Havells India recently introduced “Checko” — a powerful tool that aims to fight against the counterfeit electrical equipment market. In this exclusive interview, Arvind Agrawal, Senior Vice President, Havells India Ltd, explains how the revolutionary “Checko” uses physically unclonable features to create copy-proof labels. Agrawal notes that Checko, which has currently been deployed in the company’s flexible wire segment, could soon be extended to other products, thereby providing unmatched peace of mind to the company’s customers with respect to product authenticity. An interview by Venugopal Pillai.
Please elaborate on how the anti-counterfeit “Checko” functions.
The industry is at a critical juncture, with reports highlighting an alarming rise in the duplication of flexible cables, posing not only a commercial threat but, more gravely, a hazard to consumer safety and trust.
The partnership of Havells with “Checko” the initiative leverages a state-of-the-art technological solution, developed by the bright minds at IIT-Kanpur addresses this issue head-on, integrating advanced Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) to create copy-proof labels. These labels, embedded on Havells flexible cables empower consumers with the ability to verify authenticity through a smartphone scan, using the Checko mobile app available on Android and iOS platforms.
How does a Havells India consumer/seller/distributor use the functionality and safeguard himself from buying a potentially counterfeit product?
Havells India is at the forefront of innovation with the introduction of Checko technology, marking a significant milestone in our fight against the counterfeit electrical product market. This pioneering initiative, a first in the industry, the Checko technology, equipped with advanced Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs), provides a robust mechanism for consumers to verify the authenticity of their products easily. This breakthrough has profound implications for both consumers and our channel partners.
For consumers, the Checko technology offers unparalleled peace of mind. With the ability to instantly confirm the genuineness of their purchases, they are assured of the quality and safety of Havells wires, reinforcing their trust in the brand. This level of transparency is crucial in an industry where counterfeit products can pose significant safety risks, making the checko technology an essential tool in safeguarding consumer interests.
On the other side, our channel partners benefit from the heightened brand integrity that Checko technology brings. By providing a clear distinction between genuine and counterfeit products, we ensure that our partners are distributing authentic Havells products with full confidence and maintain high standards.
We understand that “Checko” will be deployed for wires & cables. Are there any plans to extend this to other products?
We have started the Checko currently on our flexible cables trade range. This step was taken as the trade range is sold over the channel partners counters and we had to safeguard the interest of our partners as well as consumers. Checko can be extended to other products in the future based on the feedback of our consumers and channel partners.
“The imperative to address counterfeit issues in the wires and cable industry is driven by the critical importance of safety, reliability, and economic integrity within the sector.”
Till now we use to have QR-based label wherein our consumers used to scan for checking the authenticity of the product. But the counterfeit manufacturers started using the copy of the QR label and started using this on their duplicate cartons. The copied QR label sometimes worked but most of the time did not. The consumers while scanning the QR label used to complain a lot about the same as they were not sure whether the product they are using is authentic or not. Our sales team then used to check and in all the cases it was found to counterfeit. To avoid the complexity and ease of the customers after a lot of inputs the Checko label was introduced.
In general, speaking of reputed wire & cable brands but not the local ones, what is the extent of counterfeit in India?
The imperative to address counterfeit issues in the wires and cable industry is driven by the critical importance of safety, reliability, and economic integrity within the sector. Counterfeit electrical products, particularly wires and cables, pose significant safety hazards, including the risk of fire and electrical failure, jeopardizing consumer safety and property.
According to industry reports, counterfeit electrical products cost the global economy billions annually, with a considerable portion stemming from the wires and cable segment. The prevalence of these counterfeits undermines the trust in and the reputation of established brands, leading to substantial financial losses for genuine manufacturers and consumers. Tackling the counterfeit menace is not just about protecting brand value; it’s a vital measure to ensure public safety and maintain the industry’s economic health.
Havells’ initiative, in collaboration with Checko technology, represents a proactive step towards eliminating these risks, setting a benchmark for authenticity and safety in the electrical products market.
How is Havells India planning to educate consumers of the new “Checko” functionality?
We have made videos through which our sales team, channel partners can educate the consumers as to how to use the Checko label. Our sales team while doing electricians meets, specifiers meets, retailors meets educate all our partners for the Checko label technology and benefits of the same.
Havells offers best-in-class products that addresses the changing needs of market & industry. Havells wires portfolio includes HR-FR (Heat Resistant Flame-Retardant cables), FRLS-H (Flame retardant low smoke and halogen), HFFR (Halogen Free Flame Retardant), Multicore round cables, Submersible cables, Telecom switch board, Coaxial cables, LAN cables, CCTV cables, speaker cables and solar cables.
We are among first few companies to get ISI license for our HFFR range of wires, which are considered to the safest and most environment friendly wires in its segment. Havells is the only company offers, Heat resistance flame retardant (HR-FR) range of wire as regular product in the market, which gives additional safety to our consumers.
