The group comprises two holographic companies, Holoptica and Segment Security, both based in California, as well as Australia-based Brand Integrity International and DNA Technologies.
Holoptica, which aims to increase its market share across the UK and EMEA region through the opening of the UK office, manufactures laser, Kinemax and electron beam holographic foils at its Silicon Valley headquarters.
Based at the same facility, Segment Security manufactures holographic micro-particles. The $3m-$4m-turnover group’s Australian operations Brand Integrity and DNA Technologies produce DNA-based security products and brand protection solutions.
“Most holograms are laser originated and are quite easily counterfeited but ours are electron-beam originated, which is far more sophisticated.
"There are only half a dozen electron beam machines in the world and they belong to the top-end manufacturers of which we are one,” said Holoptica UK managing director David Niven.
The group, which employs around 50 to 60 people worldwide, including around 20 at a new presence in South Africa, supplies a range of generic and bespoke holograms to security and label printers as well as brand identity solutions for manufacturers that want to protect their brands from counterfeiters.
The company works particularly in partnership with sports brands; recent projects include the London 2012 Olympics and the upcoming 2015 Rugby World Cup. Last month Holoptica signed a deal with the World Customs Organisation to develop a product aimed at protecting global consumer brands in a range of industries such as fashion and electronics.
Under the agreement Holoptica has produced a patented hologram with an embedded QR code that can be applied to product labeling, paperwork and shipping documents that are scanned by customs officers.
“There is a real need for this. There are plenty of companies that use holograms with printed black and white QR codes underneath, but we are the first to embed the QR code. It is almost impossible, at this time, to copy these types of holograms,” said Niven.
“At some point in the future, someone might be able to, because counterfeiters will always find a way around an ID system, but for the next few years at least, we are ahead of them.”
