Decisions & Implementation
Regardless of where responsibility lies, the evaluation of possible solution providers can be daunting.
Technology suppliers sell the technology that separates the legitimate from the illegitimate. It runs the gamut from embedded materials, to optically variable inks, to botanical DNA and many more. While these suppliers are communicating the value of their solutions directly to brand owners, they often need an integrator (e.g. label/package converter) to apply their technology on or in brand owners’ products.
Not directly in the production chain, website monitoring service providers will keep an eye on the Internet for counterfeit domains, fake goods and legitimate offerings not being sold through the client’s approved supply chain. They, too, may work with integrators to provide a complete solution.
And what if the brand’s problem isn’t just with counterfeit products, but also with diversion (gray market, parallel trading)? They might have to look to a track and trace answer. Track and trace systems provide event based data on the lifecycle of a product and traces its whereabouts, tracking movement from manufacturing, through distribution channels, to the final customer.
Typical methods include a variety of machine readable symbologies (e.g. barcodes) as well as RFID. Systems providers of software, numbering equipment and cloud based servers often sell directly to the brand owners, while others work through channel partners. Those channel partners might be one of the aforementioned technology providers working with a labeling supplier to bring a comprehensive solution to the brand.
Add intellectual property attorneys and general “brand protection consultants” to the above mix, and it can be a full time job for brand owners just to keep track of their always evolving offerings.
Demonstrating Value
Vetting suppliers is just one item on the long to do list of defining a business strategy for brand protection. While it may seem like a no brainer, given the sensitive nature of intellectual property, that vetting process must be even more diligent. There are a number of important questions to ask:
- Is the supplier financially sound?
- Is it a start up company or so heavily invested in capital that it may not be around in six months?
- Can it evolve as strategies change or is it limited to one product or service?
- How easy is it to integrate its product within my current operating environment?
The converter can offer tremendous value by providing unbiased assistance during the initial vetting process:
- Many technologies come in the same form that converters already use in their operations every day: raw materials, inks, dies, digital encoding, etc. As a converter, you are already providing service that utilizes these items and demonstrating a level of capability in doing so. Additionally, layering more than one technology component provides a higher security level
- Each component may have multiple supplier possibilities. You are the expert for understanding the costs of these components within your operations. It allows you to provide your customer with cost benefit options they won’t realize by working with a single supplier
At the end of the day, we all want suppliers who have our, and our customers’, best interests in mind. Asking the right questions and—equally important—continuing involvement in the brand protection community will help you steer a brand owner to the answers for the health of their entire organization. And, in a world of increasing commoditization, being an integral part of your customer’s brand protection strategies is a continuing reminder of your value over the competition.
About the Author: Lori Campbell has been with The Label Printers since 1982. She attended Eastern Illinois University, graduating with a B.A. in political science. She has served as speaker, presenter, panelist, roundtable member and workshop facilitator at numerous national and international crime, anti counterfeiting, and brand protection conferences and forums in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Lori is also on the Board of TLMI and on the Product Security Sub-Committee of the IP Crime Joint Action Group.
The Label Printers has been an FTA member since 1994 and active for more than 25 years in brand protection and anti counterfeiting, working with customers to develop their brand protection programs.