Hologram Industry News

Photopolymer holograms are set to be the most disruptive technology to impact on the security printing industry, according to a new Pira International study. “Ten-Year Forecast of Disruptive Technologies in Security Printing” identifies innovations that will have an impact in a way that is discernibly disruptive, as opposed to technolo­gies that simply bring about incremental changes within the security print industry.
Based on extensive primary research and expert feedback from a panel of senior executives across the security industry, the study identifies the top 25 most signifi­cant technologies with respect to their disruptive potential and their likely evolution over the next 10 years.
For more information, visit http://www.pira-international.com

Mother Dairy has changed the packaging of its popular selling product – ghee. The new pack bears a contemporary look and reflects the changing Indian mindsets and lifestyle.

“Over the years, Mother Dairy, known for its long standing relationship with its consumers has been continuously fulfilling their demands in different parts of the country through a diverse range of quality products. To meet the changing needs of the Indian consumers, Mother Dairy endeavors to continuously innovate to introduce new products and better packaging. It is with the aim of keeping the ghee quality intact for the consumer to savour and enjoy the rich flavor and aroma, we are re-packaging it in superior style and design. It has been modified to give it a more contemporary look and feel”, says Dinesh Agrawal, COO-Dhara Division, Mother Dairy Fruits & Vegetable Pvt. Ltd.

The new pack incorporates design elements like printed and pasted inside liner, embossed Mother Dairy logo, Mother Dairy watermark on the blue background and a hologram, making the design less susceptible to imitation. Mother Dairy ghee is available in 500 ml and 1 ltr SKU in all major markets.

Holostik India, the Founder Member of HOMAI and a premier producer of holograms for a wide range of security applications, has installed an Omega Digicon Series 2 converting line from UK label converting equipment manufacturer AB Graphic. Founded in 1991, Holostik India has 13 locations in the region and the label converting line has been placed at the company’s Radrapur, Northern India facility.
The system was supplied through local distributor Creed Engineering and is complemented by a Fleyevision inspection system, SR 330 inspection rewinder and Digicoat treatment unit, all manufactured by AB Graphic.

The history of holograms on banknotes can be traced to the 1980s when the Australian commemorative $100 and the Austrian 500 Schilling were issued in 1988. The latter – a paper note on which a hologram was applied as a hot-stamped foil patch - is credited with paving the
way for the subsequent development of the market.

These early successes were followed by Kuwait and Poland adopting holograms for their paper currencies before Bulgaria introduced the first holographic stripe on a banknote on its the 2000 leva note. Over the last 15 years growth has been steady with patches initially the preferred method of applying holograms to notes before being overtaken by stripes. Holograms can also be incorporated into the windowed security threads that are increasingly making an appearance in banknotes.

For complete article download: global-currencies-continue-to-bank-on-hologram.pdf

India is to have a new symbol for its currency, the rupee, after the government approved the winning entry in a national competition. The symbol is a cross between the Roman letter R and its Hindi equivalent, and was designed by a teacher at the Indian Institute of Technology.

A panel of artists, officials and bankers picked the new design. The Indian government hopes it will soon be as recognisable as the dollar, the pound or the euro.

Correspondents say choosing the symbol reflects India’s ambition to be seen as a global power. The winning entry was one of five shortlisted in the public competition announced in March 2009. Designers were given a brief to come up with a symbol that captures the ethos and culture of India.

Recently on June 5, 2010, Google celebrated 110th Birthday of Dennis Gabor, a British-Hungarian electrical engineer and inventor with an impressive makeover of its logo on its search site. Gabor was an imminent scientist who is known for inventing holography and this work of his later led him to receive the 1971 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Dr. Dennis Gabor was born in Budapest on 5 June 1900, and died in London on 9 February 1979. The scientist is known for its various contributions in the field of science and technology. Also a prominent inventor he is tribute with a remembrance such that the Hungarian Academy of Sciences presents award on his name to young scientists.

Read the Tribute: Tribute to Dr. Dennis Gabor - The Father of Holography

The results of election of Governing Body of Hologram Manufacturers Association of India (HoMAI) were announced yesterday (Friday, June 11, 2010). The election for the governing body was held during the 10th Annual General Meeting at Hotel Claridges, New Delhi as per guidelines of HoMAI.

HoMAI established in 1998 to promote the holographic OVDs industry in India. The Association work closely with International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) and Counterfeit Intelligence Bureau (CIB) to fight against counterfeiting and providing extremely high security solutions to Governments, Brand Protectors and Owners.

The new Governing Body is now compromised as follows;

PRESIDENT:
MR. PRADIP SHROFF- PRESIDENT & MD (PRS – PERMACEL PVT. LTD
E-mail: pshroff@prs-permacel.com
Website: www.prs-permacel.com

VICE-PRESIDENT
MR. MANOJ KOCHAR – MANAGING DIRECTOR(HOLOFLEX LTD)
E-mail: manoj@holoflex.com
Website: www.holoflex.com

GENERAL SECRETARY & TRESURER
MR. LUV D SHRIRAM- SHRIRAM VERITECH SOLUTIONS PVT. LTD
E-mail: luvshriram@veritechindia.com
Website: www.veritechindia.com

MEMBER
MR. G S DHILLON – MANAGING DIRECTOR (ALPHA LASERTEK INDIA LTD)
E-mail: dhillon@alt.co.in
Website: www.alt.co.in

MEMBER
MR. R D. SURANA – MANAGING DIRECTOR (EVEREST HOLOVISIONPVT LTD)
E-mail: rajendra.surana@everestholovisions.com
Website: www.everestholovisions.com

CO-OPTED MEMBER
MR. ARUN AGARWAL – MANAGING DIRECT (KANTAS TRACK-PACK INDIA LTD)
E-mail: tpiltd@airtelmail.in
Website: www.tpil-kanta.com

Shillong: Introduction of Hologram in “Indian Manufactured Foreign Liquor” (IMFL) bottles would help the state government to achieve a target of generating Rs 100 crore revenue by March 2011.

Read complete news: hologram-on-imfl.pdf

The trade body (International Hologram Manufacturers Association, IHMA) representing the global hologram industry has welcomed a new finding which reaffirms the hologram’s position as a pre-eminent security feature for banknotes. The International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) says that more than half of the people (55%) surveyed by The Dutch National Bank recognised holograms as an effective visual security device for banknotes, despite the introduction of other anti counterfeiting technologies.

Holograms scored ahead of features like iridescent strips (2%) and colour changing inks (3%) in the survey, which examined people’s recall of banknote security features.

Ian Lancaster, IHMA general secretary, said: “The findings are welcome news as they support the fact that holography continues to be a highly effective, highly flexible weapon in the ongoing battle to thwart banknote counterfeiters and fraudsters.

“People are still reassured by the presence of holograms on banknotes and recognise the benefits they provide.

“Clearly, holography continues to hold a vital place in currency security while at the same time we are seeing strong interest from banks and central governments for new ways for this versatile and durable technology to be used.”

The annual global volume of banknotes produced is more than 125 billion*, so the reward for hologram producers capable of providing the technology to overcome the technical challenges is potentially highly lucrative

Projections suggest the market for banknote holograms will be worth $205 million in 2010, which is 36% increase on the 2007 figure – an average of 7% per annum.

The IHMA believes the future will be largely determined by the ability of new forms of optically variable technologies to displace holograms as an effective yet low cost authentication device but other factors are in play too, including their continuing use on existing notes despite the emergence of competing technologies.

Here, the capacity for holography to hold its own against other technologies will depend on pushing the boundaries of innovation even further. For example, its ability to display effects on either side of the note through windows or threads will be a useful benefit.

The biggest opportunity will come through growth in the overall usage of banknotes as larger issuing authorities either adopt holograms for the first time or extend their use to further denominations.

Countries like India, where the focus in recent years has been meeting the demand for clean banknotes for a rapidly expanding economy, also offers opportunities.

Shillong: Comissioner of Excise has fixed May 15, 2010 for the implementation of holograms in all the liquor bottles being sold in the state, to check the leakage of revenue.

The step was come after Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister, incharge of Finance, Dr Mukul Sangma, had recently proposed to introduce holograms in the state, to check leakage of revenue during his presentation of Budget for 2010-11. This step will help state government in generating additional revenue of Rs 10 crore annually.

Globally, holograms are used as they are highly versatile. They can be applied cost-effective to a wide variety of substrates and products as part of conventional printing, packaging and labelling processes. And while they are essentially overt features that can be recognised and verified by the common man (public). As of 2007, more than 27 countries (46% of total using tax stamp) are using on their liquor stamps.

Source: www.taxstampforum.com / Meghalaya Times