1) Could you describe your company as well as the products/solutions that you will be presenting during TRUSTECH 2022?
With 2021 sales of EUR 15.9 billion, Covestro is among the world's leading polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacturing of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative, sustainable solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. In doing so, Covestro is fully committed to the circular economy and is striving to become climate neutral by 2035 (scope 1 and 2).
With our Makrofol® ID polycarbonate (PC) and Platilon® ID (TPU) product portfolio, Covestro specialty films are widely used for the manufacturing of highly tamper-resistant ID documents such as national identity cards, passports, driver licenses and border crossing cards. Covestro continues to develop innovative film material solutions that address the latest identification document material and security needs.
We look forward to our participation again at TRUSTECH 2022 to showcase how our specialty films can help create highly secure identification documents.
2) In your opinion, what are the current trends that are providing opportunities for your company?
The ID market is dynamic with growing smartcard adoption in core citizen identification document programs. The trend of leveraging both physical and digital identities to create highly secure citizen ID documents continues.
Today’s core government identification programs such as national ID cards, passports, driver licenses and border crossing cards require robust substrate materials to protect the documents’ physical personalized data as with the digital content within the electronic chip.
Covestro is leveraging its renowned specialty films solutions and experience to support card and passport manufacturers to create identification documents that are secure, high quality and robust to withstand the program validity period. Today, more and more ID card and passport data pages are leveraging polycarbonate film material.
3) Why did you choose to participate at TRUSTECH 2022? Will you be presenting innovative/new products or solutions during TRUSTECH 2022?
Covestro aims to engage with the industry, identity ecosystem, customers and partners for brand awareness, solution evangelization and thought leadership. The TRUSTECH conference brings together the industry for knowledge sharing among the participating exhibitors, speakers and visitors.
We highly value TRUSTECH as an outstanding venue to network with key industry establishments and subject matter experts to jointly share and discuss the latest market trends. The continued trend towards the convergence of physical and digital identity to create secure ID documents plays well into our specialty films portfolio for the Identification segment.
This year at TRUSTECH, Covestro plans to evangelize our “Pushing boundaries in ID document innovations” including the following specialty films solutions:
- Superlaser polycarbonate (PC) film with optimal laser reactivity enabling level 2 security feature
- Thin high opaque white polycarbonate films for creating sophisticated clear windows designs
- Color switching polycarbonate film with multiple security features
- Innovative thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) passport cover solution
- Polycarbonate film addressing circular economy
Covestro will also be conducting presentations at the conference and innovation stages to showcase our ID document film solutions.
4) How is TRUSTECH 2022 important for growing your business?
It’s a dynamic time in the identification segment as the market is rebounding from the pandemic with renewed interest and demand for ID cards and passports especially ones with embedded electronic chips. With increasing citizen travels and border crossings, the need for highly secure identification documents will be front and center.
ID documents that are easy to verify while highly difficult to replicate help front line officers expedite entries of legitimate travelers while having a mechanism to trigger secondary checks to spot persons of interest. This also serve as a means to detect suspected counterfeit or altered ID documents.
The TRUSTECH conference has always been an important annual event for Covestro. We welcome the opportunity to engage with the industry and network with experts and peers within the identification ecosystem. It also gives us a strong platform to showcase our latest ID document solutions.
At TRUSTECH 2022, Covestro will advocate its “Pushing boundaries in ID document innovations” leveraging its Makrofol® ID polycarbonate (PC) and Platilon® ID thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) films. Our specialty films portfolio can help support ID document concepts including TPU passport covers that are scratch and abrasion resistant and highly secure, thin high opaque white PC film enabling sophisticated ID document clear windows, color switching PC film and more.
5) Where do you intend to grow your business in the future (countries or verticals)?
Covestro has a global footprint in the identification segment and its polycarbonate films have been used in various citizen ID programs for many years. With the continued trend in multi-purpose e-ID cards, e-Passports and smartcard driver licenses leveraging both physical and digital identities, Covestro will continue to support the industry via its renowned specialty films solutions for citizen identification documents that require high security, quality and durability.