Honeywell trials digital authentication for PPE

Honeywell says it has added digital authentication to its range of personal protective equipment (PPE) manufactured in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a bid to fight rising counterfeiting in the Middle East and Africa.

To authenticate the product, the end user scans a digital code embedded in the packaging with their smartphone camera after downloading the Honeywell application for iOS or Android.

The software validates the product's authenticity through a database, letting the end user know it is safe to use and gathers market intelligence data.

Seizures of hundreds of thousands of counterfeit N95 respirators have been reported in the UAE and South Africa, according to the company.

Nearly 20 factories selling substandard face masks, disinfectants and hand sanitisers have been uncovered in the UAE since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 400,000 counterfeit face masks were seized in Dubai in January.

"In response to the growing number of counterfeit PPE products in the Middle East and Africa, we've chosen the UAE to be the testing ground for digital authentication technology for our PPE distributed across the region," said Greg Norton, the company's general manager, fine chemicals and authentication technologies.

"This software will not only confirm the authentication of our N95 respirators made in the UAE, it will also help detect counterfeit PPE products to help authorities reduce illicit trade during the pandemic," he added.

Honeywell-branded N95 respirators are produced in the UAE by Strata Manufacturing as part of a strategic collaboration established last year in response to the pandemic. The operation produces more than 30 million respirators annually.