Track and trace technology ensures that brand owners can track their products throughout the supply chain and, among other things, protect their shipments against counterfeiting. To do this, product coding and marking is essential for providing traceability information that is displayed on packaging.

It’s estimated that 64% of all counterfeit products are sold at legitimate retail outlets, and that counterfeiting is one of the fastest growing economic crimes of modern times. Besides devastating health and safety risks, counterfeit products devalue corporate reputations and bottom lines, hinder investment, fund terrorism, and cost hundreds of thousands of people their livelihoods every year.

So how do FMCG manufacturers effectively protect their brands and customers? Pyrotec PackVerifi offers a cloud-based brand protection track and trace service that helps organisations fight product counterfeiting while supporting traceability throughout the supply chain.

Importantly, Pyrotec PackVerifi helps brand owners and consumers to target counterfeiting when and where it happens. Consumers simply use a smart phone to scan a QR (quick response) code on a product, or they can send an SMS with the code’s corresponding numbers. Pyrotec PackVerifi software analyses the validity of the code and then immediately sends a response back to the consumer to confirm whether the product is counterfeit. For brand managers, a simple analytics dashboard reveals where and when counterfeiting is occurring.

Pyrotec PackVerifi software is easy to integrate into workflows using a secure login, and a secure printer is authorised to access unique QR codes that are then printed onto security labels or directly onto product packaging.

Key features include highly-secure automatic code generation that uniquely identifies each product; real-time customer messaging that verifies authenticity; real-time analytics that locate and identify counterfeiting activity by using an easily-configured rules engine; and an easy-access business portal for brand managers, supply chain partners and customers.

Pyrotec PackVerifi’s service capabilities include product identification and serialisation; product traceability; supply chain visibility and monitoring; and an opportunity for direct engagement with consumers, supply chain partners, customer clearance agents and investigators to unlock hidden insights relating to brand perception, illicit supply chain activities and supply chain performance.

To find out about Pyrotec PackVerifi’s low Total Cost of Ownership and how easy it is to roll out and integrate, visit www.pyrotec.co.za