(MENAFN- Swissinfo)
Where does our gold come from? An Austrian worker holds a bin containing jewelry and scrap gold before it is melted into gold bars. Joe Klamar/AFP
Trade in gold is booming. AlpVision, a small company in Vaud, western Switzerland, has developed a system for authenticating gold bars. It is part of a Swiss cluster of excellence dedicated to detecting counterfeit products.
This content was published on May 21, 2023 May 21, 2023 more from this author Deutsch
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der kampf gegen fälschungen: eine spezialität der schweiz Português
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a luta contra as falsificações: um centro de excelência suíço muito discreto 中文
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打假之战:低调而卓越的瑞士信任产业中心 Français
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la lutte contre les faussaires: un pôle d'excellence suisse très discret (original) 中文
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打假黃金之戰:低調而卓越的瑞士信任產業中心 Italiano
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lotta alla contraffazione, un polo di eccellenza svizzero molto discreto
Well established as a safe investment, gold bullion has seen price rises (10% between October 2022 and April 2023) in the wake of the financial crisis that brought down Credit Suisse. Yet all that glisters is not gold. There are fraudstersexternal link who sell ingots filled with tungsten as if they were the genuine article, as happened in London in 2012.
Meanwhile, AlpVision has just won accreditation for its system of authentication from the lbma gold bar integrity programmeexternal link , an independent agency in London regulating precious metals.
“[The award of] this label makes our solution a digital passport for gold bullion. Accessible by smartphoneexternal link , our technology can detect microscopic irregularities on the surface of the product. This solution meets a real need, for more and more people are buying gold on non-specialised platforms like eBay,” says Fred Jordan, co-founder with Martin Kutter of Vevey-based AlpVision.
Fred Jordan is the co-founder of the start-up AlpVision. ldd
Rip-offs of precious metals and brand-name products are increasing to an alarming extent. According to a study by the oecd on the economic impact of counterfeiting in switzerlandexternal link , the total value of products in violation of intellectual property rights reached CHF7 billion ($7.8 billion) in 2018 – 2.3% of total Swiss exports, as confirmed by Yves Bugmann, head of legal affairs at the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry.
Centre of gold refining Metalor, a supplier of gold based in Neuchâtel, has developed its own solution, called BullionProtect, together with SICPA, the world leader in security and traceability techniques based in Lausanne. This approach is currently being used by six gold refining outlets, while three others are thinking of adopting it. It involves the application of a kind of invisible ink, explains Nicolas Carrera, treasurer of Metalor.
It is not a well-known fact, but Switzerland is home to about 70% of the gold refining industry worldwide, according to the world gold councilexternal link . The country hosts four major players in the sector: Metalor in Neuchâtel, and Argor, PAMP and Valcambi in Ticino.
This goes to show why systems to identify fake gold tend to be Swiss too. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), where AlpVision's founders were both awarded doctorates and developed the technology now used by the company, has been a springboard for growth in this area.
A campus against counterfeiters This year SICPA is to open its new“Unlimitrust” campus in Prilly, outside Lausanne. This project worth CHF200 million is supported by canton Vaud and the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). It is being presented as a centre for innovation in the field of technologies linked to authentication, in partnership with major industry players. The goal is to build a network involving research institutes, start-ups and key players in the business, so as to anchor this competence centre for authentication in the Lake Geneva region.
End of insertionThe authentication industry actually goes back a long way in Switzerland. SICPA started operating in the early 20th century. Founded by Maurice Amon and his son Albert in Lausanne, the company patented a kind of ink which would later be adopted by Interpol in 1969 as a world standard for banknotes. Throughout its history, the company has been a privileged partner of institutions and governments, and has made the Lake Geneva region known as a focus of expertise in the field of authentication.
SICPA was long reputed for its discreet way of doing business, but in the new millennium it diversified its activities. The aim was to add to the security of banknotes, passports and consumer goods of various kinds. In the view of observers, SICPA's expertise in its field and its repercussions on the local economy have encouraged the development of a real cluster of excellence in the region.
Our feature on certification giant SICPA:
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