Toppan Printing’s SMARTICS-V NFC tag used in pilot test to encourage purchases of consumable supplies for moisture absorbers sold in the U.K. by leading German company Henkel

 Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (hereafter Toppan Printing; head office: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo; President & Representative Director: Shingo Kaneko) offers an NFC-compliant(*1) IC tag called “SMARTICS-V”(*2). This tag has been selected to be used in a pilot test by Henkel AG & Company, KGaA (hereafter Henkel; head office: Düsseldorf, Germany; CEO:Hans Van Bylen). The test involves encouraging additional purchases of consumables supplies for “Unibond Aero 360°e-connect,” a new household moisture absorber available in the U.K. from October 2016.

 SMARTICS-V is an NFC-compliant IC tag launched by Toppan Printing in September 2013. In addition to allowing information to be read when an NFC-enabled smartphone is held up to the tag, it also has security functions for verification of authenticity.
 Henkel is a leading manufacturer of fast moving consumer goods and chemicals and leads the European market for moisture absorbing materials and devices. Henkel’s Unibond(*3) series of moisture absorbing devices uses a replaceable cartridge mounted inside the device to convert excess moisture into a solution.

 In the pilot test, a SMARTICS-V tag will be integrated into the label attached to the product that indicates when the cartridge should be replaced. If an NFC-enabled smartphone is held up to the label near to the time when replacement is required, the user is directed to the reordering website, thus enabling effortless purchasing of consumable supplies.

The product for which SMARTICS-V has been adopted (left) and a close-up of the label

■ Details of pilot test

・Scheduled test period: Six months from October 2016
・Product name: Unibond Aero 360° e-connect
・Sales territory: Mass retailers within the U.K.
・Number of units: 20,000
・Test procedure: Labels with integrated IC tags are attached to products to provide product information and encourage purchases of related consumable supplies. The outcome of this measure is then assessed.

(1) When the liquid inside the moisture absorber reaches the red part of the label, the cartridge should be replaced.

(2) An NFC-enabled smartphone is held up to the label when the cartridge needs replacing.

(3) The relevant website is displayed on the smartphone to enable users to make quick and easy purchases of replacement supplies.

■ Future targets

 Toppan Printing will assess the outcome of the pilot test together with Henkel and look to contribute to Henkel’s business activities by making use of SMARTICS-V’s authenticity verification and other security functions.
 Toppan Printing will expand sales of SMARTICS-V to a range of industries handling consumable supplies, including durable consumables such as home appliances and housing equipment as well as industrial parts and office equipment. Toppan is targeting sales of ¥1 billion for this and related orders in fiscal 2017.

*1 NFC (Near Field Communication)
The international standard for short-range wireless communication stipulated by the ISO. It is compatible with type A, type B, and FeliCa communication standards, and is used for contactless smartcards, reader/writers, communication between devices, and other functions.
*2 SMARTICS-V:
This is an IC tag label with PUF functions, which use the unique characteristics of an artificial item to authenticate that item. By reading with an NFC-enabled smartphone, any user can perform verification of authenticity instantly via the Internet.
*3 Unibond series moisture absorbers
Under its Unibond brand, Henkel is offering a broad range of moisture absorbing products for consumers in the UK. By using a smart tab system, which allows 360° air circulation for better performance, the products absorb excess moisture up to 40% more efficiently*. The Henkel Unibond moisture absorber consists of a device and a unique tab system that converts excess moisture at home into a salty solution, preventing condensation, mould, mildew, peeling wallpaper etc. The devices can be placed in any room and are safe and convenient to use.
* The names of companies, products and services featured in this press release are the trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies.
* The information in this press release is current as of the date of publication and is subject to change without notice.

How to use Unibond Aero 360° e-connect

Provided by Henkel AG & Company, KGaA

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