News
NHK Spring (Headquarters: Yokohama; President: Kenji Sasaki) and Kuraray Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Yasuaki Wakui) have jointly developed a textile label (below, "the label") to be sewn to brand-name products , which makes it easy to confirm the authenticity of the brand name and textile quality.
This new label will be introduced at the Piracy Prevention Product Exhibition to be held in Beijing March 22 through March 24 with the sponsorship of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
ALTATTEX is available in a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes.
At left: The AMFS label as seen by the naked eye. Note the white line.
At right: The AMFS label as seen through the viewer. Note that the white line shows up as a different color.
1. Product name
ALTATTEX : a label inwrought with AMFS (tentative name) high-performance fiber.
- * The name ALTATTEX is derived from the words "alternative" (ALT), "at" (AT), and "textile" (TEX).
2. Applications
To provide needed authentication of a brand name and a countermeasure against piracy for clothing, bags, shoes, stuffed animals, and other products.
3. Characteristics
- (1) High security
- The label is interwoven with AMFS, which offers a high level of security. The use of this newly developed material, which is difficult to obtain, greatly enhances the piracy prevention capabilities of ALTATTEX.
- (2) A special viewer immediately confirms authenticity
- When examined under a special viewer, the AMFS filaments interwoven into the label show up in a different color, allowing easy verification of authenticity. The viewers are inexpensive, the size of a credit card, and require neither attachment to a power source nor battery replacement. Distribution to retailers will allow detection of a broad spectrum of pirated goods.
The ultraviolet sensitive labels used in older security systems require a UV viewer (lamp) for authentication, and micro-fabricated labels must be painstakingly examined with a loupe. - (3) Covert security capability
- Covert security is possible by weaving the AMFS filaments into the reverse side of the label where they are not readily visible.
- (4) Can be combined with special ink
- The AMFS filaments can be used with the special ink used on paper money to prevent counterfeiting for double security.
- (5) Low cost
- No special machinery is required to manufacture these labels. Use of existing machinery keeps costs low.
4. Development background
- (1) NHK Spring developed and commenced mass production of Trustgram, a piracy prevention sticker, in 2001. It is used as an effective security measure on products in a wide range of industries, and is highly regarded for its ease of use with a viewer.
- (2) Customers have recently become increasingly insistent on a label that can be sewn directly to their products, instead of a sticker.
- (3) In response, NHK Spring and Kuraray jointly developed ALTATTEX, and confirmed its suitability through test production, followed by tests of its washability and light resistance.
5. The roles of the two companies
Kuraray supplied AMFS to NHK Spring, and NHK Spring commercialized the ALTATTEX and markets it.
6. Sales targets
ALTATTEX's use on prominent domestic and overseas brand-name products is expected to bring net sales of ¥300 million in its first year.
