Home brings comfort and safety. A beautiful home is made with love and care. For many of us, a home is a dream come true. No one can forget the hustle-bustle of shifting to a new place. The smell of the freshly painted walls and new furniture is comforting. Do you remember your first home? It must have felt like a milestone of a lifetime! People spend a lot of money on customizing the look of their houses. People spend a lot on furniture. After all, durable plywood is costly. Also, it makes sense to spend resources on plywood. Most furniture is a one-time purchase for long-term use. Plywood makes up for most of our homes. Beyond furniture, people are now opting for wooden flooring. You are probably using your study table right now! Even doors are made of plywood.
But have you wondered why some of your new furniture is coming apart? Have you looked at your furniture beyond aesthetics? Did you care about the brand of plywood that makes your home?
Plywood that is supposed to assure your family’s safety can be harming you. Did you know that fake plywood is a common problem? Counterfeit in the plywood industry is scary. Counterfeit plywood is a threat to revenue and customer safety.
Did you know that counterfeit plywood can contain cancer-causing agents?
Cases of fake plywood: It is growing like a cancer
In 2020, the Indian plywood industry was valued at INR 222.5 billion. It is estimated that the sector will enjoy a steady, moderate growth in the next five years. An increase in income and growth of exclusive furniture outlets have made plywood and allied industries a lucrative business. Plywood has become synonymous with modern-day furniture. Furniture manufacturing accounts for two-third of plywood usage in India. But plywood and allied sector have the highest cases of counterfeit in India. The Consumer Forum of India notes that one in every five sheets of plywood sold is fake.
Why is faking it easy in plywood and allied sectors?
The short answer is that few people care about fake plywood.
- Brands do not matter: When it comes to buying plywood, customers are not brand conscious. Buyers are more concerned with the brand of the furniture than the plywood.
- Too little action and too late: Plywood manufacturers have ignored the issue of counterfeit for a long time. Even today, only a few brands are using anti-counterfeit technology.
- Hard to detect: Counterfeit plywood is substandard and less durable. Fakes also pose a safety hazard. But it is difficult to identify fake plywood.
- Packaging vs. sheets: Using anti-counterfeit technology has unique challenges in the plywood and allied sector. With packaging, brands can use a range of options for protection against counterfeit products. Plywood is sold in sheets instead of packages. So you cannot integrate anti-counterfeit technology with the packaging.
- Easy to duplicate: Most companies use Single Colour Screen or Block Printing, Basic & Simple Paper Labels, Inkjet Printing for branding on plywood sheets. So it is easy to duplicate the brand markers.
Can counterfeit plywood cause cancer?
Counterfeit manufacturers cut costs. But who pays the price? Also, what is the price buyers pay? Making plywood has three steps:
- You start by peeling the veneer
- Cut the pieces to make sheets
- Glue the layers to make a single sheet
The process of gluing is a critical step. AT this step, counterfeit plywood can become a health hazard. The glue is made of a dangerous chemical called Urea Formaldehyde. Reputed brands also use this for making the glue. But brands use Urea Formaldehyde in moderation and regulate its effects. Counterfeiters do not care enough to think about the harms of this glue. To reduce the manufacturing cost, counterfeiters use cheap UF. Also, the level of UF in glue should not exceed 1PPM. But counterfeit manufacturers of plywood do not care. After all, they do not need to apply for certification.
Careless use of UF can be cancerous to the end-users and furniture makers. When you cut plywood, you inhale sawdust in small quantities. Since it is a carcinogen, fake plywood can cause cancer! Counterfeit plywood emits a considerable amount of UF to cause health hazards.
Additionally, there are other safety concerns with counterfeit plywood. Termites’ infestation and lack of strength and durability are a few of the issues with counterfeit plywood.
Anti-counterfeit technology for plywood and allied sectors:
Now is the time to act against counterfeit plywood. The good news is that brands are recognizing the dangers of counterfeit plywood. One method to identify fakes is to use 2D, 3D codes and markers. Brands can put these codes on adhesives that go with the plywood sheet. Customers can scan these codes using customized applications to authenticate the product. ACVISS offers a range of services to tackle counterfeit using technology.
ACVISS is easy to use and self-explanatory. It works across platforms like Android as well as IOS. So when a customer scans the codes, they get immediate information on the product. In case of fake, the brands get real-time alerts. ACVISS Offers holistic anti-counterfeit services. With anti-counterfeit technology, ACVISS has helped many brands protect buyers from fake plywood and engage with loyal customers.
The plywood industry has unique challenges. Since counterfeit plywood is a big health concern, we can no longer let it go unchecked. But anti-counterfeit technology has come a long way in assisting the plywood and allied sector.
