Datacard Group to Supply Latest Passport Personalization Systems for Netherlands E-Passport

Business Wire, Nov 15, 2005

PARIS -- Datacard Group, the world leader in secure ID and card personalization solutions, announced today at CARTES 2005 that it has been selected by Sdu Identification bv to provide advanced inline passport issuance systems for the Netherlands' new biometric passport.

"Sdu Identification looked to Datacard Group when it first began issuing laser engraved passports for the Dutch government in 2001," said Wim Tappij Gielen, vice president of sales for Datacard Group. "We are very pleased to work with them again to enhance their program to meet the EU compliance deadline for electronic passport implementation."

Critical to the program is the latest Datacard(R) PB6500(TM) passport issuance system, which offers enhanced quality, inline high speed laser engraving and contactless microprocessor chip programming necessary for issuing the highly secure ICAO compliant biometric passport.

The PB6500 system laser engraving module utilizes industry-leading laser engraving technology to deliver the high speed, high quality engraving of photos, biographical and machine readable zone (MRZ) text on a polycarbonate data page as well as additional personalization required for the Dutch passport.

The system rapidly encodes the passport's contactless microprocessor chip with a stored facial image, personal information such as name, nationality and birth date, as well as document information including document number and expiration date. It is also capable of encoding biometric data such as fingerprint scans, which may be required by the Dutch government at a later date.

"The unique combination of security and productivity offered by the PB6500 system, along with its lower cost of ownership, is ideal for meeting the increasingly complex requirements of governments worldwide," said Tappij Gielen.

Datacard Group offers the world's best-selling secure ID and card personalization solutions. The company's portfolio includes systems for high-volume card issuance, card delivery, secure ID issuance and passport production, plus extensive service and supply offerings. Datacard Group serves customers in more than 120 countries (www.datacard.com).