German mechanical and plant engineers are making their production, logistics and maintenance processes even more efficient by using cross-industry identification, tracking and tracing solutions. Bar and data matrix codes identified via RFID tags and intelligent image processing, for example, are used to carry out automatic quantitative and qualitative checks of products and individual components. Built-in labeling systems are designed to combat plagiarism, while brand and patent protection solutions safeguard the competitiveness of companies.

Innovative solutions are particularly in demand in the field of product protection. At present, two-thirds of mechanical and plant engineers in Germany are suffering the effects of international product and brand piracy. In this sector in Germany, the damage caused each year by "plagiarism, fakes and the illegal sale of products amounts to EUR 6.4 billion or a four percent loss of sales," says Steffen Zimmermann, an expert in product and know-how protection at the German Engineering Federation (VDMA). According to a VDMA study dating from 2010, spare parts and components are being copied more and more frequently, while there has also been a decline in the figures for entire machines.

Machine tools that use existing communication interfaces to protect the system as a whole are now available as effective measures. These and many other methods for protecting brands and products in all branches of industry will be on show in the Identification, Tracking & Tracing section of the Industrial Automation fair at HANNOVER MESSE.