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The
Product & Image Security Foundation |
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Product
& Image Security Foundation is administered by:
Product
& Image Security Foundation is the sponsoring association for,
and is promoted by: Product
& Image Security Foundation is the sponsoring security association
for the PISEC Conferences organised by: Tel:
+44 (0)20 8846 2800 Gabi Weck (PISEC conference manager) Direct Line +44 (0)20 8846 2902 During the past few years the incidence of product counterfeiting, forgery, tampering and retail theft has grown at an alarming rate (up to 1,000 per cent in the last six years) and is now claimed to have reached epidemic proportions worldwide. Current commerce from counterfeiting alone at more than £600 billion per annum in lost sales revenue, as well as the loss of many hundreds of thousands of jobs. Indeed, counterfeiting of branded products is now said to represent some five per cent of total world trade. According to the US Trade Commission in the States, the pirating industry increased some 1,100 per cent in the period from 1992-1998. The annual loss from pirated software, video and audio cassettes and counterfeit automobile parts now runs into many £ billions. In the United Kingdom, Trading Standards Officers continue to increase the level of seizures of a wide range of counterfeit and often dangerous goods. Theft from retail stores is now said to account for almost a quarter of retailers' annual profits, with supermarkets, DIY retailers, booksellers and newsagents being the hardest hit. In a recent report published by the Anti Counterfeit Group they stated: "There is a specific cost of loss of revenues and consequent profits that impact heavily, and relatively quantifiably, on the economy in its widest sense. But even here we have knock-on costs to the social and economic sectors of the whole community: jobs, social welfare,local and regional development and investment in the future. The ACG has been instrumental in commissioning initial studies from the Centre or Economic and Business Research (CEBR), one of Europe's leading specialist economic consultancies, into the economic impact of counterfeiting over the past three years both in the UK and the EU. Briefly, CEBR looked at four of the main industries that suffer from counterfeiting: clothing and footwear; perfumes and toiletries; toys and sports equipment and pharmaceuticals. It calculated the losses to revenues and profits in each industry based on size of the industry; the best estimate of the level of counterfeiting in each industry and the level >at which the consumer would buy fakes - these latter figures being supplied by the ACG MORI survey of Public Attitudes. The economic methodology is rather complex but briefly, it involves calculating a shift in the demand curve of the particular industry - this is explained in some detail in the full report. In the EU, the loss to the clothing and footwear group is around Eu7.6 billion per year; the loss to perfumes and toiletries is nearly Eu3.0 billion. Toys and sports goods industries lose a little more, about Eu3.7 billion and pharmaceuticals, mainly because of high overheads, lose Eu1.6 million. Extrapolating a total economic impact of counterfeiting from these four industries gives us a total of around Eu20 billion. The CEBR calculate that around 17,000 are either lost or not created. There are further costs to business. Much less easy to calculate but probably often well in excess of any of the monetary costs that we have looked at are the costs to business reputation, brand image and the effect on investment - the perception or 'public attitudes' costs. The price that businesses pay for damage to their reputation caused by a market in fakes can be looked at in the same way that businesses reflect the value of goodwill. Many businesses now actually put a figure in their annual accounts. Reputation costs are often associated with high status goods such as luxury fragrances, where an absolute commitment to the integrity of product is a centrepiece of the marketing strategy. In the same way - more so nowadays - businesses put values on the brands that they own and they are traded, bought and sold, just like other assets such as factories or machine tools. Few companies will acknowledge the exact amount of loss to a specific brand by a specific level of counterfeiting of that branded product. Suffice to say that in certain categories of industry this loss of brand value is massive. Pharmaceuticals and motor vehicle parts are the most prominent examples". Every year one or more major product tampering incidents come to light and there are now plenty of well-documented examples that can be cited. While most reports seem to concentrate on the above industry sectors, virtually no sector is immune from the attention of would-be pirates or thieves providing there is money to be made. In addition to chemicals, pharmaceuticals, automotive parts, designer clothing and sportswear, the problem extends into computer software, films and video, audio cassettes, watches, perfumery, and high security documents and many more product areas. As a result, the demands for security, tamper-evident, temperature-change, pilfer-proof, anti-forgery, time/temperature, shock-proof and related labels and tags for brand image and product protection continues to grow at an ever increasing rate. The problem has been where do potential users of products and systems find out what is available, how they can be used and where to find appropriate suppliers?
After extensive market research, Label & Tag Security International was formed during the latter part of 1991 to address this problem in response to an identified worldwide demand. Unlike other anti-counterfeiting organisations which tend to concentrate on combating the problems through promoting laws, regulations and directives designed to render this activity unattractive, LTSI's objectives were to collect and disseminate information on products, technologies and companies engaged in the manufacture of labels, tags, identification systems for any form of product security application, as well as related materials and technology. In April 2001, ten years after its inception LTSI changed the operating name to Product & Image Security Foundation. The organisation's objectives are set out on the following pages. Objectives: Product & Image Security Foundation has been formed to provide an international forum to promote the best interests of companies involved in the manufacture of labels tags, identification systems, materials and equipment for any form of security, brand image protection and product traceability application, and to further the awareness and appreciation of their products to potential users. The objectives of the foundation are: To organise and promote conferences, workshops and seminars on security labelling and product and image security technology and applications To promote and foster a better understanding of security labelling and product and image security technology to end user markets by: Attendance at industrial exhibitions, such as LabelExpo. Organising conferences and seminars aimed at specific market sectors (PISEC & related events) Inviting guests and guest speakers from end user markets such as retail shops, police etc, to attend and/or address seminars and conferences. Collecting and disseminating information on new security products and technology. To create and provide liaison with similar organisations world-wide, particularly security print, label and tag related trade organisations, anti- counterfeiting groups and government departments. To promote, through the medium of DocuForms International, Package Print & Design and Product & Image Security Magazine and other trade journals, products and developments in security labelling and product and image security by the inclusion of articles and reports prepared by member companies. To operate an information database for both members and potential customers. To collect from and distribute amongst its members data and statistical information of interest and help to establish international license or distribution arrangements. To Provide an environment where member companies can meet to exchange ideas and discuss topics of mutual interest. To compile technical reports on security labelling technology and product and image security applications. To compile an international handbook of manufacturers and suppliers of security products and services. To issue regular newsletters. (Product and Image Security Newsletter). Confidentiality: Product &Image Security Foundation seeks to further the awareness and appreciation of member companies and their products and where appropriate to effect introductions between member companies and potential end user companies. As the organisation has become established, the foundation has experienced an increase in the number of enquiries it receives from companies, consultants and other interested parties who seek to identify product security solutions and/or information on member companies, products and services. The Foundation endeavours to ascertain that all such enquiries are bona fide before providing any information or making introductions. All information held by the foundation is deemed to be confidential unless such information is already in the public domain, ie contained in company/product brochures, set out in the website handbook, or has otherwise been the subject of published press releases, articles, conference presentations and newsletters etc. In all other eventualities enquiries are held until the foundation has sought and obtained approval from the appropriate member company or companies to release information or to proceed with an introduction. Membership Categories: Membership of the foundation is open to bona fide organisations worldwide within the following categories. Full Membership: Manufacturers and suppliers of labels, tags, identification systems, materials and systems for any form of product security, brand image protection or product traceability applications or technology. Associate Membership: Equipment manufacturers End user companies Companies that suffer from product counterfeiting, piracy, theft, tampering or that use technology for any of these applications Product and security consultants/Trade associations All applications are subject to vetting and approval by the trustees of the foundation. Membership Fees Full Member: £675 per annum Associate Member: £375 per annum Subscription fees are reviewed annually. Fees become due 30 days from invoice date. Members will receive a copy of the Handbook and International Directory of Member Companies, which is updated on a regular basis, newsletters, discounts on conferences and workshops and a certificate of membership. Newsletter Subscription to newsletter only:£75 per annum The Handbook and International Directory of member Companies is available for sale to non -member companies. Applications
for membership and/or further information should be addressed to:
Members' Products and Services Member technology companies provide products, systems,materials, technologies and advice for the following applications.
Security products include a wide range of:
Equipment and Systems for:
Member Companies and Product Categories
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