Chennai, India: The Rs 22,000-crore counterfeit auto parts industry — growing faster than car and bike sales, and which doubled in the last five years — is giving headaches to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). According to the Authentication Solution Providers’ Association (ASPA), the overall counterfeit product industry in India is worth Rs 1 lakh crore, causing the government tax losses of Rs 40,000 crore. While fake products are common in agriculture (fertilizers and pesticides) or even FMCG, they are life-threatening in the automotive and pharmaceutical industry, said ASPA president Nakul Pasricha. Read more

The APO Production Unit, Inc., through the Approved Annual Procurement Plan (APP) for CY 2019 intends to apply the sum of Four Hundred Fifty Million Pesos (PhP 450,000,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) for the first year, or a total of One Billion Eight Hundred Million Pesos (PhP 1,800,000,000.00) for a period of four (4) years to payments for the Procurement Of Security Features, Enhancement And Application Support/Maintenance Of Internal Revenue Stamps Integrated System (IRSIS) For Tobacco (PB-18-19).

Amazon has introduced its anti-counterfeiting programme to five European countries. Project Zero, which launched earlier this year in the US, will now operate in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. It provides brands with a platform to identify and remove counterfeits. It uses machine learning to automatically scan the marketplace for suspicious listings. Brands can then use Project Zero to immediately remove counterfeit listings themselves as well as apply unique serialisation codes during the manufacturing process to help quickly identify counterfeits. Read more

Indian automotive industry is currently going through a paradigm shift and it needs to adopt digital supply chain solutions to meet the increasing product complexity and market dynamics, states a joint report published by  CII  and Ernst & Young. Titled as ' Automotive supply chain- Emerging trends for building intelligent supply chain ', the report emphasises on the impact of 'Future of Mobility' and the solutions required to be adopted by the stakeholders for that. The report says that rather than merely doing digital projects, the organisations need to be digitally operated. With the new trends like connected, autonomous and electrified cars and  shared mobility , the Indian automotive industry is about to experience a monumental change.  >>>> Read more

The Indian Government has infused fresh life into the Currency Note Press (CNP) at Nashik. At an investment of Rs 250 crore, the Union government has rolled out its plan to set up an additional printing line at the CNP. This will enable the facility to print 1,000 million more pieces every year. Currently, the CNP has a capacity to print 6,000 million pieces. “The new lines will include four new machines for paper cutting, intaglio, numbering and printing of the currency notes. The CNP Nashik has already allotted a work order for this to three private companies,” said sources from the SMPCIL. The private companies, which have been awarded the contract of setting up the additional line, have started their work. The new printing line is expected to be operational within a year, said officials from SMPCIL.  Read more

Dutch tax authority has invited tender for production and distribution of approximately 800 million tax stamps per year. Currently, for the manufacture of Dutch tax stamps, Dutch Customs has concluded one single Framework Agreement with one single contracting partner. This Framework Agreement will expire on 20 November 2020. The Contracting Authority views the purpose of this tender as a continuation of the tax stamp process, and its intention is to contract this tax stamp process again with one single qualified supplier for the origination and production of tax stamps, and to contract the order portal and distribution of tax stamps with one single qualified supplier.

Indian Govt rule to pave way for optional use of Microdots in vehicles to trace them, check thefts

To ensure authenticity, APIs of drugs may soon get track-and-trace codes

DGFT extends last date for implementation of track and trace system for exports of drug formulations till April 1 next year

Drug Controller India recommends mandatory QR coding for API

Colour-coded holograms to identify fuel powering vehicles

UGC to varsities: Add security features – QR code, hologram – to degrees, certificates

WHO & FAO push to improve Food safety and trade

Ghana introduced the new electronic coding and traceability in a bid to monitor government’s fertiliser subsidy programme and farming inputs

Jindal Stainless Limited clamps down on counterfeit market

It is estimated that over 25% of pipes and tubes sold annually in India bear the counterfeit branding of Jindal Stainless Limited. We aim to curtail this counterfeiting and capture the growing decorative P&T market in the next 2 years." For more click here

Tyre Association trial traceability technology

The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) announced the successful completion of a digital tyre tracking trial. Conducted with TRA member, Fraser Evans & Sons Ltd , and technology partner PragmatIC , the trial used RFID tags. For more click here