Security Layer
A BRAND DEMANDS SECURITY. IT SHOULD BE VISUAL ALSO
The 1st Scientific and Practical Conference “Gilding Processes. The 21st century” took place in Russia in 2007. It was organized by “Double V” Group of Companies, representing Leonhard KURZ, the world leader in the field of foil production for cold and hot stamping in the Russian market. One of the Conference sections was dedicated to security technologies. We asked Jurgen Metzger, the leading manager in the brand protection field of Leonhard KURZ, to describe the developments of his company.
— What is the major peculiarity of solutions offered by Leonhard KURZ for brand protection?
— Optical security elements by KURZ help to protect the brand, are cost-effective and all-purpose, they guarantee the product authenticity. Moreover, the optical security elements are diverse, always attractive, may be produced individually for each concrete product and are able to improve the product appearance. Compelling the consumer’s attention, these security decorative elements guarantee dissimilarity from competitive products. Furthermore, the type and degree of the required security are designed under an individual project and integrated into the design.
There certainly is a relationship between the product forgery risk and consequently the security degree. The higher the costs are, the less is the risk of the product counterfeiting.
Our company has formulated the basic requirements to the security element or security complex:
1. Easy to recognize. The optical security element should be easy to recognize, so that the consumer could tell the original product from a counterfeit at once.
2. Easy to remember. The optical security element should be easily remembered.
3. Easy to describe. The optical security element should be easily described, so that it could be introduced to the market.
It is assumed in the commercial security concept by KURZ that in order to choose the security degree, it is necessary to analyze the protection necessity, to offer a range of security elements at option, to develop a design, to demonstrate a sample, to provide the offered security elements production and to implement their application into the production cycle of the customer.
— How are your developments applied at the Russian market today?
— Security elements created by our company are already applied to various Russian projects. The best-known of these projects is perhaps the hologram application to the Federal Special Stamps. On the whole we believe that the Russian market is very promising and interesting.
— How does KURZ retain the positions of the world leader in its field?
— It is a combination of various factors, of course. We offer a wide range of various security elements based on patented technologies and know-how. These patented developments are principal at the world printing market today. One of the advantages of KURZ is the fact that one may come across the security elements produced by us in the real life — both on ordinary products and on banknotes and ID documents.
KURZ has always been an innovative company implementing its new developments into the production and market continuously.
— And what are your latest developments?
— At the moment we are developing such a security element, such foil, where one hologram will combine a metallized element, partial demetallization and a flip insertion of various colors.
Our technologies allow us to carry out partial demetallization with silver foil, as well as with a metal of a reddish hue. It is possible to combine the metals of two colors in one product. Moreover, demetallization is carried out not along the edge, but according to the developed designs. Nobody else in the world but KURZ is able to use such a complicated technology. The color of the metal itself also plays an important part in this security element.
Such a security element application moves any brand protection to a new level. Beside these developments, KURZ will introduce a new element to the market. Its peculiarity is that the stamping on it will look relief, as if it is embossed. Previously similar developments had the effect of the in-depth image; in the new element the image volume will be convex. A booklet dedicated to this new element will be published soon.
Nowadays KURZ produces elements not only of hot-stamping foil. Those may be laminate, cold-laminating foil, self-adhesive labels.
— On banknotes of which countries of the world are the security elements by KURZ used?
— Due to confidentiality I can only say that we supply security elements for 160 currencies. It is important to outline that such security elements production is high-secured in our company.
— In which security complex do you think the optical security element by KURZ would be the most effective?
— A security complex should be balanced, and our security elements in general may be most effective in the complex with security printing, security paper with fluorescent fibers, with inks application.
It is also very important for the security complex to contain visual elements observed by the consumers. It should have a necessary balance of overt and covert security elements. Our optical protection belongs to visual elements.
— What is your impression of the Russian printing industry and Russian colleagues?
— Today we observe the high-security elements application on the Russian security technologies market. For example, Russian excise and special stamps conform to the world standards. But it certainly does not mean that there is no potential for further growth and perfection.
I would also like to mention that optical elements are well-known and well-accepted by the final customer at the Russian market, therefore they will have a great future.
Elena KISELEVA
