Hologram Industry News

The 20th Holopack-Holoprint will be held on Nov 11-13, 2009 at Budapest, Hungry, the Birth place of Dr. Dennis Gabor (1900) who invented the hologram in 1947.

It’s 20 years since the first Holo-pack•Holo-print, during which time holograms have significantly developed and emerged as one of the most effective anti-counterfeiting and authentication devices used by public and private sector organisation the world over.

Holography is amongst one of the few industries which has tremendous opportunities, but is also subject to rapid advancement and innovation. The pace of change and innovation in holography has quickened in recent years, so the theme of this year’s event will be ‘Holography: the next 20 years’. This will allow the industry to look at new strategies that will sustain holograms as the pre-eminent document protection and brand anti-counterfeiting device, to develop and grow in other established applications and to find new applications in the face of the toughest economic downturn for more than 70 years.

Holopack∙Holoprint 2009 will see hologram producers, strategists, business development executives, artists and designers as well as origination, production and finishing equipment suppliers attending. Holo-pack•Holo-print 2009 will also host the annual International Hologram Manufacturers’ Association Excellence in Holography Awards. These recognise outstanding industry achievement and are given to those organisations that have introduced the most innovative or commercially viable hologram product or technique over the past year.

For more information, visit at http://www.holopackholoprint.info

AB Graphic International has announced a number of new developments for its Digicon Series 2 label converting line. These include modules for booklet insertion, foil hologram registration and twin flatbed die embossing/foiling (pictured).

The Omega Digicon series 2 is a modular label converting line for digitally printed webs and offers all the usual production options such as 100% camera inspection, hot foil stamping, embossing, over laminating and sheeting. The new modules expand the range of label applications possible.

The booklet insertion application is fitted to the Digicon on rails so that it can be pushed out of the way when the not in use. The machine can process booklets with a thickness of up to 32 pages and is PC controlled through a touch screen that also permits jobs to be saved. Digital servomotors ensure precise web tension and tracking.

The hologram module was recently supplied for a security application and is used in combination with an inkjet printing system. This particular converting line is unique in that it has three web movements all on the same machine; semi-rotary, intermittent and full rotary.

The twin flat bed die embossing module with semi-rotary die cutting is another innovation that also permits foiling. On this application, the web on the Digicon is briefly paused while it is going backwards and forwards in semi rotary mode, and kept stationary just long enough to permit foiling. Savings are realized through the use of flat bed tooling which is a fraction of the cost of rotary tooling.

Specialist publishers, conference organisers and consultants Reconnaissance International has purchased the annual Pan-European High Security Printing Conference and the Asian High Security Printing Conference from the Cross Group and BSC International.

Established in 2001 these conferences have become recognised as leading events within the government and related high-security documents arena. The conferences cover issues relating to banknote production and cash handling, passports, tax stamps, e-passports, e-ID card production and other areas involved in high security printing.

The next four conferences will be transitional, organised jointly by Cross Group, BSC International and Reconnaissance International, as the events are integrated into Reconnaissance’s existing conference business. This includes the Tax Stamp Forum, Optical Document Security, the Global Forum on Pharmaceutical Anti-Counterfeiting and the Holo-pack•Holo-print® conference among others.

Ian Lancaster, managing director of Reconnaissance International, said the acquisitions will be an excellent fit with the company’s existing portfolio.

“These conferences complement our existing operations and fit extremely well between our core currency and authentication activities,” he said.

The 6th Pan-European High Security Printing Conference will be held from 1 - 2 April 2009 in Warsaw, Poland, while the 8th Asian High Security Printing Conference will follow on 13 -15 October 2009, with support from the China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation.

The 7th Pan-European High Security Printing Conference will be held in Berlin, German in spring 2010.
For more about this visit: http://www.reconnaissance-intl.com/

France, Paris, March 16, 2009: Hologram. Industries announced the purchase of 100% of the company ADVESTIGO, a French producer of software specialized in the fight against counterfeiting and the exchange of illicit content. Financing for this acquisition in the amount of €4.5 million will be based fully on cash available at Hologram. Industries which amounted to €10.0 million as of December 31, 2008.

Hologram. Industries designs, manufactures and sells high security optical solutions worldwide within three major markets:
- The authentication of identity documents;
- Vehicle identification;
- The protection of brand-name products.

For Hologram. Industries, this acquisition is part of a horizontal diversification strategy and, besides providing a presence in the high growth market for the fight against numeric counterfeiting, thus provides it:

* Access to a new innovative technology which, in particular, will permit it to widen its offer to authentication solutions and traceability over the internet, aimed at brand-name protection and identity documents.
* A new team of 14 persons of which 9 persons are dedicated to research and development.

Advestigo and Hologram. Industries have previously worked together successfully as partners in the development of the Global Checker product, an innovative solution for on-line verification of the authenticity of identity documents.

The combination of these two entities makes the fruitful collaboration of a promising future core business concrete. Thanks to the strengthened collaboration between experts with different scientific horizons aimed at the same objectives of fighting fraud, this will permit the creation of increasingly innovative products which are well adapted to the market. From a sales and marketing perspective, it will permit Hologram. Industries to carry the Advestigo product offering internationally, thanks to the Group`s know-how and international network.

A French producer of software conceived in order to:
* detect, measure and battle numeric counterfeiting over the internet;
* strengthen the fight against the physical counterfeiting of goods through the
operation of adapted internet based surveillance.

In particular, Advestigo capitalizes on a portfolio of patented technologies for content recognition (text, sound, image or video) based on numeric prints, and integrated software solutions which can respond to its customers` needs.

Its cutting edge solutions AdvestiSEARCH and AdvestiGATE are currently targeted towards the markets for numeric media (on-line music, TV, cinema, games and software….) and for national security (public sector and security services). The
AdvestiSEARCH solution which is used industrially by the main copyright holders in France most notably won the Grand Prize for the “Information Society Technology” under the auspices of the European Commission.

Advestigo, which is based in Saint Cloud, France, is a member of the Microsoft IDEES program, of IBM PartnerWorld and the Cap Digital competitive pole. It`s supported by OSEO Innovation, the SGDN and the DGA, the National Agency for Research and the Ile-de-France Region through the PM`UP program. The SACEM, the SCPP, the National Police Force, the ALPA, the SPPF, Canal+, SonyBMG, Merlin, M6 and France Télévision are among its main customers.

www.hologram-industries.com

With industries and government waking up to piracy and counterfeits, the business of holograms has a promising future. Piracy regularly eats into the profits and reputation of big businesses. So much so that goods worth $600 billion are counterfeited every year. International alcohol brands lose approximately $300 million a year due to piracy.

In 2006, India lost $1,250 million to software piracy. This has made several businesses sit up and take steps to protect their interests. The use of holograms is one such measure.

Although the use of holograms in developed countries started in 1947, it started to gain popularity in India in the early 1990s. Brand identification and security were the main reasons behind their use. Each hologram is unique and one cannot recreate the same even with the same manpower and machinery. A hologram cannot be replicated, scanned, photocopied, or printed. That makes it an excellent security proof for brands. Holograms, thus, assure consumers about the quality of the brand. The government of India is one of their biggest users in the country. Voter ID cards, driving licenses, and passports carry security holograms; and with car theft on the rise, holographic security number plates are likely to be used for new vehicles.

Read the complete story at www.dare.com

Lucknow: Following the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet’s approval for implementing the high-security number plate scheme for motor vehicles in the state through public-private partnership, the state government has invited global tenders for the job. It has also arranged a pre-bid conference of manufacturers and vendors on February 7 in Lucknow.

With the total volume of work estimated to be close to Rs 600 crore, the scheme is likely to see most of the 18-odd players, who have been approved by the Centre, attending the conference.

Speaking to The Financial Express, sources close to the development stated the bidding process is likely to be completed by May and the scheme will be started from June this year.

“While all new vehicles, both two and four-wheelers, will have to come equipped with these sophisticated number plates, the job of getting all existing and old vehicles fixed with the new high-security number plates will be completed within two years from the date of implementation of the scheme.”

The scheme, it may be mentioned here, has had a chequered past. After being notified by the ministry of shipping, road transport and highways, the High Security Registration Number Plates (HSRNP)-billed as one of the best anti-theft system for vehicles-underwent many litigations and finally, the Supreme Court gave its go-ahead in May last year.

Now, almost seven months later, the Supreme Court has asked the Centre, the states and the Union Territories to work out the modalities for the implementation of the Centre’s decision to make it mandatory for all vehicles to have high-security registration plates.

The Apex Court said the use of stolen vehicles to commit crimes, especially terrorism-related offences, could be controlled to a large extent by implementing the HSRP scheme.

However, only a handful of states have started conforming to the new system, namely Rajasthan, Karnataka and Meghalaya. “The tamper-proof number plates will sport a uniform font and a unique hologram that cannot be counterfeited and will display the vehicle registration number along with other information such as the engine and chassis number,” an official stated.
Sources: The Financial Express

Download: Tender Document up-high-security-number-plate.pdf

January 16, 2009, [United Kingdom]; The International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) has elected a new Board following its recent AGM - and the end of a successful year marking the 60th anniversary of the invention of the hologram.

Optaglio’s Philip Hudson becomes the new Chairman. Fellow Board members are Khalid Khanani of Metatex (Pakistan) and Rob Levy of Holo-Source (USA). Simone Foine of Centro Grafico (Italy) becomes the new regional representative for the EU/EFTA, while Manoj Kochar of Holoflex (India) is the new deputy regional representative for Asia.

The Board is now comprised as follow:
• Philip Hudson – Optaglio (UK/CzechRepublic) – Chairman
• Khalid Khanani - Metatex (Pakistan) - Board member
• Rob Levy - Holo-Source (USA) – Board member
• G S Dhillon - Alpha Lasertek (India) – Asian representative
• Manoj Kochar - Holoflex (India) – deputy Asian representative
• Laurence Holden - JDSU (USA) - North American representative
• Pedro de Eguiluz Selvas - Fast Forms (Mexico) - deputy North American representative
• Simone Foine - Centro Grafico (Italy) - EU/EFTA representative
• Goran Milinovic - System Intelligence Products (Serbia) - East Europe/CIS representative
• Dmitry Paltsev - First Print Yard Holographics (Russia) - deputy East Europe/CIS representative

At the IHMA, Chairman Philip Hudson said: “2008 was a year of remarkable technical achievement and progress.

“The industry is a very strong position, with innovation being driven not only by established hologram companies but also those new to the industry.

“New ideas and investment is allowing the holography industry to expand rapidly – borne out by the membership of the IHMA, which stands at an all time high with more than 90 and is expected to reach 100 soon.”

About IHMA:
The IHMA is made up of 90 of the world’s leading hologram companies, including leading producers and converters of holograms for banknote security, anti-counterfeiting, brand protection, packaging, graphics and other commercial applications around the world.

Indian hologram Industry has reached new heights during conference HOLOPACK-HOLOPRINT held in Toronto, November 19-20, 2008 . As the President of HoMAI & CMD of Holostik India Ltd Mr. U K Gupta received the Brian Mogahan Award 2008 for business innovation. He is the first Indian national to be bestowed with such a prestigious international honor. According to the IHMA, the Indian hologram industry owes much to his vision and energy and probably wouldn’t exist in its current vigorous form without his contribution.

Two other HoMAI members are elected on IHMA board. Mr. G S Dhillon, MD of Alpha Lasertek India Ltd was re-appointed in the position of IHMA Asia Director. Mr. Manoj Kochar, Director of Holoflex, Kolkatta was also appointed as the IHMA Asia Deputy Director. The Indian Supplier of Hologram industry also makes a strong presence during at HOLOPACK-HOLOPRINT, as Giriraj Foils & Rasik Products successfully exhibit at HOLOPACK-HOLOPRINT 2008. Mr. Rasik Khandelwal, Director of Rasik Products Pvt Ltd also present a paper on High Resolution Indexing film during the conference.

For more news, visit at www.ihma.org

Toronto, Canada, November 20, 2008; Technical excellence and innovative applications were the overarching themes of this year’s International Hologram Manufacturers Association’s (IHMA) Excellence in Holography Awards, which were presented at the conference dinner of the annual holography conference Holopack•Holo-print® in Toronto on Wednesday November 19.

The Brian Monaghan Award for Business Achievement was made to Umendra Kumar (Ukay) Gupta, the founder and CEO of Holostik India, the country’s first, largest and most diverse hologram producer. He is also one of the founders of the Hologram Manufacturers’ Association of India (HoMAI), serving as its first and current President. According to the IHMA, the Indian hologram industry owes much to his vision and energy and probably wouldn’t exist in its current vigorous form without his contribution.

The ‘Best New Holographic Product Award’ went to Liechtenstein’s U-NICA Global Security Solutions for its intraGRAM™ injection mould-embedded hologram.

Hologram Industries picked up the ‘Best New Holographic Technique Award’ for HOLO ID®, a new technique for reproducing an individual’s photo or other unique images as a photopolymer hologram on ID cards.

The ‘Best Industrial Award’ went to Sitech (Spatial Imaging Technology) for its new Fastrack™ system. A development of its Lightgate computerised origination system, , Fastrack enables dot matrix holograms to be mastered in a fraction of the time previously required, making it practical to originate very large masters and bringing the production of digital holograms in line with the fast-turnaround requirements of the print industry.

German hot stamping specialist Leonhard Kurz, together with design and origination partners OVD Kinegram, scooped the ‘Best Authentication and Security Award’ for their innovative Kinegram recolor® feature. This has been developed for use as a laminate in conjunction with a window or aperture in the banknote substrate, and provides fundamentally different, and unexpected, effects depending on whether the note is viewed from the front or reverse of the note.

A promotional hologram used by Imperial Tobacco to distinguish its Lambert & Butler brand from others won the ‘Best Promotion Award’. API Holographics and its sister company API Laminates created the new eye-catching hologram, featuring a ‘starburst’ visual effect, to ensure the Lambert & Butler brand stands out at the point-of-sale.

A holographic packaging concept developed by US firm Vacumet Corporation to ensure boxes of Hasbro’s Trivial Pursuit 25th Anniversary Edition stood out on retailers’ shelves in the crowded toys and games market was also highly commended.

A creative and production team from Toppan Printing, Hitachi Ltd and Hitachi Chemical Co Ltd walked off with the ‘Best Packaging Award’ for their innovative RFID Crystagram label. This is the world’s first combination of hologram and contactless integrated-circuit (IC) chip, and uses the aluminium of the metallised hologram as the antenna for the RFID. One facet of the hologram is that it can be demetallised, providing an intricate, customised design without any detriment to the antenna function. In addition, the Crystagram can have covert image elements, so creating a product authentication feature which combines overt, covert and traceability functions.

Organised by the IHMA, the 16th annual Excellence in Holography Awards - sponsored by industry newsletter Holography News® - recognise outstanding industry success and achievement.

The awards go to those organisations that have introduced the most innovative or commercially viable hologram product or technique over the year.

Delegates from the worldwide holography community attended this year’s presentations at the Holopack•Holo-print® conference. A display of products from the winners and runners-up was also on show at the conference, signalling the breadth and depth of the technology’s applications and commercial span.

Presenting the awards, IHMA chairman Philip Hudson said: “We have seen a record level of entries for this year’s awards.

“Innovation and quality were again to the fore and congratulations to the winners for their outstanding contribution to the holographic industry over the past year.

“They have demonstrated the highest technical expertise to design and deliver extremely effective, eye-catching and cost effective holographic solutions.”

The winners and companies that were highly commended each received as their award a handsome desk trophy in holographic glass, designed, produced and sponsored by Canadian-based creative holographic specialists Hspace.

The full list of this year’s awards and commendations for outstanding projects follows. For additional information on the projects and photos, please visit the website for the International Hologram Manufacturers Association (www.ihma.org).

LIST OF AWARDS AND COMMENDATIONS

BRIAN MONAGHAN AWARD FOR BUSINESS INNOVATION
Award: Umendra Kumar Gupta, Holostik India

SECURITY/AUTHENTICATION
Award: Leonard Kurz and OVD Kinegram for the Kinegram recolor® feature for currency
Commended: Optaglio and SFDI Czech Republic for the Czech Republic Road Tax Stamp 2009

PACKAGING
Award: Toppan Printing, Hitachi Ltd and Hitachi Chemical Co Ltd for the RFID Crystagram
Commended: Holography Industry JSC and the Smolensk Gemological Certification Center for their Certified Diamond Blister Pack ,

PROMOTION/ILLUSTRATION
Award: API Holographics, API Laminates and Imperial Tobacco for Lambert & Butler cigarette packs
Commended: Vacumet Corporation and Hasbro for the 25th anniversary edition of Trivial Pursuit

INDUSTRIAL
Award: Sitech for the Fastrack dot matrix origination system

NEW HOLOGRAPHIC PRODUCT
Award: U-NICA Global Security Solutions for the injection-moulded IntroGram
Commended: Optaglio for OVDot holographic microparticles

NEW HOLOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUE
Award: Hologram Industries and Hologram Industries Research for HoloID

About IHMA: The International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) - www.ihma.org - is made up of 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.

BALANGIR: The torn and mutilated land records, which were the causes of many litigations, have undergone a metamorphosis. Balangir tehsil office has evolved a unique mechanism under which each patta would have a hologram of the district etched on it.

The patta has been developed to check tampering. Once the mutation of land is done, it cannot be forged. While the content of the patta will be the same, only the look and design have been changed, said record keeper Bidhan Naik.

Designed by a Kolkata-based firm, it is being maintained by a computer professional and two manual record keepers.

‘‘After all the records are stored in a computer, which are copied from manual records, the patta is prepared and upon demand from land owners, it is given to them for a mere Rs 35,’’ informed record keeper Bidhan Naik.

Every information is copied in a disc and sent to the Board of Revenue and also uploaded in the website bhulekh.ori.nic.in. The hologram number is recorded in computer against the Record of Right (ROR) of an individual owner over a piece of land so that it can be referred to in case of need.

Also, the hard copies, which are maintained manually kept piling in the record room. For convenience, bundles have been numbered, which is reflected in the computer records.

Balangir tehsildar Surya Narayan Das said in order to avoid double standards, this system has been evolved. It has crossed experimental stage and now the system is working well, he added.
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