Product identification is a key component of supply chain tracking for retailers and brands around the world. For these organizations, the ability to track and identify/re-identify unique items at all the touch points within the supply chain is critical. Not only does this ability help ensure the right product reaches the right consumer, it enables brands to detect any corruption of the supply chain – a risk that grows as products and components are shipped from one place to another.
Improving supply chain efficiency is something that is always in a brand’s best interest, as it can reduce costs, ensure product availability, confirm authenticity and prolong shelf life. With such high stakes, a number of different technologies that drive these efficiencies by enabling items to be uniquely identified along the supply chain have emerged. And like most things in life, each of these product identification technologies has advantages and disadvantages.
Traditional Identity solutions such as barcodes, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and even the more recently-developed QR codes lack security, making them more prone to manipulation. For example, there have been a number of instances where an existing QR code was replaced with a lookalike. When the QR code was scanned, users would be unknowingly redirected to malicious content or trojan scripts, revealing their valuable personal information to bad actors. This vulnerability to corruption creates enormous risks around data privacy – a big disadvantage for these systems.
In contrast to these solutions, Entrupy provides a non-intrusive product identification solution that is completely secure and tamper proof. Nor does it require modifications to the existing product. Instead, using computer vision and microscopy, Entrupy Fingerprinting enables every product to be uniquely identified from a single microscopic image. Once the image is registered, it is permanently, unalterably associated with that particular product. Throughout the rest of its lifecycle, that product can be re-identified by comparing the registered image to a new image. Entrupy’s solution will recognise whether the item is, or is not, a match, even following routine wear and tear.
That’s why we say, “With Entrupy Fingerprinting, the product is the ID.”
At any point of the supply chain, Entrupy Fingerprinting is an easy-to-implement, easy-to-use method of secure product identification. Without need for physical alteration, products and components can be tracked and traced across the supply chain. This helps both brands and retailers ensure their inventory is secure and the supply chain cannot be penetrated by counterfeit products.
If you’re a brand or a retailer looking to protect your supply chain integrity, do reach out to us at [email protected].
