INTRAF is the acronym for Integrated Traceability and Anti-Fraud, a solution developed by Adros Spa as an integrated technological platform. This traceability and anti-fraud solution is aimed at giving wineries and winemakers control over, and management of, the following aspects of twines sale and logistics:

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• Multilevel commercial traceability

• Anti-fraud / fraud prevention management

• Logistics automation

• e-Commerce and e-Shop solutions

• Data gathering

 

Our architecture

 

INTRAF is a modular and scalable technology, meaning that each module can be purchased and operated individually. Likewise, different modules can be made to work together and integrated based on a company’s needs. As such, INTRAF is entirely scalable and responds to the most complex logistical queries such as product variations, logic parameters, and order volume among many other variables.

 

• Multilevel Commercial Traceability

 

Wineries increasingly find that their wines are distributed in various markets that are covered exclusively by, and through, specific importers, distributors, and re-distributors. However, many of these “intermediary” agents are strangers to the winemakers and wineries from which the wines originate, and can make distribution decisions potentially detrimental to the winery’s commercialisation policies and strategies.

 

This is due to the parallel market that surrounds wine distribution, and which often sees wines sold in non-desirable markets, leaving both wineries and authentic cellars without recourse for having control or much say within the markets in which they wish to be present. Therefore, the need for Multilevel Commercial Traceability comes as a much-needed tool to track and trace what products make their way to the parallel market.

 

Considering this "distributive anarchy", INTRAF aims to place strict controls on all bottles distributed. This begins with strict controls over the handing process of the bottles being distributed by means of a RFID traceability mechanism that involves immersing the bottle (or part of the bottle) in a RFID coating that allows for this traceability to be ever present. This requires minimal effort from the winery with an end-result that is replicated and verifiable all along the supply chain.

 

This RFID solution created by INTRAF differentiates it from any other solutions on the market by introducing multilevel traceability, where not only the first buyer is traced, but so are all the other subsequent ones until reaching a final consumer. This guarantees accountability from the winery to (and between) distributors and importers and can be traced indefinitely until reaching the bottle’s final point of consumption.

 

This is an economical and simple way to implement solutions at minimal costs to the winemakers and the wineries.

 

  

Anti-fraud / fraud prevention management

 

Anti-fraud / fraud prevention strategies have become commonplace given that the counterfeit market has assumed disturbing dimensions, especially for brands such as "Made in Italy". Though the impact of the counterfeit market is difficult to quantify exactly, estimates place the figures of lost revenue between five and six billion Euros per year.

 

Therefore, as there is an ever-increasing need to be protected, the wisest producers are beginning to adopt new and innovative technological approaches to protect themselves. This currently ranges from employing blockchain architecture, to holograms, to QRCodes.

 

Given the nature of wine as a product and its unique qualities as a potentially very high-end good, has meant that the approach followed by Adros Spa is that of a solution that is least invasive on the bottle, simpler to use, and at the same time, economical.  

 

INTRAF offers to employ QRCode technology that, in addition to being minimally invasive and low cost, offers the same level of protection as more expensive and complex solutions. To render the QR code impossible to falsify, INTRAF uses QRCode technology as an intermediary between the winery and the end-users by transmitting information that authenticates the product. This QRCode-enabled communication between winery and distributor, importer, or end-user, will make any counterfeiting impossible, and will immediately flag any attempts of fraud or falsification of information.

 

INTRAF has been able to successfully employ this technology and merge it with archival services that record the ownership history of each bottle (complete with purchase and resale dates), and which simultaneously document the release, new passage, and creation of new credentials of each wine bottle. These credentials can (upon consent from the buyer) be also shared and used by the winery, the producer, and by the last certified owner of the bottle to enhance traceability and transparency in verifying the authenticity of the bottle.

 

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Logistics automation

 

When looking at multilevel commercial traceability areas of concern include the problematics of labelling bottles (and/or cartons) at the production level as well as at the time of preparation for shipment.

 

INTRAF fully automates these two operations. Bottles will have a pre-programmed RFID chip by the time of labelling. This will be done by using Adros’ technology that allows for the coding and programming of all the relevant information in preparation for shipment and subsequently transmitting to the customer the unique identifier for the bottle, carton, or shipment.

 

In the case of identifying a shipment, the RFID chip not only contains the unique code of the products contained in the shipment, but the actual shipping and logistics information itself. In this way, when a shipment (or lot) passes through a special scanning barrier, the RFID is read by the scanner cross-referencing the actual quantity of the shipment with what should be shipped. This step is necessary to potentially identify any discrepancies. Should the two not match, an alert is raised and the differences in product type, product authenticity, and quantity are identified thus eliminating shipping errors.

 

Those who already manage commercial traceability processes know that by cutting the current manual processes it is possible to save an enormous amount of time and money for the warehouse operators.

 

In addition to saving money by automating some warehouse manual processes, INTRAF saves time and costs in Backoffice management by having the pre-programmed labels that only need to be attached to the order.

 

e-Commerce and e-Shop solutions

 

The RFID technology used by INTRAF makes this the perfect solution for modern e-Commerce and e-Shops that rely on digital technologies to manage anything from inventory and shipping, to quality control and product authentication.

 

Adding to this, the INTRAF technology allows shops to skip the many checkout complexities by activating a series of predefined and fully automated actions. These actions can be tailored to specific user needs and can count elements such as automatically issuing a receipt or invoice, compiling payment and credit card information, customer identification based on profile, as well as shipping and billing address information. Finally, INTRAF is highly customizable and can be tailored to meet a wide range of diverse needs of different e-Commerce or e-Shop companies.

 

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Data collection

 

For INTRAF to work properly and be able to guarantee to function as an anti-fraud and anti-counterfeiting solution, a functioning data collection and storage module is necessary. This “data module” collects information from users who authorize the treatment of their data, and whose primary purpose is that of providing an anti-fraud and anti-counterfeiting service.

 

However, should users opt in to using their data for commercial benefits, the information collected can be used for a marketing-focused approach that can further be customised to promote discounts, loyalty rewards, special offers, membership benefits, and special events.

 

Combing INTRAF’s anti-fraud and anti-counterfeiting solution with this marketing potential presents a unique and invaluable strategy that can help boost the relationship better winery or producer and customer without overly relying on the distribution chain.