In Association with ... - TAURUS SecureSolutionS

Based in Athens, TAURUS SecureSolutionS Ltd. offers since 1999 complete integrated applications and innovative solutions in the field of protection of branded products and authentication of value and governmental documents both in the Greek market as well as in the wider geographical region. With a proven expertise and international credentials from its active participation in a variety of authentication-related projects, TAURUS implements economically justified and technologically advanced solutions for anti-piracy protection of branded goods and for anti-copy verification ensuring governmental forms and value documents from counterfeiting and forgery.

The following Greek-based customers have entrusted the authentication of their products or documents to the secure solutions developed and put together by TAURUS :

Int'l Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI Greece), NESTLE, Organizing Committee of the ATHENS2004 Olympic Games, Olympiacos FC, Panathinaikos FC, BANK OF GREECE, MATSOUKIS SA, Assoc. of Audio-Visual Products (EPOE), AEPI, National Bank of Greece (ETE), IKA, Postal Savings Bank (TT), Agricultural Bank (ATE), Egnatia Bank, Athens Int'l Airport (AIA), Attiki Odos, CHILD'S SMILE (NGO), Kentia, Assoc. of Chios Mastic Products and numerous others (approx. 160 individual protection schemes successfully implemented).

Special mention should be made on the Merchandising Protection Scheme for the official licensed Olympic Products of ATHENS 2004 which the company TAURUS handled on behalf of the manufacturer APPLIED OPSEC (UK) and executed with great success. During the implementation of this extremely complex fulfillment program which lasted 5 years (1999-2004), TAURUS handled responsibly and with full financial guarantees the secure distribution and control of 35 different categories of more than 4,000 individual reference codes of ATHENS2004 genuine licensed products produced in Greece and abroad by 22 authorized licensees and their subcontractors as well as the anti-counterfeiting monitoring of more than 12,000 licensed outlets. In this way, a revenue of 86 million Euro for the Organizing Committee and a multiple proportional income for the licensees was safe-guarded. TAURUS further successful involvement in the protection of the Ticketing and the Accreditation of persons and vehicles during the Olympic and Paralympic Games of ATHENS2004 has enhanced its international credentials and reputation.

The experience of TAURUS company and its associates in authentication-related areas dates already from the mid 90's when the first commercial applications of holography were introduced thus creating an original business activity in Greece to the extent that the use of security holograms is exclusively associated either with TAURUS or with its hot-stamping printing equipment developed and marketed under the brand name CAVOMIT, manufactured in Greece and supplied internationally to private and public security printing houses.

However, the prospected scope and number of authentication projects offered by the company in the Greek market is very limited given the small market size, the lack of projects of int'l caliber and magnitude, the current absence of virtually any interest from public bodies and the inadequate social acceptance of such solutions. This has led the company to emphasize on international applications beyond the Greek borders since 2005 in addition to the on-going protection schemes already in operation within Greece.

The unique TAURUS expertise acquired from similar complex authentication programs of international caliber and size was further confirmed and enriched by undertaking the protection program of spectator Ticketing and the Accreditation of athletes, vehicles and auxiliary personnel during the 15th Asian Games in Doha of Qatar in 2006. This project with budgeted value of more than 2 million EUR was awarded to TAURUS through an international open tender against rival competitive suppliers from all Asian countries.

Since 2004, TAURUS also protects the tobacco and alcohol excise tax banderolls of the Republic of Serbia on behalf of the Ministry of Finance whereas since 2008 it also implements the annual accreditation of 2.5 million vehicles of the Republic of Serbia on behalf of the Serbian Ministries of Interior and Transport.

 During the same period, all certificates issued by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce (JCCI) in Saudi Arabia are protected by an integrated authentication solution applied on-line and at multiple points-of-issue with the use of CAVOMIT desk-top foiling equipment of Greek manufacture. To this date, more than 20 million such certificates have been issued on a daily basis from 50 issuing stations securing their genuine nature and a substantial income for the issuing governmental authority.

Alongside its activities in the areas of Authentication Solutions, TAURUS has a significant export activity (with sales exceeding a total of 9 million EUR during the last decade) by exclusively selling and marketing internationally hot-stamping printing machinery of Greek manufacture under the trade name CAVOMIT. A significant number of multiple installations of such machines have been in operation in various government printing works and private security printing houses at different countries - mainly in Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Serbia, Belarus, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, Russia), and also Venezuela, Iran, Bangladesh, etc. - used for applying hot-stamped embossed holograms on value documents. Among these, an important customer is the Printing Works of Central Bank of Greece (IETA Cholargos) where CAVOMIT machines are used to print -inter alia- holograms on EURO banknotes and consular Schengen visas.

TAURUS SecureSolutionS is the only Greek member of the International Holograms Manufacturers Association (IHMA) and of the Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau (CIB) whereas -on account of the nature of its activities- it is accredited with INTERPOL and INTERGRAF as a supplier of materials and equipment for security printing.