Snapshot
Lockcon AG needed a high-quality solution that would enable their end-users and accredited testing labs to prove the authenticity of entire sample kits, adding an additional layer of security on their tamper-evident doping control sample containers.
Lockcon worked with our team to integrate Scantrust patented technology for anti-counterfeiting into their tamper-evident sample containers.
Scantrust secure QR codes combined with the secure design of the Lockcon containers has been accepted by accredited anti-doping test labs, bringing a previously impossible level of trust and transparency to the sports world.
INTRODUCTION
In Olympic and professional sports, as well as in animal competition, the difference between winning and losing is everything. On the one hand lies adulation, the praise from the fans complete with money rewards. On the other hand awaits the abject shame of failure. Considering the stakes, competitors are constantly looking for an edge, an advantage to change the narrative of a lasting legacy. Perhaps the most infamous method to get that edge is the use of performance enhancers or substances deemed illegal by regulatory bodies. This is known as “doping”.
In the sports movement around the world, anti-doping tests are standardized and regulated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and carried out by testing authorities. In animal competitions such
as horse or greyhound racing, testing procedures for illegal substances is not as harmonized as it is under WADA, but there are still worldwide standards.
Due to the high stakes of test results, it is critical that the samples are kept securely and monitored for tampering, and it is just as critical to ensure that there are checks in place confirming the authenticity of bio-samples. Among the most important elements maintaining the security of bio-samples is the containers that carry them.
LOCKCON’S ANTI DOPING CHALLENGE
Lockcon AG is a Swiss-based company that develops high security, tamper-evident equipment for doping control test kits. These kits are used by organizations all over the world. Lockcon has extensive experience in the sports and anti-doping industry, and is driven by a desire to bring their team’s collective know-how to create innovation in a relatively traditional industry.
Lockcon containers stand out because of their unique tamper-evident sealing design, which makes them extremely easy and straightforward to close and keep secure. The containers are also lighter and easier to handle than traditional products on the market, simplifying logistics for the relevant stakeholders. But Lockcon wanted to take their tamper-evident design one step further: they wanted to add an additional layer of security that could further prove authenticity and secure their sample container kits.
We were quite convinced we could make something better. We also love to work with the community and were very keen to develop something that gives value back to the market as well as for the athletes, doping control authorities, and laboratories. — Monika Egli, CEO of Lockcon AG
SEARCHING FOR A SOLUTION
A broad search for digital and physical solutions that could be integrated into their existing containers began. During their search to prove their sample kit’s authenticity, Lockcon found Scantrust SA, a Swiss-based company with a multi-region presence offering a solution to actively protect against counterfeits via connected packaging. Scantrust patented technology is based on the principle that printing is an imperfect process. Any time a Scantrust secure graphic is printed, image quality deteriorates irreversibly from the original digital version, so that counterfeiters, or in the case with Lockcon, anyone attempting to falsify samples, are unable to reproduce the secure graphic and match the original image quality.
Serialized, secured QR codes pair information specific to each of the Lockcon sample containers and can be easily scanned and read by smartphones to authenticate the samples. If a falsified sample does make its way into the lab, it will be immediately recognized upon scanning the secured QR code, flagged in the system, and isolated as an unreliable sample. Even an exchange of the cap or the container can be recognized by the system due to a paired codes application.
SCANTRUST INTEGRATION
In order to make a final decision on a solution, Lockcon needed to confirm whether adding our secured QR codes made sense. More importantly, they needed to be sure that this additional layer of security and the verification process would be accepted by analysis labs and similar users.
The Scantrust team worked closely with Lockcon and their existing printing partner to find the most efficient way to integrate secured QR codes into the existing label printing process. To see whether or not the concept would be accepted, Lockcon pitched the idea to major clients and found that there was ready acceptance and approval. This convinced Lockcon that the integration of the secured QR codes would work.
Using Scantrust’s secure QR codes adds an additional layer of security to Lockcon’s doping control sample containers, and allows their end-users, the third-party accredited labs, to verify the authenticity of the sample kits. Data gained from the scans of the QR codes also gives more visibility on the distribution of the kits, providing the trust and transparency needed in the anti-doping field. The system is also easy to integrate with other platforms and even more security layers, for example storing sample container information on the blockchain.
Market feedback – we saw that the solution works; the process, the idea, the security of the whole chain works for all stakeholders. The integrated system is unique in this market and provides the highest level of security. — Monika Egli, CEO of Lockcon AG