SAFES

The need to have a traceability system that guarantees the control over the packaging and, therefore, over the product in each of its production stages, isn’t new. Protecting the products (including the packaging) from forgery and having control over the whole production line and distribution chain, is something which, to a greater or less extent, every company worries about.

The coding systems are a common practice in the packs of mass consumer products and, especially, in food.

In the luxury sector, this isn’t such a widespread practice, but there exist some systems that we have been applying for a long time with really good results.

The most common systems that we apply to our boxes in Cartonajes Salinas are the following:

Division into lots.

For those cases of packaging of a product, the division into lots guarantees the traceability of each gift box. The process is linear (at production takt time) and it means printing the code resulting from the combination of the codes of the products inside.

This system of division into lots allows us to print up to four lines (with several different formats available) and to add a great amount of key information such as the expiry date, an up and down meter and even the printing of logos.

Anti-resale coding.

It entails a simultaneous double coding:

Visible barcodes (black ink)

Invisible ink codes (legible with UV light)

Both codes come together in each product and the process is carried out in the same production line. Every gift box contains two unique codes which protect the product against forgery, theft and fraudulent sales.

The substantial increase in the points of sale of each product, the e-commerce (which has revolutionized the control systems of the distribution chains) and the high-level forgery of luxury products, has turned the possibility of informing the final client about all this work of traceability and authenticity into a need.

New technologies have facilitated the access to a great number of products, but have also generated a wave of uncertainty about whether what we are purchasing is original or not.

A consumer who has a clear and visual evidence that they are the first person to open the gift box containing the product that they have just purchased, and who is able to accede through this pack to more information about the product in the official webpage of the vendor, will have a greater feeling of certainty and, therefore, a better shopping and brand experience.

Nowadays, certainty, quality and marketing walk hand in hand and we must take them into account when designing the packaging.

These visible control systems, which are appearing in the market at a rapid pace, may be classified into three levels, according to the complexity of the technology used.

LEVEL 1 – SECURITY LABELS

This is a simple but effective system. Modest personalized stickers that leave a mark in the box when they are removed (maybe the word “open”, an open padlock or a small flower) or which are made of an auto-destructive material that cannot be removed or used twice.

 

LEVEL 2 – HOLOGRAMS

Holograms are a control system which may either be printed on the gift case itself or be used as a label too. If offers several levels of information and control according to the needs. It can provide information about traceability and monitoring of the distribution chain, and it is also a very safe anti-forgery system.

Holograms can also have the function of visually attracting the purchaser. It is an added value, since it conveys quality for itself.

The latest proposals include the interaction with the consumer or codes which help us have more information about the wine or cream that we are going to buy, about its authenticity, its characteristics, etc.

LEVEL 3 – RFID TAGGING AND AUTO ID SYSTEMS

They are the so-called RFID tags or systems (Radio Frequency Identification, for short range) and auto ID (automatic identification).

Without the need to use QR codes, scanning apps or the official app of the product, radio frequency allows to provide information in real time. The current most popular applications are credit card payment systems (which are replacing the magnetic stripes), the future payment with a mobile phone, etc. But there is a wide choice of applications.

This technology (which may be both visible and invisible) allows us to have a more direct, simple and exhaustive control over the goods in transit and over the sell in and sell out of the products. Moreover, it might be an element that adds value to the shopping experience.

In conclusion, we can say that conceiving and creating an intelligent

packaging

is becoming more and more demanded. In a system where information is completely open, to the extent that forgery is much easier, protecting and informing will be a determining aspect. But the fact that our designs can interact with the final purchaser and increase their feeling of certainty and their affinity with the brand, will also be very important.