Datacard® SP55 Desktop Card Printers Produce 70 Million Nigerian Voter ID Cards

Business Wire, Nov 13, 2007

Card personalization center is capable of producing several hundred million cards annually

PARIS -- Datacard Group, the world leader in secure ID and card personalization solutions, announced at Cartes 2007 (Booth #3D 043) that Datacard([R]) SP55 desktop card printers were used by the government of Nigeria to issue 70 million permanent voters' cards in just eight weeks. It took only two months to import and install the 700 card printers in what Prime Integrator Chams Nigeria Limited calls "the world's largest card production facility" located in Abuja, Nigeria. The facility is capable of producing more than a million cards daily.

Chams won the bid for the production of voter ID cards for Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission after a two-year bidding process. Known for its global expertise in planning and integration, Datacard Group played an integral role in the implementation process. This included training the temporary staff of 300.

"Implementing this card program in the timeframe given to us was a considerable challenge," said Demola Aladekomo, managing director of Chams Nigeria Ltd. "So we turned to Datacard because we were confident they could get the job done given their track record for support, range of equipment and technical expertise."

Datacard was subsequently presented with the "Best Business Partner" award by Chams Nigeria at their 2007 Annual General Meeting.

"The SP55 card printer was a logical choice for this project because of its user-friendly design and exceptionally low cost per card," said Jim Runcie, vice president of Datacard Group's Europe, Middle East, India and Africa region.

The flexible design of the SP55 card printer allows Chams to add capabilities to meet the evolving needs of the Nigeria voter ID card program. The Nigerian government can use the card printers to print ID cards in network batches or in many remote official buildings across the country. They can be plugged into an existing network to print cards anywhere, on demand. The card printer is also compatible with the Datacard world-leading portfolio of identification software, capture solutions and supplies.

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).