollars each year1. But beyond financial loss, counterfeiting also undermines trust and – in the case of foodstuffs and medicine – poses a real risk to consumer health. The ability to track, verify and maintain security of goods as they make their way through the supply chain is vital. But, due to cost, digital authentication has typically been reserved for high-value items.
Pragmatic supports brand protection every step of the way with FlexICs, our ultra-low-cost, flexible integrated circuits that make it quick and easy to embed intelligence almost anywhere.
Durable and shock resistant, with a lower environmental footprint than traditional chips, FlexICs underpin RFID-based smart solutions to provide item-level traceability – and a compelling opportunity to make widescale, low-cost authentication a reality.
• NFC and RFID tags enable authentication at every stage of the supply chain
• Flexible chips and tags make it possible to track items of any shape or size
• Robust chips remain secure and intact throughout transit
• Stakeholders and customers can directly engage with items
Maintaining product integrity through supply chains
Build trust and confidence in your products with secure RFID tags, enabled by Pragmatic FlexICs. The unique identities of the secure tags cannot be replicated, preventing counterfeiting and grey market diversion across the supply chain. Find out more in the short animation.
Detecting counterfeit medicine
THE CHALLENGE
According to the World Health Organisation, an estimated 1 in 10 medical products in low- and middle-income countries is substandard or falsified. Anti-counterfeit solutions frequently use 2D barcodes that are easy to replicate and difficult to read in large numbers.
THE SOLUTION
RFID technology allows readers to ‘talk’ to goods, verifying their origin, and their integrity. Digital solutions can often be discounted because of cost, but FlexICs offer a cost-effective way to verify authenticity at item level.
Tackling grey market diversion
THE CHALLENGE
Many problems associated with drug abuse are the result of legitimately made, controlled substances being diverted from their lawful purpose into illicit drug traffic. Medications may be diverted out of authorised distribution channels due to price point differentials or availability gaps in different geographies.
THE SOLUTION
By enabling real-time, item-level monitoring of goods in transit, FlexICs help identify inconsistencies and weak links in the supply chain that may indicate product diversion, or potential counterfeit hotspots.
Guaranteeing provenance
THE CHALLENGE
Every consumer has the right to know how the food they eat is produced, processed, packaged, labelled and sold. But food counterfeiting costs the global food industry over £30bn per year.
THE SOLUTION
Low-cost RFID tracking allows complex source information to be conveyed, automatically tracking products through the supply chain. This traceability assists with quality assurance and provides data insights across the product lifecycle.
Identifying authentic products
THE CHALLENGE
While serial numbers are unique to a manufacturer, they are not unique worldwide. This means they cannot be used to guarantee authenticity of goods, globally.
THE SOLUTION
Unique item identifiers consist of several pieces of information, enabling genuinely unique worldwide identification and verification of genuine products.
Track and trace across logistics and supply chains
As distribution operations become increasingly complex, real-time, item-level visibility becomes ever more important. From picking and packing to transport and delivery, the ability to monitor the location and status of goods is essential for transparency and efficiency. But due to cost, track and trace has typically been reserved for high-value items.
Pragmatic is revolutionising track and trace with ultra-low-cost, flexible integrated circuits (FlexICs).
