Hologram Manufacturers Association of India

5th Global Forum on Pharmaceutical Anti-Counterfeiting
10 - 26 February 2010, Miami, FL, USA
www.reconnaissance-intl.com

India Packaging Show 2010
9-12 April 2010, HITEX, Hyderabad
www.indiapackagingshow.com

7th Pan European High Security Printing Conference
10 - 15 April 2010, Berlin, Germany
www.reconnaissance-intl.com

Holopack-Holoprint 2010
10 - 16 Nov 10, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
www.reconnaissance-intl.com

9th Asian High Security Printing Conference
10 - 19 Nov 10, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
www.reconnaissance-intl.com

Pack Plus 2010
3 - 6 December 2010, New Delhi
www.indiapackagingshow.com

The Indian Hologram Industry is largely governed by the Hologram Manufacturers’ Association of India (HoMAI). Almost all the leading Hologram Companies in India are Members of this association.

HoMAI also has a program called the HOLOGRAM ROSTER where Member Companies compulsorily get their customers’ Hologram Designs/Samples registered.

The Registration is a `paid service’ and once the Member Company fills up and sends the Hologram Registration From to HoMAI along with the Hologram Design & Samples, a computer scans all the data/images and stores it in the database.

Now if a counterfeiter approaches a Member Company to make a counterfeit Hologram, the Member Company can immediately check with the HoMAI central database as to if the same or similar Hologram was made earlier by any other Member Company.

If the Hologram has been made before, the Member Company immediately sends an `alert’ to HoMAI on the attempt to make a counterfeit Hologram. The HoMAI then forwards this lead to the concerned authorities which follow the lead to try and nab the counterfeiter.

This has proven to be a great tool for legitimate brand owners as well as Hologram manufacturers to check illicit attempts at counterfeiting.

The International Hologram Manufacturers’ Association (IHMA) also has a similar service called the ‘IMAGE REGISTER’.

HoMAI Business News covers website, 100 national newspapers and magazines daily for the words Holograms, trademarks, counterfeit products and patent law. It also covers news of IPR and WTO issues regarding IPR. It would be send daily by e- mail to all members and at a cost lower than you will incur.

The proposed cost will be approximately Rs 1500 or US $ 38 per month to HoMAI members.

The fee is as following:
A) HoMAI members - Rs 18,000 or US $ 450 per annum.
B) Non HoMAI members - Rs 36,000 or US $ 900 per annum.

Holograms have a wide area of application and have found a niche market in Security Printing, Brand Authentication, Packaging, Giftware, Stationery, and Promotion.

Some of the current applications are on:

SECURITY DOCUMENTS

• Bank cheques, bank drafts and guarantees,
• Certificates - mark sheets, degrees and diplomas, and gift etc.
• Credit cards, Voter’s and other ID cards, Social security cards, Membership cards, Stored value phone cards
• Financial & Surety instruments, Bonds and share certificates
• Higher value Postage stamps
• Passports and visas
• Tickets — sports events, concerts, lottery
• Travellers cheques, Currency notes – 33 countries are already using holograms on their currencies
• Valuable / Secret / Confidential/ Legal/ Government documents and envelopes,
• Vehicle registration and driving licenses, fare charts

PACKAGING

PROMOTION

MEDICAL HOLOGRAPHY

Dear Sir / Madam;  

I am happy to apprise you of some of our achievements since HoMAI’s inception in 1998:- 

• HoMAI members have time & again shown exemplary alertness in averting/ foiling several amateurish attempts by persons trying to source new or the look-alikes of some existing well known holograms. HoMAI members refuse to take orders from unauthorised persons who do not own the ‘brand name/ logo’ or apparently want to clandestinely make similar replication of an existing hologram.
• The Hologram Roster - a specially designed confidential & secured database of copyright-holograms to meet the specific needs of its users in this sub-continent and operated by an independent agency & fully backed by HoMAI to provide evidence of first production & of actual copyrights and to protect against the inadvertent duplication of the security holograms - is fully functional and being patronised by HoMAI Members. 

• The Benchmarking of the holographic industry is already in progress. 

• Code of Business Practice, for our becoming a self-regulated association and to improve the customers’ faith in our members, is well established now, being followed and closely monitored. 

• HoMAI has a fair competition policy within the framework of the copyright law. 

• A vigorous & sustained promotion through internet presence & print/web advertising is being launched. 

• Standardisation of documents for the benefit of the members: – ‘Appointment Letter & Agreement with Key Personnel Employed’, ‘Customer Query Forms’, ‘Quotation Letter’, ‘Standard Contract Letter with Client’ etc.

The increasingly new uses of holograms are now drastically expanding the market, which is expected to consistently grow in the coming years - by 30-50% a year (internationally). It is important to remember here that the holographic manufacturing employs a dynamic & expensive high technology, it requires a continuous R & D to stay ahead of the counterfeiters, and the obsolescence level of the machinery/ equipment and its cost is very high. Consequently, without a sufficient return on investment, we can’t keep our customers happy, it’s a vicious circle. 

We want all security hologram manufacturers to join forces and enroll for HoMAI Membership so as to have a unified one voice to be heard, succeed and benefit from concerted efforts. The annual membership fee structure & the payment plan have, therefore, been made very attractive for the new members. I request you to come and join HoMAI, which will add to your credibility. 

Do please contact Mr. C S Jeena / Secretary of the Association or me for any clarification you may have to seek.  

Thanking you and looking forward to welcome you to HoMAI 

Sincerely,

U K Gupta
President
Email: ukg@holostik.com

Many people are today involved in Propaganda against Holograms due to vested interests in technologies which more often than not are in no way better or a replacement for Holographic security against duplication, since, Holograms provide a direct means to the end buyer of the product to visually differentiate between Genuine & Fake goods or Papers. Manufacturers of RFIDs, Colour Changing Inks or such other security inks etc.

RFIDs are actually a means for anti-shoplifting use. Inks are OK, but literally any one having a screen printing facility & a small amount of such inks can duplicate the products secured by such inks only. However, it may be noted that such technology can be used in addition to holograms to multiply the overall security levels depending upon the threat perception of effort & expense a duplicator would go to duplicate a particular product.

The users also need to understand that the Hologram manufacturers can provide additional security features within their Holograms at the designing and developing stage for somewhat additional mastering costs. Most of them can also additinal features like sequential numbering, use of specialized inks visible under specific conditions etc., use of specific colour films (The colours of films can be ordered to be changed by the buyer at reasonable intervals with prior notice to their vendors of Holograms) & use of special films that leave behind a specific pattern if effort is made to tamper with the Hologram for Holograms needing very high levels of security. Obviously each additional feature has an associated cost.

The level of assurance against counterfeiting of Holograms is more THAN 99.9%. In most such cases reported, after investigations it was established that there were leakages of the original Holograms / Hologram shims from either the users premises or the Hologram vendors premises, which were used by the duplications on fake products. In some cases some counterfeiters have tried to obtain look alike Holograms from some unscrupulous stamping units on generic labels such look alike labels can be very easily identified, only by visual inspection. If need be help of the hologram manufacturers / associations can be obtained.

Case studies show that, even with the simplest of Holograms the level of duplication of the products / documents of the Hologram users have come down to less than 5% of what it used to be. In almost all cases the duplicators of hologrammed products/ documents were caught because of the differences noticed in the look alike Holograms by the marketing personnel of the user, the people in their supply chain & in some cases even by the general public. Besides, because of the eye catching property of the holograms and the increased customer confidence in the products with them, the Hologram users on an average have reported more than 15% growth in their sales over and above the normal market average increment.

HOMAI OBJECTIVES:  

•  
  • To provide a base for co-operation, provide a forum for networking and to build on the strengths of each other. “None of us is as strong as ALL of us”.
  • To address the country-specific needs & the problems, with one voice so as to benefit from the collective efforts, enhanced reputation, and better credibility.
  • Setting and maintaining industry standards, professional discipline & ethical business practices in the hologram industry.
  • To strive for a sustained growth in the hologram industry.
  • To keep members abreast of all gathered information pertaining to the latest in technology/ machinery and the constantly changing requirements etc., and facilitate its exchange between them.
  • To provide forum for networking and sharing industry knowledge and advancements for raising professional standards, skills and understanding in line with clients’ expectations and to stay well ahead of counterfeiters.
  • Co-operation with international organisations pertaining to hologram industry & technology, and a close liaison with them.
  • Maintain a close interaction between the R & D Labs. & the holograms manufacturing industry, and to catalyze adoption of innovative technology in the designing & manufacturing process.
  • To remain in constant touch with various trade & industry associations/ chambers of commerce & industry and the relevant government institutions etc. and make concerted efforts in widening the scope for hologram applications and the new user industry segments.
  • To raise awareness about the losses & damage caused by counterfeiting and the dangerous consequences (e.g. health & safety risks etc.) in buying the counterfeits and urging consumers to reject fake goods & “Say No to Counterfeits”.
  • To raise awareness about the hologram’s foolproof security level in authenticating the brand products & value/ sensitive documents
  • To check the copyright issues and look-alike holograms in co-operation with hologram users so as to create an environment hostile to counterfeiting and change public attitudes and perceptions.
  • To offer an opportunity to our members to compete with their best work and offer Annual Awards.
  • To sponsor/ research/ surveys/ reports, and initiate discussions/ training programmes/ special courses/ workshops/ conferences, and to invite eminent speakers in the related fields. 

WHAT IS HoMAI?  

• Hologram Manufacturers Association of India (HOMAI) is a non-profit organization established in 1998 to represents and promoted the interest of hologram industry in India as well as to fight against counterfeiting. Affiliated with International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA), UK it is the only second body of its type in world. It is a self regulated national body (covering full spectrum of Holographic Industry) to encourage adoption of current technologies and standards for high security so as to stay ahead of the counterfeiters.  
• HoMAI Members are committed to the ‘HoMAI Code of Practice’, respect for copyrights, high security standards and a close watch on the unauthorised & illegally produced look-alikes so that the hologram users get the best anti-counterfeiting solutions and confidently rely on the HoMAI Members.

ITS

• To promote professional ethics, be a self-regulated Association, and offer a top quality network covering all sectors within the hologram industry so that the users of security holograms could confidently rely on HoMAI Members for the production of their security holograms.
• To keep the members abreast of the latest technologies, skills & understanding.
• To encourage high standards in the hologram manufacturing and it’s constantly changing requirements to stay ahead of the counterfeiters and to remain in line with clients’ expectations.
• To facilitate the exchange of information between members and work together to protect & promote the common interests
• To strive for enlarging business through expanding user industry segments

1. International Chamber of Commerce: “According to the counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau (A division of the Paris Based International Chamber of Commerce) holograms are generally regarded as one of the leading over anti – counterfeiting technologies”.
2. Retd. IPS, Mr. JF Ribeiro: Comment on Uttar Pradesh Excise department for use of Hologram: “If holograms can be made water-tight, then no one can duplicate it. This, coupled with consumer awareness, will make holograms a very good remedy to fight counterfeit products, Mr. Ribeiro said.”
3. Financial News: ING BANK ROMANIA on launching of Euro: “The notes, ranging from E5 to E5000 in value, are equipped with sate-of-the-art features that make them not only extremely difficult to forge but also distinctive and easy to recognize.
4. “A Hologram is not possible to imitate or copy using common printing methods. A product stamped with holograms requires very complicated technology, which is owned by only a few companies in the world associated into the International Holographic Manufacturers Association (IHMA). This can be provided with additional security components. A hologram product operates in a secure regime. Source: www.holo.ru
5. As per Holography Market Plac. Ross Books Eighth Edition 1999; “Ad Industry Trade Journals have repeatedly reported successful and measurable results from companies using holograms in their advertising programs”.

Download Tender Notices in last few months: Last update on December 14, 2007: tender.pdf