The press manufacturer’s Swiss-based Banknote Solutions business has teamed with FriSense on a joint development agreement for new products to link physical banknotes with digital technologies.
“Such connectivity will create valuable data for cash cycle stakeholders and enable significant positive change in the way cash is accessed, moved and managed in society,” Koenig & Bauer explained.
FriSense was established in early 2019. It has developed a “micron-thin” security technology that can be used for applications including anti-counterfeit protection, authentication and “discreet unique identifiers”, and track and trace for assets.
The firm is part of the Novus group of companies controlled by Novus Aviation Capital.
FriSense described its know-how as “unique and invisible” and capable of being integrated with a range of products including banknotes, paper, labels, foils, and ID documents.
In addition, a fresh partnership with Czech "deep tech" firm Veracity Protocol involves an ambitious goal: jointly developing solutions for authenticating “any type of printed product without the need to add features”, using the existing microstructure of printed items.
K&B said the possible applications included tamper-proof brand protection, non-invasive methods for use in the supply chain and item tracking, new forensic authentication standards and new possibilities for “customer-product interaction”.
Separately, K&B has also partnered with Hybrid Software in the packaging space. This involves an exclusive automation product – PrintFusion – that “steers” K&B's Rapida sheetfed presses using tech from Hybrid’s Packz pre-media software and Cloudflow workflow system.
“Due to intelligent learning, PrintFusion maximizes press and substrate utilization and continually optimizes printing accuracy. Koenig & Bauer Rapida Sheetfed Offset presses can run far more independently and with a substantially lower less risk of errors,” Koenig & Bauer stated.
Hybrid Software chief marketing officer Christopher Graf said the partnership was “much more” than a traditional supplier-vendor relationship.
“We have combined our people to develop an innovative solution for our customers; supplying a unique technology which drives productivity to new heights,” he stated.
K&B chief data officer Ralf Sammeck commented: “PrintFusion is the result of a symbiotic partnership: what is achieved together is greater than the sum of its parts.”
