TOPPAN Digital to Showcase NFC Solutions for Luxury Packaging at Paris Packaging Week

TOPPAN Digital Inc. (TOPPAN Digital), a TOPPAN Group company and wholly owned subsidiary of TOPPAN Holdings Inc. (TYO: 7911) will participate in Paris Packaging Week 2024, one of Europe’s leading luxury packaging events, which will be held in Paris on January 17 and 18.

This year, the TOPPAN booth will focus on cosmetics, taking the theme of “Fusing Digital & Ecological” for smarter packages and environmental friendliness. TOPPAN Digital will showcase secure solutions that drive brand protection and ensure safe and secure distribution for the luxury cosmetics industry as well as a plastic-free, paper NFC tag that can contribute to addressing environmental issues.


About Paris Packaging Week 2024

Dates: January 17 and 18, 2024
Venue: Paris Expo Porte de Versailles
Organizer: Easyfairs (Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium)
Website: https://www.parispackagingweek.com/en/exhibitor/paris-packaging-week-2024/
TOPPAN booth: J192


Exhibit Overview

Packaging is becoming increasingly smart as a vital element of a complete product. In addition to packaging and protection functions, it is expected to enable anti-counterfeiting, traceability, and enhanced interaction as a tool connecting the real and digital worlds, endowing products with even more value.


Every package therefore needs a unique ID. TOPPAN offers a range of ID devices based on RFID/NFC technology.

The security of the unique ID must be ensured to collect and use the data generated. TOPPAN’s cloud-based ID authentication platform helps enterprises create customer touchpoints and realize supply chain management through secure and reliable authentication of the unique ID assigned to each product. This service accurately responds to the needs of our customers and helps them drive digital transformation.

Together with TOPPAN, make it SMART and CONNECTED!


Digital Transformation in Packaging

The evolution of IT has driven diversification of points of contact with customers. It has become vital to secure engagement points in product marketing. Giving products a digital identity enables packages to go beyond their conventional role to be conveyers of information- - devices that link to customers at every point of their journey. Providing every customer with an optimized service enhances both loyalty and brand value.



What We Do

We integrate an NFC tag into every product to give it a digital identity and connect it to the Internet. A digital identity enables us to offer Authentication, Traceability, Consumer Engagement and other dynamic and expansive digital services to brands and their customers.


AUTHENTICATION
・Verify the authenticity of products by scanning the tag with a smartphone
・Protect against refill fraud and package tampering and reuse
・Build customer trust through product authentication
 
TRACEABILITY
・Enable serialization, aggregation and data handling from carton and box to pallet
・Provide real-time supply chain visibility through item-level track & trace
・Protect brands against grey market distribution by detecting product location through consumer scans
 
CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT
・Transform your products into a direct engagement channel to connect with consumers
・Capture real-time customer interaction feedback with your products
・Provide optimal digital marketing services to each consumer
 
INFINITE POSSIBILITIES
・A digital identity creates dynamic links between a product and customers that enable an infinite range of services.

 

New NFC tag that detects liquid volume

For the first time in Europe, TOPPAN will showcase its new NFC tag for contactless detection of the volume of liquid inside a container. Targeted at the cosmetics, medical/pharmaceutical, and alcoholic beverage sectors, it not only allows users to check how much of a product remains, even in opaque containers, but also provides brands with data on how much of the product has been used so that marketing strategies can be tailored accordingly.



Eco-friendly NFC tag label with paper substrate

This is an eco-friendly NFC tag label that uses paper material as the substrate for the antenna instead of PET film or other plastic materials conventionally used. A new circuit fabrication process enables "plastic-free" NFC tags while maintaining communication performance. Fraudulent reapplication of labels is also prevented because the paper material tears easily.

Eco-friendly NFC tag label with paper substrate
Eco-friendly NFC tag label (left) and paper-based antenna substrate (right)
© Toppan Inc.



Super mini-sized tag

TOPPAN has developed two concept models, with diameters of 7 mm and 8 mm, respectively. It is generally difficult to maintain communication performance when the size of the antenna is reduced, but TOPPAN’s original design preserves the same performance as conventional tags, meaning application to compact containers is possible.

Toppan's super mini-sized NFC tags attached to cosmetics bottles
© Toppan Inc.

On-metal tag

Metal materials generally inhibit communication between NFC devices, but these NFC tags maintain performance even when attached to metals because of an original design and modifications enabled by TOPPAN’s unique know-how.

Toppan's NFC tag attached to metal container
© Toppan Inc.

Smart Packages with Built-in NFC Functions

New packages in which tamper-evident NFC tag functions have been integrated into the structure of paper-based packaging to enhance package security, maintain design quality, and streamline the process of applying NFC tags.

As an effective measures to prevent fraud, an NFC communication circuit with a brittle structure is embedded in the package. In addition to achieving higher security than conventional NFC labels affixed to the surface of packaging, this solution also helps to reduce the workload associated with the process of attaching NFC tags.

Toppan’s new smart packages feature embedded NFC functions.
© Toppan Inc.



NFC Labels with High-Quality Metallic Design

While employing metallic finishes for a premium look, these labels maintain the communication performance required of NFC tags. In addition to high-quality design, they combine decorative printing technologies, foil design patterns, and antenna design technologies to overcome the challenge of near-field communication being impeded by metal materials.

Toppan’s new NFC labels are available as a metallic decor type (left) or metallic surface type (right).
© Toppan Inc.



Interactive Packages that Connect with NFC-enabled Smartphones

These interactive packages connect with smartphones via NFC to enable users to enjoy digital content such as games and music.
Pad-type switches embedded in the package allow consumers to enjoy interactive experiences, pressing or tapping to produce sounds or control content on the smartphone screen via a compatible app. No batteries are required because power for LEDs embedded in the package is supplied by the smartphone. Security functions can be enhanced by linking with ID authentication systems.



TOPPAN’s ID Authentication Platform

This is a cloud-based service in which ID devices applied to products can be read by consumer smartphones or dedicated devices in plants or warehouses. This makes it possible for businesses to provide product information, authenticity verification, promotions, and other services to their customers, and also to use the collected data to make the supply chain visible through traceability and monitoring of grey market diversion.

Concept for Toppan’s authentication platform
© Toppan Inc.

The ubiquity of smartphones, tablets, and other digital devices has prompted diversification of customer touchpoints and increased opportunities for businesses to be connected with consumers. To take advantage of this effectively, it is vital for companies to be able to monitor customer behavior in real time and provide optimized services.

By fusing its ID device technology with NFC-enabled ID authentication system infrastructure from Selinko SA (Selinko), TOPPAN has established a cloud-based ID authentication platform that creates customer touchpoints and facilitates supply chain management through safe and secure authentication of unique IDs assigned to individual products.


The dashboard function makes the supply chain visible and enables new value for customers.
© Toppan Inc.

Businesses adopting the platform will not only be able to enhance customer engagement and provide a range of services directly, but also visualize and manage the supply chain through traceability and detection of grey market diversion.

In addition to dedicated scanning equipment at manufacturing plants and logistics warehouses, consumers’ smartphones can be used to scan QR Code, NFC tags, UHF-band RFID, and other ID devices, enabling companies to provide product information and authenticity verification, run digital promotions and other services, and use data collected to enhance and optimize customer experiences.







Web-based Data Management Dashboard (Brand Manager)

The platform features a secure web-based management interface to manage product and brand information. It provides real-time analysis of scan activity and related data to gain meaningful and actionable consumer insights.



Authentication Engine

The authentication engine supports various types of security encryption available from a range of NFC chips and compatible with tampering/opening detection features.


Grey Market Detection

Using a unique identifier associated with a preset destination market at production, product diversion can be detected by consumer scan and reported directly to your Brand Manager.


Consumer Mobile App

A free consumer mobile phone app is available on Google Play or the App Store. We also provide an option for brands to integrate the function directly into their own app.
Industrial Line Manager (ILM)

The ILM station consists of a main computer and NFC readers on the brand’s manufacturing line to associate tag IDs with product information and verify tag functionality.

 

TOPPAN's Connected Devices

TOPPAN will showcase its diverse range of devices that add digital IDs to products. Solutions employing NFC technologies include functional ID devices that enable tamper detection, prevention of reuse, temperature management, and use on metal materials. In addition, TOPPAN will present newly developed ID devices based on the concept of fusing digital IDs with packaging.


 

CorkTag™
Detects removal and piercing of the cork.
 
Cachet-Tag™
Prevents fraudulent relabeling with a brittle antenna circuit.
 
InTact
Capsule with integrated NFC tag for cork protection, authentication, and opening detection.
*InTact features a TOPPAN NFC tag integrated into a capsule from Amcor Capsules.
 
Eco-friendly NFC tag label with paper substrate
Eco-friendly NFC tag that uses paper material as the substrate for the antenna instead of PET film or other plastic materials conventionally used.
 
Integrated Package/ Container
Integrated tag enables NFC functions with no impact on design.
 
OD Tag
Detects opening of the box.
 
Certificate of Authenticity
Document with NFC functionality for proving the authenticity of a product.
 
Metal Tag
Can be attached to metal containers for baby formula and other products.
 
Super Mini-Sized Tag
Ideal for integration into small products such as cosmetics items.
(Size available up to a minimum phi 7mm)
 
Temperature Sensor RFID
NFC tag with temperature logging.
 
Smartics-U
Low-cost UHF tag developed by TOPPAN to manage product information for distribution and retail.
 
Cachet Function
Prevents fraudulent relabeling and reuse with a brittle antenna circuit unreadable after label removal.
 
Open Detection Function
NFC tag with two circuits-one for tamper detection, the other can be used for customer engagement after opening.
 




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