Thursday 28 April 2016

Automakers & Tech Giants to Collaborate for Better In-Car Infotainment

From radio to voice recognition systems, from CD players to LCD display with wi-fi network, modern & future cars are ready to give a whole new experience.


In-car infotainment (IVI) is a term used for system that is a combination of information and entertainment in cars. IVI system uses audio-video interfaces, and other two-way communication tools to offer various services to driver and passengers. Many cars include CD players, radio, or rear seat DVD as sources of entertainment; while features, such as mobile device connectivity, security, and GPS tracker are sources of information. Automakers have begun incorporating new devices and features with growing demand for faster and powerful tools. Continuous upgradation of consumer-electronics industry and emergence of smartphones are among the major reasons for creating opportunities for car manufacturers in in-car infotainment industry.

Friday 22 April 2016

Spree to Acquire Companies Pushes Robotics Technology Market to Next Level

There are clear indications that field of robotic technology is undergoing a major facelift. Bots have received significant media coverage in the past five to six years.

https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/robotics-technology-market

Many big enterprises that had nothing to do with the technology are suddenly seen focusing on acquiring robot startups. Research analysts at “Allied Market Research (AMR) “assessing the growth rate, trends and share and size in the robotics technology market reveal that nations that were never on the radar few years back have now developed as prominent vendors in the robotics space. Many innovative designs and operational excellence linked with bots are being embraced by, among different things such as cloud computing as well as social media. Cost are decreasing gradually, aiding new app and entrants. Even the speculations of what was considered an intelligent machine is transforming fast. All these indications seem to outline that the technology is on the edge of something remarkable that can hopefully have influenced several lives in a positive manner.

Wednesday 20 April 2016

New Technique from Lava-Shield to Enable Recycling of Injection Molded Plastic

The innovative recyclable and reusable purge guards from Lava shield, stands ready to be adopted by the injection molded plastic market players.

Injection molding involves manufacturing of plastic by injecting a material into a mold, cooling, and solidifying of the product. A plastic material is fed into a heated barrel, mixed, and forced into a mold to cool and hardened to a configuration of cavity of mold. Injection Molded Plastic is used in variety of applications ranging from manufacturing small parts, such as bottle caps to bigger parts, such as body panels of cars. In the molding process, plastic material to be used, desired shape & features, and properties of molding should be taken into account before designing a mold. Injection molded plastic is an ideal option for productions of high volume of same product.

Injection molded plastic is manufactured using two types of polymers – thermoplastic and thermosetting. The thermoplastic polymers used in injection molding are polypropylene, high density polyethylene, polycarbonate, low density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyurethane, polysulphone, and others. Moreover, melamine formaldehyde, polyester, epoxy resin, and are some of the prominent thermosetting polymers used for injection molding. On the other hand, the thermosetting polymers used for injection molding are polyester, epoxy resin, and melamine formaldehyde.

Tuesday 19 April 2016

Cloud security to get a boost with BYOD and CYOD gaining traction

Cloud security technology to prevent data breaches & data loss across organizations and would be driven by growing adoption of various cloud services models

https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/cloud-security-market

Need for Cloud Security


The adoption of cloud computing technology fast becoming norm across organizations and enterprises of all sizes. The dominant concern is not what benefits will cloud security will offer that will boost the adoption rate since these are too obvious; rather, the prominent question that concerns companies is how to secure the network every time data is put on cloud. Cloud security consists of policies and controls, related to securing data on the cloud and their transfer by protecting applications and infrastructure. Threats such as data breaches, data loss, and different application programming interfaces (API) that need security are the factors that would give rise to imminent need of a comprehensive security solutions.

Cloud Service Attracts Business Users to Hadoop-as-a Service Market

Several HaaS companies are focusing removing complexities associated with using Hadoop and are adding features to take the company to the next level.

https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/hadoop-as-a-service-market

At present, the Hadoop-as-a-Service (or HaaS) Market spans several large and medium -sized enterprises. Big IT giants, enterprise software players and cloud computing vendor are favoring collaborations, mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures to improve their exiting global presence and widen their possibilities to research potential customers. Many smaller companies are seen acquired by major brands to grow both market share and consumer base. Research analysts, at Allied Market Research eyeing the major trends and size reveal that industry is observing the entry of several data analytics vendors who can compete with conventional and on-premise.

Telecom Brands Focus on LTE Market to Improve Government Services

Regions banking on the demands for high speed acts as a key driver for LTE sector. Besides this, first -mover benefit has kept the future of the industry robust.


At present, North America is seen taking a lead when it comes to LTE subscription counts. Research analysts at Allied Market Research constantly monitoring the growth rate, share and size and key trends hold the launch of early LTE networks responsible for such dramatic shift. Both Verizon Wireless as well as AT & T were the first one to introduce these networks to the market. However, the sudden growth in operator’s commitment in matured and developing regions such as Asia – Pacific has interested many investors off late. The region has led to year-on-year growth in the subscription to strengthen its position like North America. Apart from this, the operators active in Western European region are finally pushing the 4G adoption rate. 

Monday 18 April 2016

Internet Security Market Banks Heavily On Talent Pool

Increase in cybercrimes has created a need for more internet security experts across different regions.


 At present, many technology and service providers are helping companies safeguard their internet presence. Certain trends that internet security market is observing includes organizations coming under blame, the rise of dangerous smartphone applications and sudden rise in the counts of cyber criminals continuously harnessing the capabilities of social medial. Research analysts at Allied Market Research assessing the growth rate, share and size and trends outlined that the sector has tracked a tremendous increase in malware, with trends targeting Android phones. When downloaded onto mobile phones, criminals easily gain access to important information, which is then misused without owners knowing it.

Advanced Curing Techniques to safer Processed Poultry Meat

Upcoming consumer apps to trace back all inputs in industry demands that would lead to safer curing techniques boosting the processing poultry meat market growth.

Processed poultry meat market experiences larger consumer demand as compared to meat from other sources such as beef and pork. The main reason is, processed poultry meat being the healthier alternative, with complementary benefits, such as convenience of storing, assorted choices, and enhanced flavors. The industry takes live stock from poultry farms or raise their own under monitored breeding. From ancient salting and smoking performed on parts, or entire carcasses, it moved over to using more complex chemicals, in an advanced processing environment. Therefore, monitoring compliance of these techniques with safety standards and tracing safe content in them in necessitated.

Popularity of Processed Poultry Meat Market


Spoilt for choice and flavor, global population loves the ready-to-eat concept in processed poultry meat. For them, these picks off the store shelves directly implicate sundry taste and texture of meat products that could possible reduce preparation time spent in the kitchen. Health-aware customers find it the easiest way to source their daily protein requirements, and the best type in class. The industry lays out the table with an array of sausages, chops, and nuggets among other types, measured in careful portions, with reduced fat content. However, it is the same class that later realized possible toxic contamination it could cause with continuous consumption.

Recent meat scandals, coming forth from misguided local players, gained bad light from the consumers. Almost instinctively, services plus software were initiated, to help customers check the route taken by the meat, from farm to fork, on their own. OriginTrail, is one such software application, that has been recently developed by a Slovenian start-up. The app enables meat processing companies to educate their customers about all units the product has gone through and the additives that have been used on them all the while.

Market Prospects for Processed Poultry Meat


Despite all the fuss about unhealthy sodium and nitrate additives, consumer trends hardly seem to dip for the market. In this backdrop, certain companies picked the convenience and taste criteria to develop substitutes for processed poultry meat in the market. Yet, meat lovers can’t develop the heart or taste for such alternatives. This provides manufacturers with another chance to review the chemical compounds being employed in their processes. If this opportunity remains disregarded, software apps such as OriginTrail, in combination with stringent organizational rules, will force companies to maintain complete transparency. Though, such transparency would require some regulating authority to keep a check upon genuineness of what is being communicated. If all goes well, market players would be forced to employ advanced curing chemicals to reduce pathogen breeding in shelved meats, and employ safe flavoring components.

In a recent report published by Allied Market Research on “World Processed Poultry Meat Market - Opportunities and Forecasts, 2014 – 2020”, analysts predict the market to grow at a stable CAGR of 6.4% during 2015 to 2020. According to the report, chicken was the source that contributed maximum to the processed poultry meat market in 2014. During the same year, retail segment leads the list of end-verticals of the industry. The report is inclusive of current and future trends, along with a detailed analysis of supply-chain modules, that outline profitable investment pockets for existing as well as new entrants.

Smart Homes, Buildings Market Driven by Environmental Concerns

Smart homes and buildings market to witness the adoption of technologies like HVAC and technological advancements that hopes to improve efficiency and quality of space conditioning

  
During the past years, technology has transformed the way business is done; in an effort to contain rising energy cost and attain energy efficiency, it has changed the real estate sector. New technologies on making energy-efficient and automated buildings, both across commercial building market, are making gaining traction in the smart buildings market. Increasing adoption of smart homes and buildings technology through well-integrated technologies will ultimately lead to larger goal of “Smart Cities”

Second Generation Biofuels Market Attracts Huge Investment in U.S.

Second-generation biofuels gaining prominence due to its potential to reduce emissions across regions and in effectively managing global energy fuel supply.

Second generation biofuels, also known as advanced biofuels, and are distinctly different from first generation biofuels in terms of raw materials and processing technology. The feedstock used in producing these biofuels are generally not food crops; these are made from non-edible lignocellulosic biomass, including residues of crops or forestry production, and whole plant biomass. Food crops such as waste vegetable oil can be used as raw materials since it is no longer fit for human consumption; however this does not imply that they can be burnt directly as the biomass. Several of these biofuels, such as Switchgrass is preferred in the U.S., are grown particularly to act as direct biomass. These biofuels are considered as more viable energy option of the global energy fuel supply of the world as they are more energy efficient than conventional biofuels and they help in considerably reducing greenhouse gas emission, without significantly displacing cropland used for food production. Other grasses such as Myscanthus, and Indiangrass are preferably grown in different areas, depending on the favourable climate. The demand of these grasses as feedstocks is fast growing as they can usually be harvested a few times per year and have over high net energy yield of over 500%.

Croda to Increase Production Capacity of Surfactants in Its Northern France Plant

This significant increase in production capacity is a strategic investment to ensure that the site can continue to play its role in supporting our global business, said Croda CEO.


Surfactants are compounds used to reduce the surface tension between two liquids or between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as emulsifiers, detergents, foaming agents, wetting agents, and dispersants. Surfactants break down the interface by reducing surface tension between water and oils or dirt.  Low price, easy availability, and broadened application areas are factors responsible for increasing the Demand for Surfactants. Surfactants were primarily used in the detergent and soap industries. But, this trend is changing with increasing use in other industries such as fabric industry, paper industry, agrochemical industry, the cosmetic industry in shampoo, and others.



Surfactant Applications:

Surfactants are used to reduce the surface tension or interfacial tension as compared to an adjacent phase. Following are the applications of surfactants:

Wetting of solid surfaces 
The quality of end product depends upon the wetting of surfaces by aqueous solution. Surfactants are used to reduce surface tension and achieve better wetting conditions. It is used in applications, such as wetting of textiles & other surfaces for washing and cleaning, adhesive wetting, wetting for painting, printing & coating, and galvanic baths.

Mobilizing hydrophobic substances
The washing effect depends on better wetting of the surface that needs to be cleaned. Hydrophobic substances are mobilized by incorporation into molecule clusters. Surfactants are used in applications, such as detergents and cleaning agents, emulsions in foodstuffs and body-care products, Mobilization of organic phases in crude oil production or in medicine, and emulsion polymerization.

Improving sprayability 

As total surface area increases, the volume of liquid is dispersed into many small droplets. If surface tension is smaller, dispersion is easier to achieve. A fine spray mist is obtained by sprays containing surfactants. The surfactants must produce their effect through spraying in a very short time. Applications of surfactants include sprays for hair and body care, spraying of pesticides, and cleaning sprays.

Croda to increase production of surfactants:

Croda, a leading specialty chemical manufacturer, has invested in manufacturing plant to increase the capacity of surfactants. The investment goes in manufacturing plant in Northern France at Chocques. They have begun construction at manufacturing plant at the beginning of March 2016 to increase the production of surfactants by 20 percent. It will become fully function till the beginning of the 2017. This facility will help in meeting the increasing demand of its popular surfactants. 

Steve Foots, CEO of Croda said, “This significant increase in production capacity is a strategic investment to ensure that the site can continue to play its role in supporting our global business and is part of our global capital investment plan for the Group.”
New utilities were opened in the plant to improve its performance, sustainability, and reliability. This plant uses very low carbon sources to fulfill more than 90% of its steam and electricity requirements from. Stuart Arnott, President of Operations at Croda said, “We are also constructing a very large game-changing investment in North America that will see us be the first in our space to manufacture a full range of sustainable non-ionic bio-based surfactants.” 

Analysts studying the market have presented a thorough information about current market trends and forecasts in research reports. Allied Market Research has published a report titled, “World Surfactants Market - Opportunities and Forecast, 2014 - 2020.” As per the report, the world surfactants market is expected to register a CAGR of 3.4% from 2014 to 2020 and would reach $44.6 billion by 2020. The report provides an extensive analysis of market segmentation, drivers & opportunities, and competitive scenario. Furthermore, the research offers value chain analysis, SWOT analysis, estimations through 2014 to 2020 for each segment, and dominating segments in the industry.


Sunday 17 April 2016

A New Sludge Treatment Facility by MWRD to Clean the Chicago River

The Skokie water plant will be the second water treatment facility of MWRD that disinfects treated water.

Sludge is a by-product obtained during Treatment of Wastewater. The process of Wastewater Treatment involves elimination of the wastewater and sludge is obtained during the process. Sludge contain large quantities of microorganisms, organic matter, pathogens, and bacteria which can cause harmful effects on human health. Reducing the volume of sludge and stabilizing organic materials is necessary before it goes through the final disposal process. Pungent smell is eliminated in a stabilized sludge and easy to handle without risk of safety hazards. Furthermore, the cost for storage, pumping, and disposal of the sludge decreases with a smaller volume.



Sludge treatment Chemicals:

Typically, a polymer chemical is used for dewatering process in which the volume is reduced. Polymers chemicals are slippery and can also be used as environmental stress crack agents. Dewatering reduces sludge liquid volume up to 90 percent. Remaining sludge is put into large centrifuges that works in the same manner as a washing machine. A force is produced by spinning centrifuge to separate the majority of the water from the sludge solid. Then the remaining water is pulled out from the spinning and returned to the plant for reprocessing. Addition of polymer chemical to the substance helps in maintaining the consistency and creates a solid product which is easier to manage. 

Skokie sludge treatment facility:

Disinfection technology at a Skokie water treatment facility will be used to clean Chicago River. Wastewater released from the O’Brien Water Reclamation Plant into the North Shore Channel and North Branch of the Chicago River contain harmful bacteria and pathogens. Ultraviolet radiation would kill it with the help of the new disinfection facility announced by The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD). This plant will be the second water treatment facility of MWRD that disinfects treated water. Last year, its Calumet facility started disinfecting treated water that was released into the Calumet River. The system used chlorine to kill bacteria and a subsequent de-chlorination process was necessary to eliminate the chemical due to its hazardous effects on environment. 

“The O’Brien plant’s ultraviolet disinfection approach is not only cheaper than using chlorine, but also safer,” according to the MWRD’s director of engineering, Dr. Catherine O’Connor. “With ultraviolet disinfection, the advantage is there are no possible disinfection byproducts or dissolved solids in the water.” 

Disinfection process in the O’Brien plant:

In the first step, The O'Brien plant eliminates sludge from human and industrial wastewater. Organic matter is broken down microbial processes in the second step. It disinfects the treated water in its final step. The risk of health problems arising due to direct contact with water is reduced. O’Connor informed people of Chicago not to go for swimming in the river as it is not safe. A new facility would help MWRD in sludge treatment process to make it safer.

“We want [people] to exercise public health common sense, like not touching your hand to your mouth or washing your hands before you eat if you’ve made contact with the water," O’Connor added. “Any illness that would come from the water wouldn’t be terribly serious, but it would cause discomfort, like gastrointestinal distress.”
Analysts studying the market have revealed a thorough information about changing market trends in research reports. Allied Market Research has published a report titled, “World Sludge Treatment Chemicals Market - Opportunities and Forecasts, 2015 - 2022.” As per the report, the world sludge treatment chemicals market is expected to register a CAGR of 5.3% from 2016 to 2022 and estimated to reach $5.5 billion by 2022. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of competitive intelligence, drivers & opportunities, and key manufacturers. Furthermore, the study offers value chain analysis, SWOT analysis of key market players, and estimations are made from 2016 to 2022 for each segment of the industry.

Growing R&D Activities to Develop Eco-Friendly Production Process of PLA

Newly developed cheaper and eco-friendly methods would be a great alternative for 
petroleum-based products.

Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable polyester derived from renewable sources, such as corn starch, sugarcane, tapioca, and others. It is used majorly in packaging applications in food & beverages and other products having shorter shelf life. In addition, it is also used in textile, automotive, and construction applications due to its versatility. Easy availability of raw materials, favorable government policies, and growing consumer awareness are factors responsible for increasing usage of PLA.

Adoption of Cleanroom disposable gloves across a spectrum of industries to boost the market growth

Cleanroom disposable gloves gaining prominence a range of pharmaceutical industry segments and manufactures offer gloves made from advanced materials such as nitrile, vinyl and neoprene.

Fast Expanding applications of Cleanroom disposable gloves

Cleanroom disposable gloves find large application in the semiconductor, pharmaceutical and electronic industries. They are primarily used to avoid cross contamination from hazardous materials and as essentials in maintaining an aseptic working environment. These gloves are manufactured using different raw materials such as nitrile, natural rubber/latex, vinyl, neoprene and others. Each raw material has unique property which makes it suitable for different cleanroom applications. For instance, nitrile and vinyl gloves are preferred over other cleanroom gloves, as they provide better grip and puncture resistant features as compared to the other gloves.

Hype about hygiene hands growth to disposable gloves market

Raised public awareness about touch-transmitted infections boosts global market for disposable gloves in healthcare, food, service, and packaging industry. 

Medical, as well as non-medical, approach to the disposable gloves market is influenced by increased awareness on transmission of microbes and body fluids through hand contact. Reason as basic as that, yet extensive application segments are realized for the same. End-consumption segments include healthcare service facilities - both surgical and diagnostics, food & beverage processing and packaging, centers, hospitality and personal service sectors, biotech and drug research facilities among others.

Saturday 16 April 2016

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Market Pushes Technology Boundaries to Next Level

Development in safety features, has persuaded automobile manufacturers to test their features in Asia – Pacific countries such as China.

Over the past few years, advanced driver assistance system market (or ADAS) has been confined to just high end luxury vehicles. But times have changed. Today ADAS is famous with entry and mid-level categories driven in parts and are expected to comes into effect by 2020. Research analysts at Allied Market Research studying the growth rate, share and size and trends reveal that such systems need support for an array of applications from automatic braking, surround -view visual devices to pedestrian detect and more.

Energy Saving Capabilities Takes Permanent Magnet Motor Market to Next Level

Robustness and energy saving capabilities are seen driving the permanent magnet motors sector worldwide. 

One of the prime technology required for building a low –carbon community, including the generation next automobiles are permanent magnet motor. Furthermore, energy – saving household electric appliance are also depending greatly on the permanent magnet motor. Research analysts at Allied Market Research monitoring the growth rate, share and size and trends that demand for capabilities such as sustainability when hybrid vehicles are exposed to high temperature has kept the market future robust.

New Products Replenish North America Air Compressor Market

Technology advancements are enabling the air compressors to replenish the air that is used.


Compressed air is considered to be a vital energy source that supports manufacturing activities. Furthermore, research analysts at Allied Market Research eyeing the growth rate, share and size and trends of North America air compressor market say that as it is a high cost component, there is a strong need for improving the capability of the existing systems and provide saving opportunities. Apart from this, to understand this potential, it is important to understand the system dynamics as well as ensure that the supply form compressors match the system needs. Besides this, the air compressors can replenish air that is used. It is a vital difference.

Increased Oil Output across Nations Cushions the Oilfield Auxiliary Rental Equipment Market

Rising stocks, Obama’s BLM and increasing oil output in Russia are expected to open new opportunities for the oilfield auxiliary rental equipment.  

The oilfield auxiliary rental equipment market consists of those machine as well as instruments that are particularly used to support drilling at oilfields. Equipments that are not used too frequently are mainly availed on rent by different oil extraction enterprises. These equipments include sewage systems, storage tanks, junk catchers and drilling equipment among others. Research analysts at Allied Market Research eyeing the share and size and key trends in the industry hold increasing demand for various energy sources responsible for growth. In addition, the impending demand for cost optimization as well as rising deep shore production operations have also kept the industry future robust.

Tech Savvy Personal Care Electrical Appliances Market Needs to be Taken Seriously

Currently speciality styling devices offer both men and women the flexibility to be at par to all the must have trends without spending on costly services. 



Sales of personal care electrical appliances market have been promising this year. Hair care appliances worldwide especially in prestige departmental stores for beauty products grew over 15 percent. At present, speciality styling appliances are offering women more flexibility to be at par with various must –have trends without visiting a salon and spending on expensive beauty therapies. Research analysts, at Allied Market Research monitoring the recent development, share and size, indicate that celebrity style has been highly responsible for the increased sales of appliances such as hair straighners, hair stylers, ,shavers, trimmers among others. These devices play a vital role in helping the consumers create stunning looks with just one product.

Consumer Telematics Market Revolutionizes Vehicles as a Device

The consumer telematics unit becomes a communication system in a vehicle and enables powerful data collection and streaming system.

End-user targeted automotive-centric communication technologies, services as well as information is termed as consumer telematics. These systems are fast gaining momentum owing to the increasing awareness off the advantage of communication technologies and their positioning in vehicles for improved maintenance, convenience, safety and security. Besides assuring security, infotainment it helps in saving costs. Big giant such as Toyota, Ford and others are seen competing to in this open marketplace. Toyota had made headlines by introducing telematics services in both China and United States in 2009. Brands close competitor Ford is seen exploring its SYNC in the United States, with a launch planned in Europe soon. Research analysts at Allied Market Research assessing the growth rate, share and size and trends say government policies and regulations is an essential driver in regions such as Europe and countries like Brazil. 

Commercial Telematics Market Makes it Presence Felt in Progressive Operations

Big Data finally makes its presence felt in the telematics market. Road Safety is of prime importance for commercial telematics. 
Commercial Telematics

Over the past few years the telematics industry has matured in the regions including Spain, United Kingdom, Germany and France. Research analysts at Allied Market Research monitoring the share and size, trends and growth rate of the commercial telematics market highlight that development of telematics systems in the commercial vehicle space is expanding fast. Apart from this, the influence of Big Data as well as Road Safety would be strongly felt in the industry and future automobiles and systems integration in the coming years.

Solid State Transformers: Mitigating Power Loss in Smart Grids

As global energy consumption surges, inclusion of solid state transformers is necessitated further for their power-smart performance in electrical utilities.

With regard to the net power losses incurred in electrical utilities accountable to outage duration and equipment inefficiencies, while being on the same page for global environmental concerns, the implementation of smart, or solid state transformers, is a must. Backed by innovatively designed active power control from semi-conductor electronic devices, these transformers hold a promising solution to the future of power industry.

Anti-Counterfeit Packaging Market in Security Documents & Event Ticketing Market Sees Screening Needs


Document and event ticket counterfeit cases are on the rise especially in the developing countries owing to the easy availability of cost – effective equipment that makes counterfeiting convenient. 

Anti-Counterfeit Packaging Market in Security Documents & Event TicketingThe crime of counterfeiting documents is as ancient as the creation of documents itself. At present, major advancements in printing techniques, photographic and personal computer, backed by the availability of affordable devices have made document counterfeiting relatively convenient. Research Analysts at Allied Market Research weighing up on the growth rate, share and size and current trends in the anti-counterfeit packaging market in security documents and event ticketing pointed out that criminals are often heard using stolen documents or event tickets to conduct financial or other crimes.

Friday 15 April 2016

3D Entertainment: A Thrilling Experience at Home

The emergence of 3D television, gaming, and networks has brought more thrilling experience at home.

Three dimensional technology is used in variety of applications owing to technological advancements. Applications of 3D technology include printing, entertainment, healthcare, defense, automobile & industrial, architecture, and others. Increase in demand of advance technology based products, 3D entertainment, 3D display shipment, and 3D printing are factors that create opportunities for growth. In medical and forensics, 3D printing has brought an evolutionary change in the way professional conduct surgeries and complicated operations. Healthcare industry would grow at the highest rate in coming years owing to technological advancements. The demand for 3D technology is increasing healthcare professional as it provides convenience and improved efficacy in research and surgeries. 

Three-Dimensional (3D) Technology Market - Allied Market Research

3D Technology in Entertainment:

Another application area that is booming due to 3d technology is entertainment industry. People are demanding 3d entertainment as it provides better experience and more fun. The emergence of 3D television, gaming, and networks has brought more thrilling experience at home. Though it impacts eyes of person, but the demand for 3D entertainment devices is growing. Dr. Roger Phelps, a VSP doctor in Ojai, CA and principal of OjaiEyes Optometry, said 3D can impact each person differently. He said that it was an enjoyable experience to watch Avatar in 3D. Some of his patients informed him that they experienced fatigue or a headache after watching it. Some of his patients also felt nauseous during the movie.

New Technology Integration Take On the Intelligent Lighting Controls Market Globally

Intelligent lighting controls manufactured are focused on affordable and green energy solutions to all their forward thinking customers. 

In the middle of the dramatic shift from previously stable fluorescent lighting market to highly efficient light emitting diode lighting industry, sector for lighting controls have expanded at a tremendous speed. The major expansion has taken place in terms of an array of control systems made available and sheer count of the systems being installed. Research analysts at Allied Market Research assessing the growth rate, share and size and major trends in the intelligent lighting controls market hold building energy codes highly responsible to fueling the increasing adoption rate of basic lighting controls including sensors and photosensors. These codes further persuade the lighting projects to consider upgrading and embrace an extensive control system at an affordable price hike. 

Intelligent Lighting Controls Market - Allied Market Research

Demand Response Served by Intelligent Lighting Controls Market  

There are several reasons why these lighting controls can be leveraged particularly for demand response. The first reason is cost savings. Lighting consumes approximately forty percent of the total energy utilized by any commercial facility. Thus, lowering the load especially during the peak hours is likely to yield notable cost savings. Secondly, several studies reveal that exposure to daylight can help in improving human health. More precisely, peak demand hours coincide with optimum daylight levels, enabling business owners to make important peak-load cuts, while enhancing the workplace quality. Thirdly, the lighting reductions often goes undetectable. As per a study carried out by the famous Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute reveals that most occupants fail to detect even a 20 percent reduction in these levels. This emphasizes on the opportunities for cost savings during demand response initiatives and on continuous basis. 

Screenless display as next-generation interfaces gaining traction across regions

Screenless display market to be driven by technological advancements and efforts by key market players to bring down the cost

World over, screen has been a prominent technology that enables us to interact with devices and share information. Screenless display as next-generation interface technology is fast gaining traction. The new technology enables us to project images onto our retina, open space and even directly to our brain. The trend is gaining prominence led by the miniaturization of various devices such as wearables and holographic display. Though, the industry analysts consider this technology as a nascent one, its adoption is expected to increase continually through the forecast period; the market would be driven by many technological advancements and continuous reduction in the cost of screenless display devices. Furthermore, less consumption of power, enhanced portability of these devices and wide range of viewing angles and increased privacy offered by the technology are some of the key factors boosting the growth of screenless display market. 

Screenless Display Market  - Allied Market Research

Screenless Display Market trends

Screen-less display as next-generation interfaces can be categorized into three technology segments, namely, visual image, retinal display and synaptic interface. Holographic display, virtual reality goggles, heads up display are some of the visual image displays that are in high demand in the market. This display enables the generation of depth cues and high-end images and videos that can be conveniently viewed by us without the need of any special observation devices. Google Glass was one of the first screenless display and its adoption over the years created a great impact on recent shaping the market trends. Constant miniaturization of the technology has led to major technological advancements by top players that shapes up the competitive landscape scenario. Recently, this month, Samsung taking the advantage of miniaturization feature, have incorporated the screenless display technology by embedding it in a contact lens. The OLED display technology would enable the projection of images directly on the wearer’s eye, and as the patent application filed by the company suggests, the contact lens would offer an image quality better than offered by Google Glass. However, as industry experts opine, the product would lead to considerable privacy issues as it can detect where the person was looking at. 

IP Video Surveillance & VSaaS gaining traction across organizations of all sizes

IP Video Surveillance & VSaaS market getting fast adoption across commercial and government sectors in the backdrop of general national threats and enhanced features offered by IP based surveillance.


Over the past few decades, surveillance techniques have undergone dramatic shifts. Analog tapes and security personnel are passé; IP Video Surveillance is fast emerging as an advanced technology, leveraging and integrating the functionalities of digital video cameras, remote access, and intelligent analytics. The evolution offers organizations significant opportunities to explore in improving their security with reduced operating costs.


IP Video Surveillance & VSaaS in South Africa - Allied Market Research

Factors boosting the demand of IP Video Surveillance & VSaaS in South Africa

There is a growing demand for video as a service among business enterprise of all scale to maintain a comprehensive security solution and also being budget friendly. They do away with large infrastructure cost & costly equipment by availing video surveillance as a service (VSaaS) while at the same time ensuring high level of functionalities, sophistication, convenience and portability. This IP, which is the same protocol that drives the Internet. This shift to IP based surveillance enables enhanced quality at much lower cost because enterprises have the advantages of deploying video surveillance on the same IP network that is used for other IT applications.

Thursday 14 April 2016

Advanced Pigments Deck Market Opportunities for UV Light Stabilizers

Pigments are basic to UV light stabilizers industry components. High-performance composites with advanced results presently drives market growth.

Utilization of outdoor spaces for spending living time has increased over recent past. Patios, yards, terraces, and balconies connect the joy of being home with outdoor experience. To make the duration comfortable and appealing, exterior fittings and furnishings have gained attention. These apart from design considerations aim at fulfilling consumer budgets and style. With the serenity of nature comes other environmental elements such as rain and sunlight. To prevent the weathering of coatings and materials under the effect of UV radiations, light stabilizers are employed. Current UV light stabilizers market explore beyond basic pigments, and into innovative combination of different materials as well as stabilizers for better protection.

Need for UV light stabilizers 

Ever noticed discoloration and cracks in furniture or flooring over the passage of time? Well, that is what happens when polymers or wood is exposed to ultra violet radiations present in natural light. Although, pure materials are ideally free from impurities such as minerals and pigments which absorb radiations, but industrial extrusion of polymers, wood, laminates, and paints introduces some impurities during the process. Polymer molecules, once damaged are not regenerated, unlike human cells, to recover from ‘sunburns’.

Food & Pharmaceutical Brands Reinforce Anti-Counterfeit Packaging Techniques to Trace Quality

Anti-counterfeit packaging technologies are pushing hard to lay down food and drugs quality and safety traceability systems. 

Anti-Counterfeit Packaging Market - Food and Pharmaceuticals
 We often act as a trusting eater! When a server introduces the dish we think it is what the menu claims. What we forget here is labels can also lie. Thus, when it rounds up to it, customers can easily identify the difference a fresh catch and the flaky one lying next. Whether buyers like the fact or not food fraud does exist. On the other hand, counterfeit of prescription pharmaceutical are an ever growing trend. Research analyst at Allied Market Research (AMR) analyzing the business environment of global anti-counterfeit packaging market say it is a risk on public health.  AMR that has long been capturing data on market growth, share and size, trends, drivers, opportunities and demand emphasize that counterfeiting of pharmaceutical drugs are a serious concern to privates enterprises, public health officials and customers.

Anti-counterfeit Packaging: Bringing Share Equity Back For Brands

Duplicated packaging dilutes market equity shares for leading brands in food and beverages. Anti-counterfeit packaging techniques hold solutions.

 
Food and beverage packaging industry complexes along the varied consistency of eatables and fluids in consumer demand. Black sheep players in the market sneak in with their duplicated packages, harnessing profits and reputation of certain brands as personal profits. Certain regional markets are highlighted for high counterfeiting activities in packaging. This may or may not include, imitation of label graphics, similar color sequences and name for their content, plus replicating both package and content.

Adopt Smart Technology for success in Air Fresheners Market

Major brands are competing for a leadership position by adopting innovative business strategies. 

The air fresheners market worldwide is poised to generate billions this year. Industry today is highly driven by a sudden increase in the importance of aromatherapy. Research analysts at Allied Market Research keeping a close watch on the growth rate, share and size and trends hold tremendous changes in geographic trends including customer preference for decorating their adobe with aromatic products and urbanization responsible for industry growth. As per several surveys conducted Europe is likely to continue its dominance in these sectors. Although Western nations have already proved their dominance, developing regions like Asia – Pacific and LAMEA are expected to drive the market in years to come.

Experts Go Mainstream in World Hadoop Market

Amid Hadoop’s increasing adoption rate, services providers are seem hiring more experts.


Large number of businesses are seen building smart apps atop Hadoop. The market is also seen pushing beyond just analytics.  Research analysts at Allied Market Research examining the growth rate, share and size and trends of the Hadoop market highlight the technology has already fulfilled its vow for data lakes, conventional and modern analytics and more. Some of the key believers of this technology consists of Netflix, Wal – Mart and more. There are clear indications that CIOs who have been late to adopt the technology would be seen making it a priority in 2016.

Companies Would Remain Interested in Leveraging Hadoop Market


The count of enterprises intending to leverage the technology for advanced application cases would continue to increase. Over half of the large enterprises view the technology as a means to innovate, applying information from internet of things and social media platform and using predictive analytics as well as visualization for deeper insight about their trade. The technology will soon be leveraged of the smart phone applications.

Wednesday 13 April 2016

Medical Tourism Market Fuels the Aim of Healthcare Service Providers to Go Global

Cost – effectiveness and easy accessibility of paramount quality medical services paired with assistance from the tourism has kept the future of medical tourism bright. 

Medical tourism can be traced back to the ancient times, when rich Europeans traveled within their continent to seek medical treatments. Research Analysts at Allied Market Research assessing the growth rate, share and size of the medical tourism market highlight that at present this trend is being popularized by the Americans and Canadian. Apart from this, the count of people from Britain travelling to different countries for cost – effective medical services have also increased over the past five to six years. Increasing cost of healthcare services has persuaded the modern customers to look out for different ways to lower the expenses and still receive the medical assistance they require. 

Medical Tourism Market Helps Healthcare Services Go Global

There are many things new about this sector. The direction of flow has definitely added a new dimension to the industry. Earlier, individuals from underdeveloped nations travelled to developed countries for advanced medical assistance. But the times have changed. Today, many from rich nations are continuously searching for healthcare services in developing regions, where it’s affordable.  What is more significant is the increasing prospects of many Americans travelling overseas for healthcare assistance especially to poorer nations. For several generations, the United States has been considered as the nation that offers best medical attention regardless of where in the world patients dwell. However, statistics revealed by CDC confirms that about 750, 000 Americas travel to other countries for treatments. 

Popular Destination for Healthcare Treatments 

The list of what we consider as the hot destination for medical tourism usually varies every year. These destinations are generally determined based on the surgeries. Although no one nation can be considered as a haven for healthcare services, countries such as Malaysia, India, Mexico, South Korea, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic and Thailand keep appearing on different lists. As per a report by Deloitte the medical tourism market was believed to have generated about $ 3.9 bn by 2014. An article published in CNBC indicated that Thailand, which is popular for its cosmetic surgery welcomed approximately 1.2 million people in 2013. 

Competitive Landscape of Medical Tourism Market 

Initiatives taken by different countries in medical tourism market has kept the future of the industry robust. In a recent incident, Dubai inaugurated world’s first extensive medical tourism portal called the Dubai Health Experience. The portal aims at offering complete health, travels, visa as well as hospitality services just at a click of a button. According to another news government of Maharashtra is planning on putting Maharashtra on the map for medical tourism. Explaining the reason behind this sudden move Valsa Nair Singh, the Secretary, Tourism and Cultural Affairs said “Over two lakh medical tourists come to Mumbai, but often a number of them arrive go to other states”.  Valsa revealed this in an interview with journalists at Hindu. 

Eyeing the recent development, Allied Market Research has published a report titled “World Medical Tourism Market - Opportunities and Forecasts, 2015 – 2022.” The study weighs up on the growth rate, industry share and size and major trends of the sector. Prominent leaders covered during the research are Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital, Samitivej Public Company Limited, Prince Court Medical Centre and Barbados Fertility Centre among others. 

EXCiPACT Expands Beyond Europe to Ensure Best Quality of Excipients Worldwide

Excipients are an inert substances used along with active ingredient in manufacturing process to aid in handling active ingredient and for long-term stabilization of a drug. It is also useful in facilitating drug absorption, reducing viscosity, and enhancing solubility of a drug. The selection depends upon the dosage form, active ingredient, route of administration, and other factors. It enhances overall safety & functionality of drug during its storage or use and has an ability to alter color, shape, and taste of a drug.


EXCiPACT, an excipient certification organization, has started making their way into China, India, and U.S. markets. It is expanding beyond Europe, where it started three years ago. EXCiPACT is an independent certification body that fulfills needs of pharmaceutical companies to demonstrate GMP compliance of suppliers. It has recently issued first GMP certificate in US. It was the 26th certificate since its inception. Many certificates have been issued for Europe, China, India, Canada, and Saudi Arabia. 

Kevin McGlue, head of next phase of its development said, “There is huge interest in markets such as China and India where suppliers are looking to be able to demonstrate that they meet the standards the pharmaceutical industry requires. Having achieved our first certifications in both those countries, EXCiPACT will now be working to promote the scheme and ensure the availability of certification bodies and qualified auditors to meet the demands there.”

The first certifying body has been appointed in China, Bureau Veritas (BV) China, along with excipient market body IPEC China. lain Moore of Croda, former president of EXCiPACT is currently focusing on the technical aspects of EXCiPACT. He was active in development of the standards used by the organization for auditor competency and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). McGlue added, “The growth of the certification scheme over the last three years has meant that there is a benefit in splitting the technical and business development roles as it gathers momentum in the EU and overseas.”

Factors affecting the quality of excipients:

1. Concomitant components 
The performance of many excipients in the drug formulation relies on the presence of concomitant components. These components aid in improving functionality or solvating drug components. Thus, quality depends upon concomitant composition. Manufacturers need to specify limits of concomitants to ensure safety of patients, regulatory requirements, and customer requirements.

2. Degree of homogeneity
The quality depends upon the degree of homogeneity of solid excipients. The control of all the components in a material is required to assure quality, specifically those supplied in powdered form.

3. Excipient impurities
Impurities need to be present or controlled for safety, toxicological, and other reasons. Furthermore, contaminants occurring due to environmental factors, such as personnel hygiene, equipment failure, contact with packaging, and others should be avoided. The quality is expressed as conformance to GMPs as well as to compendia.

4. Consistent composition
Consistency in composition need to be achieved to improve quality. A consistent composition results into predictable performance in the final drug formulation. Excipient, whose composition profile is known and has tolerable variation with minimum number of concomitant components should be considered in drug formulation.

5. Minimal contamination risk
Usage of dedicated equipment reduces the risk of cross-contamination by the presence of other substances and ensures better quality of excipients. If multi-purpose equipment is used, is should have an ability to detect potential residual contaminants to minimize potential cross-contamination. Choosing an appropriate supplier considering the complexity of supply chain from manufacturing plant to pharmaceutical facilities is important to ensure minimal contamination and better quality.

Analysts studying the industry have discussed a comprehensive information about current market trends and forecasts in research reports. Recently, Allied Market Research has published a report titled, “World Excipient Market - Opportunities and Forecast, 2014 - 2020.” As per the report, the world excipient market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.6% from 2015 to 2020 and estimated to reach $6.4 billion by 2020. The report offers an in-depth analysis of key drivers & challenges, detailed segmentation, value chain analysis, and competitive intelligence. Furthermore, the study highlights recent developments, new product launches, and SWOT analysis of prominent manufacturers.

Advances in expanding the clinical applications of EPO drugs to boost the market growth

EPO drugs market witness promising growth features driven by its adoption to treat anemia, availability of low-cost biosimilar and increasing clinical researches.

Erythropoietin (EPO) production & applications
Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone that is produced in the bone marrow that controls and promotes the mechanism of erythropoiesis–production of red blood cells; the major part is produced in kidneys in the stage of adulthood. Biotechnology companies produced the first genetically engineered EPO in the 1980s for clinical use and since then the hormone has been used and is available as a therapeutic agent. EPO drugs have vast therapeutically applications in the treatment of anemia induced as a side-effect of chemotherapy or radiation in case of cancer treatment, HIV therapy, or heart failure. EPO is available the market for these medical treatments under trade names, such as Epogen, Procrit, and Aranesp. Recent clinical investigations are being made on using drugs for the treatment of sickle cell anemia. Recent advance in application of recombinant DNA technology in human cell culture has led to synthetic version of the drug– epoetin alfa, epoetin beta, darbepoetin alfa, epoetin omega, and epoetin delta, among others; among these synthetic forms, Epoetin alfa and its advance version, Darbepoetin alfa, are the most popular drugs. Epoetin alfa and Darbepoetin alfa segments combined accounted for about 80% of total revenue generated by EPO drug market.

These were first manufactured by Amgen Inc., patented and sold under the brand name as Epogen and Aranesp respectively, had garnered huge sales. However, the drug went off-patent that led many key drug manufacturers to make cheap biosimilars to consolidate their market positions. Hospira had obtained FDA approval of its Epogen biosimilar, but has been embroiled in a lawsuit with Amgen that has asked the court to delay it launch for 180 days. Market speculations are rife that Hospira would win the suit, leading Amgen to a colossus loss of revenue by original biologics Epogen in the U.S.



Recent developments & trends in EPO drugs market– The disqualification of athletes
Recent developments suggest to the trend of EPO drugs being used as performance-enhancers by athletes. Meldonium, a form of EPO, was in news when Maria Sharapova, a Russian tennis player, was disqualified for consuming the drug since it is banned performance-enhancer. However, as the athlete claims she took it for treating a heart condition. Having said that, World Anti-Doping Agency added the EPO drug to the banned list only last year and the criteria for its inclusion does not garner unanimous support from the sports fraternity; WADA has mentioned just one reason for meldonium to be banned: athletes can use it to boost performance. This implies that not sufficient evidence has been found for the substance to have a negative effect on the health of athletes. The instance of the substance being banned has a long history– an entire cycling team was banned from the 1998 Tour de France for its consumption since it was considered as a performance enhancer.
Market prospects and way forward

These developments have not marred the competitive landscape scenario in EPO drugs market as continuous advanced are being made for expanding the clinical applications of these drugs. Xenetic has developed ErepoXen™, a polysialylated form of erythropoietin (EPO), which is useful for the treating anemia in pre-dialysis patients suffering with chronic kidney disease. Recently, doctors prefer giving patients dose of EPO drugs before bloodless surgery that will induce the body to generate RBC and re-infuses the blood lost during surgery; the trend of bloodless surgery is fast gaining traction across regions. Meanwhile, market availability of other biosimilar has emerged as low-cost option to the patients going for EPO drugs that has led to increased adoption, particularly in developing regions. These developments will have a major impact on shaping the market dynamics.

As per a report by Allied Market Research titled “World Erythropoietin Drugs Market - Opportunities and Forecasts, 2013 – 2020”, the global EPO drugs market is estimated to reach $11.9 billion by 2020, registering CAGR of 9.7% from 2014 to 2020. Increasing count of patients suffering from various anemic condition induced due to cancer, HIV and ESRD treatment; favorable medical reimbursements and fast commercialization of biosimilars for EPO drug are key factors that would boost the growth of the market across regions.


Tuesday 12 April 2016

Clean Lifestyle Pushes Weight Loss & Weight Management Diet Market to Transform

Raising awareness among people and rise in obesity cases have encouraged many World weight loss and weight management diet market players to step – in. 


Undoubtedly, the traditional view pertaining to dieting still dominates a part of Europe and North American tradition; there are some notable shifts underway. Research analysts at Allied Market Research monitoring the major trends, growth and share and size in weight loss and weight management diet market indicate that mindsets are actually the increasing alignment of all efforts connected with weight management. Instead of putting a check on what consumers are likely to consume during their mealtimes, they are concentrating on bringing about a change in their snacking habits. They believe that this would enable them to achieve success with shedding that extra pound.

Mega-Trends Drive the Pursuit of Automotive Lighting Market

The major step would be variable lighting systems. What’s more remarkable is that they are completely automatic and are situation – dependent to control light.

Automotive Lighting
Some real mega trend in the modern automotive lighting has got many brands competing to position their products above others. This has further encouraged more and more technical discoveries in lighting. Research analysts at Allied Market Research eyeing the share and size of the industry say motorists from across the world are monitoring change than ever. Apart from this research believe that performance, safety as well as robust design are some of key focus areas of the product makers. Moreover, at forefront of advancements OSRAM along with other are seen embracing features to secure their positions as world’s biggest lighting suppliers in the automotive sector.

Parent’s Openness Brings Transparency in the Baby Food Market

Dramatic shift in urbanization and changing lifestyle have made the parents highly dependent on baby food market. Increase in disposable income too plays a key role in keeping the prospects of the sector high.

Global economic downturn in 2008 had affected the FMCG industries, including baby food market. Hit hard by recession, parents were seen preparing food at home. Mothers too returned to breastfeeding owing to the rising cost of the formulae food back then. However, the sector is reviving now owing to the growth in packaging innovation and brand image as balanced, safe and time -saver. Research analysts at Allied Market Research tracking the recent trends and share and size indicate that sector is highly influenced by the formulae sales. Apart from is baby drinks and snacks have been the most sought after products, as a result busy lifestyle of the couples and increase in dispensable income.

Safety in Operational Diversity: Key to Construction Equipment Market

Increased infrastructure development scales over diverse global landscapes. Construction equipment manufacturers place operator safety on high-priority.

Heavy construction machinery aid to infrastructural expansion activities around the world. Classified products are put to use in clearing vast expanses of lands, exploration for oil and coal, building military posts and routes, installing industrial facilities, added to their implementation in public works department. Dense diversity of end verticals that use construction equipment, could be segmented on the basis of solutions they cater to in different industrial applications. Manufacturers strive hard to attend to on-field issues with their products, customizing at each step to meet safety and regulatory requirements. Apart from this, machine reliability, cost-efficiency, and power efficiency constitute the standard set of manufacturer concerns. 

Flexitarian Approach of Consumers to Increase Demand of Meat Substitutes

Consumers are taking ‘flexitarian’ approach rather than a vegetarian approach. Over the past five years, consumers are preferring plant based food and including meat occasionally. 


Meat substitutes are manufactured from plants and resemble meat, fish products poultry in taste, color, and texture. Soy meat alternatives, also known as meat analogs, are made up of soy protein, carbohydrates, and wheat gluten. Meat substitutes are also made from tofu and flavors are added to enhance sensory qualities. Diverse products of soy meat substitutes are available in market. In refrigerator case, products such as beef and sausage style crumbles, deli slices & sticks burgers, wieners entrees of stew, and chili or pasta taco fillings can be found. In freezer case, burgers & crumbles, sausage style links & patties, chicken-like patties & nuggets and others can be found.

Monday 11 April 2016

Baby Diapers Market Builds Capacity in The Supply Chain

Baby diaper companies continue to adopt sophisticated marketing strategies to strengthen its expansion programs.

Today, disposable baby diaper market occupies a major share for more than one reasons. As per a study carried out by Richer Investment de CV the number of newborn under 30 months, is about 321 million. The research further reveals that if every infant used these diapers the requirement would be approximately 490 billion a year. According to the current statistics just one out five infant use the product. But by 2025 the researcher is confident that 1/3 of babies would demand disposable diapers. Research analysts at Allied Market Research eyeing the growth rate, share and size and key trends reveal that this would double the sales volumes by the end of 2025.

Reinvented Branch and Mobile Wallet Are Trending in ATM Industry

ATM operators are providing an option of mobile wallet along with banking app for a cash withdrawal. They also believe that a virtual debit card could make a difference in attracting customers.

An automated teller machine (ATM) provides electronic banking facilities in which customers can complete transactions without assistance of a branch representatives. ATMs provides convenience and allows easier access to bank accounts even when banks are closed. Technological advancements have enabled bank operators to provide more services for convenience of customers. 

Anti-counterfeit Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics Packaging imminent for Brand protection

A sustainable Culture of prevention and risk-mitigating best practices in companies that includes adoption high-end track-and-trace-technologies to control counterfeit activities

High-volume & low-value manufacturing calls for Anti-counterfeit technologies
Anti-counterfeit technologies and measures consist of all necessary remedial measures that aim at controlling and minimizing any counterfeit activities. World over, counterfeit activities result in considerable loss of revenue to illegal traders and unscrupulous profiteers; they eat up the genuine profits of the manufacturing company and market players, hamper the supply chain and promote unauthorized commerce and boost gray market. Not only is this, the most disturbing trend-the intangible damage– leads to tarnishing of the brand reputation of the concerned company. Brand protection measure, though at nascent stage, yet has emerged as an indispensable business function; and it is being considered as core competency by leading companies, manufacturers and brand owners to invest in. Pharmaceutical, cosmetics and personal care products have emerged as the most potential targets for these counterfeiters. The most prominent factor is – high-volume and low-value manufacturing nature of these markets.



Risk-mitigating best practices can counter counterfeit market
According to an on-demand webinar, MarkMonitor webinar held on March 23rd, 2016, executives involved in brand protection of top companies discuss strategies and perspectives that helped them to protect the brands against counterfeiting activities and loss of revenue due to gray market diversion. Stalwarts such as Johnson & Johnson urged different brand protection-minded companies to invest in devising enterprise-wide approach to anti-counterfeit of pharmaceuticals packaging. These activities may consist of: upgrading their skill sets, acquiring new authentication technologies like RFID and ePedigree, gathering necessary intelligence, refining their existing operating practices which includes adopting new track and trace technologies apart from holograms, inks and dyes.

The market players are shifting from cosmetics and personal care industry to premium beauty products and other routine skin care products sold across various local market; this has recently led to different emergent threats from counterfeiting affecting these local markets. 

Trends & Technologies-Recent Conferences 
The recent Pharmapack Conference, held in Paris last month, has covered prominent pharmaceutical packaging design trends related to anti-counterfeiting and tamper evidence efforts in track-and-trace technologies. The key themes included adoption of various anti-counterfeit technologies such as different high-end technologies in barcodes designing serialization technologies and combination products outsourcing, and their effect on boosting patient adherence and improving health outcomes. 
As per a FDA estimate, globally, about 10% of prescription medications considered legitimate otherwise are counterfeit. Last year, scientists at Northwestern University in Illinois have developed a tool– sophisticated fluorescent ink–that will help fight against counterfeit barcodes. The tool enable consumers to identify counterfeit pills by scanning its photo using smartphone.

Another similar kind of anti-counterfeit barcode–that could structurally be in-built into a pill or other product–was developed by researchers from the University of Bradford. U.K., in collaboration with Sofmat, market player making an anti-fraud technologies. As per a report by Allied Market Research titled “World Anti-counterfeit Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics Packaging Market - Opportunities and Forecasts, 2014 – 2020”, anti-counterfeit packaging (Pharmaceutical and Cosmetics) market, globally, has generated a revenue of $35.7 billion in 2014 and would grow at a CAGR of 15.7% over the forecast period.

Case for building a mechanism for anti-counterfeit in pharmaceuticals
The loss of counterfeiting of pharmaceuticals products and pills is more serious one and sometimes may lead to deaths. The infamous recall of tainted heparin drug manufactured by Baxter International in a plant in China, back in 2008, still merits attention and cause for concern–this led to deaths of more than 140 patients. 

The US Food and Drug Administration along with other regulators launched an investigation and devised a mechanism of analytical methods for assuring legitimacy of material. A new trend emerged: economically-motivated adulteration of APIs and drugs owing to ignorant traders and less effective supply chain management programs in the companies that source these drugs from other countries. These need a comprehensive vigilance programs that should include global and regional regulators, suppliers and manufactures and technology players that are engaged in providing different track-and-trace technologies.