Checking a Security Breach

Published: March 01, 2011

EUCLID, OH | InterGroup Intl., a recycler of post-industrial scrap plastic, reports a recent investigative mission to India had two purposes. InterGroup CEO Neil Gloger says the company was checking out a reported security breach in its supply chain as well as taking the first step to set up a permanent presence to have “eyes on the ground” to further ensure security commitments with vendors.

“…Much of the laminated film scrap we work with is shipped to India for up-cycling or re-conversion,” Gloger says. “Most of the convenience food packaged in flexible containers cannot be re-melted and reclaimed into pellets for re-use in new plastic products due to the incompatibility of the various film layers laminated together.”

According to Gloger, most flexible packaging producers, printers, and converters are proud of and eager for their products to be recycled and re-used…with one condition: that the re-use does not negatively affect their brand image. “This means our vendors need verifiable assurance that their brand image printed on film will not be used to re-package similar products (counterfeiting) or that the material will not end up showing their brand in a bad light.

“When InterGroup purchases this material, we make a commitment to our vendor, which describes the end-use of their product. By investing in this mission, we are furthering our commitment to our vendors' brand value and brand security,” says Gloger.

He explains that the security breach as reported by the company's vendor, a flexo printer/laminator, consisted of a “C level” executive observing a street vendor selling laminated film by the yard from a master roll of printed film bearing their company's logo at a train station in Mumbai, India.

“This is a serious breach of our agreements, both with our vendor as well as our trading partners in India. We are taking it seriously and will be vigorous in our pursuit of our commitments,” Gloger says.

“While this incident is unfortunate, we are taking every measure possible to ensure the high degree of brand security that our vendors have come to expect when dealing with InterGroup,” Gloger says.

What's happening at your company? Send your news to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..