Holography leads the way in anti-counterfeiting

Ian Lancaster, General Secretary, International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA), says his industry is meeting end-user needs due to the technology’s adaptability and capacity to push the boundaries of innovation and add value. However, the key to future success will be the ability of holograms to become an intrinsic part of flexible, multi-functional security solutions. These will provide brand owners with the effective ‘weapons’ to battle the counterfeiters and criminal gangs producing hundreds of millions of fake products each year.

The use of well-designed and properly deployed authentication solutions, as advocated in ISO’s 12931 standard, on authentication solutions, enables examiners to verify the authenticity of a legitimate product, differentiating it from the counterfeits coming out of China. Even those that carry a ‘fake’ authentication feature can be distinguished from the genuine item, if that item carries a carefully thought-out authentication solution.

Turning to the different field of HOEs, which takes advantage of holograms’ ability to control light, the growth of LEDs is stimulating the adoption of holograms to provide better control of their emitted light. HOEs are being used to diffuse and ‘smooth’ the light from arrays of LEDs as now being used in display and domestic environments, while they are also being used to focus and shape the light.

Similarly, with LEDs in use as vehicle rear lights and brake lights HOEs are also being used to enhance the emitted light. Meanwhile, HOEs also have an important role in vehicle instrumentation and improving the image on small and large format LCD and OLED displays.

The IHMA is made up of more than 90 of the world's leading hologram companies. IHMA members are the leading producers and converters of holograms for banknote security, anti-counterfeiting, brand protection, packaging, graphics and other commercial applications around the world. IHMA member companies actively cooperate to maintain the highest professional, security and quality standards.

Holograms will gain increasing traction with other layered technologies in 2015 and beyond, says Ian Lancaster, adding: “Anti-counterfeiting technologies will grow as the criminal masterminds get more sophisticated every year, and the security printing industry needs to expand capabilities using multiple technologies to remain ahead.”

Product counterfeiting is a trillion dollar a year problem, which represents about 5-7% of all global transactions, so the long term outlook for anti-counterfeiting technologies is good. Lancaster also predicts that increasing collaboration between holograms and other security and traceability technologies is likely to lead to industry consolidation.

“There will be growth in all markets but those countries with an emerging middle class will probably see the highest. This includes economies such as India where there’s continued expansion - and our industry in India will reflect this with growth of up to 20%. We may see larger companies offering authentication solutions acquiring niche security and security printing hologram producers to offer customers single source authentication solutions.”