Prism boosts smartcard capacity
26 March 2003
News
Secure electronic transactions company, Prism Holdings, has become the largest 'turnkey' manufacturer of high-end smartcards on the African continent following a deal valued at more than R6-million with Cybernétix of France.
Cybernétix, one of the world's leading suppliers of automated equipment for the production of smartcards, has provided Prism with high-speed equipment which will enable the company's Springs-based chip-card fabrication plant to increase its milling and embedding capacity by 100%. In addition, Prism's SIM (subscriber identity module) personalisation capacity - the art of writing card-specific electronic data to the microprocessor chip - will increase by more than 250% to some 3000 cards per hour and a total of between one and 1,5-million completed cards per month.
Prism CEO Alvin Els says that Prism's ability to comfortably fulfil its rising production commitments to the company's local and international clients has been under increasing pressure for some time.
"This has been particularly acute in the GSM mobile telephony SIM card market. In fact, we were recently forced to sub-contract to industry partners to assist with production fulfilment. However, this was less than satisfactory as the problems associated with logistics and the complex personalisation procedure make the entire process extremely difficult to manage remotely.
"It was therefore clear that in order to meet our customers' fulfilment needs and expectations for quality, higher-volume production, we had to boost our production capacity. Cybernétix met all our criteria," he adds.
The deal will ensure that Prism is able to meet the rising demand for smartcards for the foreseeable future.
"It is our intention to build sufficient capacity to meet our direct customer pipeline," says Els. "We have no aspirations to become a general contract manufacturer of chip cards - that is not our core focus. However, we are now equipped to ensure that our banking and mobile operator clients receive consistently high levels of service in all aspects of their smartcard production needs."
For more information contact Prism Holdings 011 548 1000, www.prism.co.za
Further reading:
Components distribution slowdown Q1 2025
News
European components distribution (DMASS) experienced a continued slowdown in the first quarter 2025.
Read more...
Semiconductor sales increase 17% YoY
News
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) recently announced global semiconductor sales were $54,9 billion during the month of February 2025, an increase of 17,1% compared to the February 2024 total.
Read more...
Silicon Labs – Q1 results
News
Silicon Labs, a leading innovator in low-power wireless, recently reported financial results for the first quarter, which ended April 5, 2025.
Read more...
Strengthening industry through strategic partnerships at KITE 2025
Specialised Exhibitions
News
The KwaZulu-Natal Industrial Technology Exhibition is not just an exhibition, it is a powerhouse of industry collaboration where visitors and exhibitors gain access to authoritative insights, technical expertise, and high-impact networking opportunities.
Read more...
Solar Youth Project calls on industry to step up
News
With the second cohort completed training and the first cohort returning for their final module, host companies are urgently needed to turn the training into a long-term opportunity.
Read more...
Conlog powers SA’s future with national smart meter rollout
News
Conlog recently secured the RT29-2024 contract from National Treasury, which is seen to be a major milestone towards modernising SA’s utility infrastructure.
Read more...
Zuchongzhi-3 sets new benchmark
News
This latest superconducting quantum computing prototype features 105 qubits and 182 couplers to operate at a speed 10¹5 times faster than the most powerful supercomputer currently available.
Read more...
Automatic device attestation certificate for Panasonic
News
DigiCert recently announced it has partnered with Panasonic Industry Europe to integrate DigiCert Device Trust Manager with Panasonic’s PAN-MaX intelligent manufacturing service for seamless Matter certification of interoperable smart home devices.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: Are we really being ripped off?
Technews Publishing
News
To the surprise of many customers, installing solar panels does not always eliminate their utility bill – and in some cases, the power utility may impose additional charges on solar-powered homes.
Read more...
Winner of the Advanced Electronics Challenge
Avnet Silica
News
Avnet Silica has named Hydronauten winner of the Advanced Electronics Challenge for breakthrough AI-driven vibration damping technology.
Read more...
printer friendly version