Thinfilm, G World Group Prepping NFC-Based Anti-Counterfeiting Solution for Wine

Thin Film announced a partnership with G World Group at Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2015 for a smart wine bottle using printed electronics technology. The companies plan to deliver a bottle using Thin Film’s NFC (near field communications) OpenSense tags and G World’s Samscan process over the coming months, after a field trial with Ferngrove Wine Group, a Chinese-owned, Western Australia-based supplier of red wine to the Asia-Pacific and China region. “Counterfeit wine, particularly in Asia, is pervasive,” said the companies, citing recent reports claiming that 50-70 percent of all wine sold in China “could be fake.” The percentage is higher for premium brands, they said. The G World anti-counterfeiting solution -- powered by Thin Film’s unique NFC technology – facilitates authentication of individual bottles throughout the supply chain, ensuring they're packaged, shipped, stocked and purchased “in their original factory-sealed state,” said the companies. The thin NFC OpenSense tags can detect a product’s sealed and open states and wirelessly communicate data with the tap of an NFC-enabled smartphone or device, said the companies. The tags, with identifiers that make it possible to authenticate and track products to the individual-item level, remain active after a product’s factory seal has been broken, enabling brands to connect with consumers, they said. Earlier this month Rémy Martin announced a similar concept (see 1507020048) with its Club Connected Bottle that will hit Chinese nightclubs this fall. The technologies are separate, Bill Cummings, vice president-marketing and communications for Thin Film, told us. “The concept of smart bottles has been around for some time as brands have constantly been searching for technology solutions that would enable them to address counterfeiting issues, track and authenticate products, and enhance consumer engagement,” Cummings said. While the functionality has been available, the cost has been prohibitive. “Putting a $4 label/tag on a $25 bottle of liquor/wine is usually cost-prohibitive and doesn’t make much sense from a business standpoint,” he said in an email. Thin Film is receiving interest from brands within the wine and spirits, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and luxury goods markets due to its printed electronics technology that can “scale to ultra-high volumes and significantly lower price points,” Cummings said. Compared with traditional silicon-based solutions, it’s a “compelling alternative” for certain applications, he said.