Assa Abloy ITG Acquires Irish Inlay Manufacturer Aontec
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Acquisition enables further expansion and helps to meet growing demands of the global market for electronic identification documents
Walluf, July 3rd, 2007 - Assa Abloy Identification Technologies (ITG), one of the leading providers of products and services in the RFID market, has announced the acquisition of Aontec, a manufacturer of inlays for secured electronic documents including passports, national ID and driver's licenses. Based in Ireland, Aontec is a leading supplier of HF13.56 MHz pre-laminates from a range of thermoplastic materials including PET and polycarbonate. Through this acquisition, ITG has a presence in over 15 countries and two certified European production sites for e-document components and is best positioned to respond to the sophisticated needs of governments worldwide.
Established 1997 Aontec has successfully built up its global business with significant sales growth in recent years. Apart from its advanced technological know-how in wire-embedding processes, the company has vast experience in the use of a wide range of thermoplastic materials and thus offers customised solutions for specific customer requirements as well as a selection of generic inlay products.
With currently an estimated 800 million passports in circulation worldwide, the switch to electronic passports is expected to increase rapidly with an estimated annual replacement rate eventually rising to around 100 million. With governments in several countries planning electronic ID projects, the demand for e-document components is expected to continue to grow in the next years.
"The acquisition of Aontec enables ITG to expand into new geographical markets and to further grow our market share", says Juan Garcia, CEO of ITG. "Through Aontec's global presence we deliver to more than 15 countries including Germany, Spain and the UK. This puts us into a position where we can further increase our global market presence for inlays."
"With Aontec on board we not only address the increasing demand for inlays but we also deliver on customer requirements of dual sourcing", explains John Rogers, VP of Strategic Projects for ITG. "Besides our existing plant in Erfurt, Germany, we now have - through Aontec - a second certified high-security manufacturing site in Europe and we are in the process of certifying a third plant in Malaysia."
"Our plant is the oldest wire-embedded inlay production facility in the world", says Seamus O'Keeffe, Managing Director of Aontec. "We are very pleased that our broad know-how and longstanding experience has been recognized and that we now contribute to the success of a leading market player - ITG."
About Assa Abloy Identification Technologies (ITG)
Assa Abloy Identification Technologies (ITG) is a leader within the ID management and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) markets. The company develops, manufactures and markets RFID components, products, and services typically deployed within national ID and e-passport programs, corporate access control, supply chain management, animal tagging, financial transactions, transport and various industrial or manufacturing solutions. ITG is a merger of ACG Identification Technologies, OMNIKEY, Sokymat, VisionCard and Novacard do Brazil. Assa Abloy ITG has over 900 employees and 25 sales offices in all continents. The company's headquarters are located in Walluf, Germany. ITG is part of the Global Technologies Division of the ASSA ABLOY Group. For more information, please visit aaitg.com.
About Aontec
Aontec designs and manufactures RFID inlays mainly for European passport printers and security integrators. The company specialises in developing and implementing customised high-volume automation to provide customers with long-term commitments to ensure security in their supply chain management. The operations are conducted in high-security premises in Ireland where there are more than 140 employees.
Press contact:
Hiller, Wuest & Partner GmbH
Heidi Schall
Tel: + 49 6021 38666-56
Fax: + 49 6021 38666-17
E-Mail: h.schall@hwp.de
www.hwp.de
