VALLOUREC / Fight against counterfeit: Vallourec launches "Valguard", a high-performance solution for forgery-proofing its certificates and products

Fight against counterfeit: Vallourec launches "Valguard", a high-performance solution for forgery-proofing its certificates and products

Boulogne-Billancourt and Abu Dhabi, 14 November 2017 - During the Adipec 2017 conference, which is being held this week in Abu Dhabi, Vallourec, a world leader for premium tubular solutions, is today introducing Valguard, an innovation enabling all users of Vallourec tubes to verify their authenticity. Valguard firstly allows for the forgery-proofing of certificates concerning Vallourec tubes by means of a QR code, and secondly makes it possible to forgery-proof the products themselves, through the use of a special marking technology.

Counterfeit is a major issue that affects many sectors including industry and, in particular, premium seamless tubes. Vallourec takes this matter very seriously given the critical nature of the applications and projects for which the tubes are intended to be used.
Two years ago, the Group put in place an in-house anti-counterfeiting committee to centralize information and take action against counterfeiters. It also conducts awareness-raising campaigns, primarily as part of the Steel Alliance Against Counterfeiting^[1], which it co-founded, and through international conferences alongside major players such as Interpol or the Emirates Intellectual Property Association. 

Vallourec's Valguard solution ensures the security of documentation describing, in particular, the mechanical and metallurgical properties of each tube. The Group's IT teams have developed a specific signage system that will now be included on all Vallourec tube certificates. Using just a smartphone, all holders of a new certificate will be able to check the coherence of their document and contact the Vallourec customer service in just one click for a more detailed expert appraisal.

Valguard also relies on cutting-edge technology, close to that used in the aerospace or healthcare sectors, based on a "Vallourec DNA" tracer. Industrialized and qualified by the Group's research laboratory in Aulnoye-Aymeries (Northern France) and by the Quality teams, this solution makes it possible to check the authenticity of a tube, using a specific sensor linked to a mobile app.

The two Valguard functions will be deployed from the end of 2017 and are designed for use across all tubular solutions: process applications, petrochemicals, industry, mechanics, oil and gas, line pipes, power generation.

About Vallourec
Vallourec is a world leader in premium tubular solutions for the energy markets and for challenging industrial applications such as oil and gas wells in harsh environments, new generation power plants, daring architectural projects, and high-performance mechanical equipment. Vallourec's pioneering spirit and cutting-edge R&D continually open new technological frontiers. Operating in more than 20 countries, its 19,000 dedicated and passionate employees work hand-in-hand with their customers to offer more than just tubes: they deliver innovative, safe, competitive and smart tubular solutions to make every project possible.
Listed on the Euronext in Paris (ISIN code: FR0000120354, Ticker VK) and eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD), Vallourec is included in the following indices: SBF 120 and Next 150.
In the United States, Vallourec has established a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program (ISIN code: US92023R2094, Ticker: VLOWY). The parity between the ADR and an ordinary Vallourec share is 5 for 1.

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