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23/10/2016 News

TOTAL NIGERIA LAUNCHES LUBESURE: BREAKTHROUGH INNOVATION TO FIGHT COUNTERFEITING

Innovation is at the heart of Total Nigeria Plc’s ambition to grow sustainably. It is the principal growth lever of our business as it enables us to produce sustainable and responsible solutions in oil, natural gas and solar energies to meet customers’ growing and future demand for energy as well as constantly improve our efficiency and performance. Lubrication is a basic requirement for modern societies and its use span across transportation and major industries such as manufacturing, agriculture and power generation. Essentially almost every aspect of modern society requires some form of lubrication. However the threat counterfeiting poses to the lubrication industry in Nigeria has remained a rising challenge.

TOTAL NIGERIA PLC LAUCHES LUBESURE PLATFORM, FIRST OF ITS KIND

Most businesses agree that reducing their product price to compete with counterfeiters is not the most successful way forward. Price is not the limiting factor. Even if they wanted to, most companies cannot cut the costs needed to equal price of counterfeit products. Instead, many companies are creatively using technology to fight fakes.

 

As a leading global energy brand known for premium quality products which includes TOTAL lubricants, Total Nigeria Plc leveraged on digital technology to create a breakthrough innovative solution, referred to as LUBESURE, to eliminate counterfeiting of its lubricants. LUBESURE, first of its kind in the industry, is a mobile authentication platform that allows consumers to utilize mobile technology to verify authentic or fake lubricants. This is by sending a Short Message Service (SMS) to a short code provided on the lubricant’s scratchable label without being charged by their mobile network. It is worthy to mention that the LUBESURE innovation won Total Group Innovation Challenge for 2nd quarter, 2016.

 

Lubsure

 
 

BEFORE THE ADVENT OF LUBESURE

Nigeria’s economy loses over N200 Billion (1 billion USD) yearly due to the existence of counterfeit lubricants of existing lubricant brands. TOTAL lubricants were not excluded from this and also faced threats of imitations. Total Nigeria Plc recognized that keeping ahead of counterfeiters is a complex challenge that required an unprecedented level of security in the growing global market. This drive to protect its lubricants from counterfeits, to uphold the brand name, and offer consumers the assurance that their purchases are original gave rise to the design and launch of LUBESURE.

END-TO-END LUBESURE AUTHENTICATION PROCESS

Itemised below is the step by step process for authenticating select Total lubricants. Plans are underway to include other lubricant product categories like kegs and drums in the not too distant future.

  1. Selected 4 liter Total lubricants for the LUBESURE project were tagged with special labels that have unique codes.
  2. Upon purchase, customers’ scratch the labels and send unique codes to a free of charge short code via SMS.
  3. The LUBESURE verification platform confirms if the label is authentic or fake.
  4. A dedicated portal has been created to monitor all verifications and enquiries made.
  5. A dedicated customer care line is available to address customer concerns and identify areas with prevalent counterfeiting operations.
  6. An initial pilot phase to introduce this new authentication platform to customers was tagged ‘Text and Win’. As the name implies, customers won airtime on their phone networks every time they verified their purchase.
  7. The pilot phase of the project was between December, 2015 and February, 2016.
  8. Following the successful pilot phase, the plants are getting equipped with automatic label applicators to implement LUBESURE on all the products.

 

Total Lubesure