Winners Recognized at ICMA’s Global Awards Ceremony
ORLANDO, FL–( March 31, 2017) – The International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA), a global trade association for card manufacturers, personalizers, issuers and suppliers, has announced its winners of the 2017 Élan Awards for Card Manufacturing Excellence.
Jeffrey Barnhart, ICMA founder and executive director, revealed the winners at the 27th annual ICMA Card Manufacturing and Personalization EXPO.
The conference and tradeshow was held March 27-30 at the Renaissance Orlando in Florida. “As the card industry continues to change with expanding marketplaces, and as new technologies literally continue to revolutionize the way we do business, manufacturers and personalizers are turning the tide with innovative products. ICMA is proud to recognize the top producers creating the highest quality cards worldwide. Congratulations to all,” Barnhart said.
In the global arena of world-class cards, the ICMA Élan Awards for Card Manufacturing Excellence celebrates the pinnacle of design innovation, security, and technical achievements in the industry by leading manufacturers from around the globe. Winners of this prestigious competition tap the power of industry recognition and promotional opportunity.
For more than 27 years, the ICMA EXPO has served as a fusion meeting place for industry professionals to connect, network and discuss changing technologies, developments and products. ICMA honors its members’ world class achievements in both card design and technology innovation through its Élan Awards.
After Barnhart announced each respective winner, ICMA board president Keith Yeates, of Bristol ID Technologies, presented the individual awards to each honoree.
The 2017 winners and finalists include:
Best Supplier/Vendor New Product, Service or Innovation:
Winner: H.W. Sands Corp. for the H.W. Sands Colorshift Inks
First Finalist: Matica Technologies for the Instant Issuance Bankcards at 600 DPI for Problem Solved, Inc.
Best Personalization & Fulfillment (P&F) Product, Service or Project:
Winner: Goldpac Limited for the Holiday Special Edition My Starbucks Rewards Card for Starbucks
First Finalist: Plasticard-Locktech International for the Starbucks Mother’s Day Holiday Bundle for Starbucks
Second Finalist: Placard Pty Ltd for the Platinum Global Wallet Welcome Pack for Velocity Frequent Flyer, loyalty program of Virgin Australia
MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Loyalty, Promotional and Gift Cards:
Winner: CompoSecure LLC for the Starbucks for Life Card for Starbucks
First Finalist: Pure Continental Ltd for the Nike Metal Gift Card for Nike, Inc.
Second Finalist: Goldpac Limited for the Yunjin My Starbucks Rewards Card for Starbucks
ID and Access Control Cards:
Winner: Gemalto AG for the Maryland Driver License and Identification Card for Maryland DMV
First Finalist: Variuscard GmbH for the Congo School Identity Photo Card for Ministry of Education Congo
Second Finalist: ABCorp for the Bahamas Driver’s License for DataTorque
Unique Innovation:
First Finalist: CompoSecure LLC along with personalization partner Goldpac Limited for the China Industrial Bank “Cang Ka” Metal Card for Goldpac/China Industrial Bank
Second Finalist: CompoSecure LLC for the American Express Platinum with Dual Interface Technology for American Express
Winner: Goldpac Limited for the Goddess of Wood Grain Card for the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank
Best Secure Payment Card:
Winner: Goldpac Limited for the Global Credit Card for the Bank of Communications
First Finalist: CompoSecure LLC for the Chase Sapphire Reserve for JPMorgan Chase
Second Finalist: CompoSecure LLC with personalization partner Goldpac Limited for the Hua Xia Elite – Priority Platinum Credit Card for Goldpac/Hua Xia Bank
The People’s Choice Award, based on the ballots as cast by ICMA EXPO delegates:
Winner: Variuscard GmbH for the Congo School Identity Photo Card for Ministry of Education Congo
First Finalist: Goldpac Limited for the Yunjin My Starbucks Rewards Card for Starbucks
Second Finalist: CompoSecure LLC for the Starbucks for Life Card for Starbucks
The judging criteria for the winners are based on three categories: card manufacturing, personalization and fulfillment and suppliers. The 2017 judges included ICMA Standards Representative David Tushie of Magellan Consulting; Brian Summerhayes of Barnes International; and Thies Janczek of COCASO.
The global card industry generated $19.8 billion in revenues in 2016, equating to the production of 35.4 billion cards worldwide and representing a 0.8 percent increase compared to 2015. Last year, the industry earned $19.2 billion USD in the manufacturing of cards, which is 3.1 percent more than earned in 2015.
To learn more about the benefits of ICMA membership, visit www.icma.com.
About ICMA
Based in Princeton Junction, New Jersey, ICMA is a nonprofit association of card manufacturers, personalizers, suppliers and related industry participants. With 225 members globally, ICMA acts as a resource for industry issues, including the production, technology, application, security and environmental issues of cards. More information is available at www.icma.com.