Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Naoki Adachi), TUV Rheinland Japan Ltd. (Head office: Kohoku-ku, Yokohama; President: Ralf Wilde), and NXP Semiconductors Japan Ltd. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Jeffrey Brown) have developed a new service which combines Toppan Printing’s UHF-band RFID Crystagram technology and TÜV Rheinland’s Product Control and Authentication System (PCAS)*1. Toppan Printing will start selling this service in early October 2009.

UHF-band RFID Crystagram are produced by installing NXP’s "UCODE G2X" IC chip *3 on Crystagrams*2 using Hitachi Chemical’s surface mount technology,. Crystagrams are holograms developed by Toppan Printing using their proprietary technology.

By attaching a UHF-band RFID Crystagram to branded goods for example, this new service allows a visual check for counterfeit items.
In addition, by using TÜV Rheinland’s Product Control and Authentication System (PCAS), one can build an authentication system and a high level of product control worldwide. This allows you to check for illegal distribution of your products on the web, through the know-how and worldwide network of TUV Rheinland, an international third-party certification body for product safety and quality certification.

Copyright 2010 TOPPAN PRINTING CO., LTD.

The contribution of each of the three companies
-Toppan Printing: Provides UHF-band RFID Crystagram and sells this new product control and authentication system
-TUV Rheinland: Provides and manages the Production Control and Authentication System (PCAS)
-NXP: Provides the "UCODE G2X" chips.

Background
Currently, counterfeiting and illegal distribution of branded goods and other products continues throughout the world and has become a serious international problem. In response to theses crimes, countermeasures have been introduced in each country and industry, but cutting-edge technology is always required for the prevention of counterfeiting and illegal distribution.

Features of this service
Use of NXP UCODE G2X chips makes it possible to prevent illegal reading of data. -It is possible to build a worldwide support system using the know-how and network of TUV Rheinland, an international third-party certification body for product safety and quality certification.

Prices
UHF-band RFID Crystagram: 50 yen/tag (for 1 million tags)
Product Control and Authentication System PCAS: 4 yen/product
(Devices required for the system, such as a UHF-band IC tag reader and PCs, will be priced separately.)

Sales target
600 million yen in 2010.

*1: How does the Product Control and Authentication System (PCAS) work?
The PCAS is an online verification system which offers a variety of functions including product verification and traceability in supply chains. It uses randomly generated and unique 13-digit alphanumeric codes. It helps enhance security control for products by issuing reports.

*2: Crystagrams
Electron beam technology used in semiconductor component manufacture is applied to create bright, high-definition images and achieve a unique visual effect. Since sales began in 1994, Crystagrams have been used predominantly for security applications such as for credit cards and securities.

*3 What is a UCODE G2X chip?
The UCODE G2X chip is a high-performance passive RFID chip that does not need a battery, and can be read at a distance of 2 to 3 meters. It complies with the EPCglobal C1G2, a UHF-band RFID standard. The UCODE G2X provides 512 bits of on-chip dedicated user memory for storage of multiple codes. In addition, custom commands provide a variety of security functions including: theft protection, read/write protection (using a 32-bit password), sleep mode, and a kill command which destroys the IC electrically.