M-real’s IBP Packaging Services business has helped 3M China resolve a major counterfeiting operation targeted at its high profile insulated garment and accessories brand, Thinsulate.
Producing millions of different Thinsulate clothing items annually, 3M China was suffering from a steady erosion in sales and consumer confidence due to inexpensively produced, fraudulently packaged products flooding the market.
In its first ever labelling foray, M-real drew on its 200-strong database of “proven carton security technologies”, replacing the existing Thinsulate labels with a custom-made design based on a covert optical watermark integrated into the digital artwork before printing. While the device is reportedly impossible for counterfeiters to replicate, customers can “easily distinguish” between genuine and fake items using a secure lens key. Distribution of artwork and control of printing plates all conform to tight security procedures.
The entire project was designed, tested and implemented at “minimal cost” within 12 weeks.