Iris' expansion with focus on newer technologies

By P. Vikram Reddy

HYDERABAD, APRIL 27. Iris Smartcards, the only manufacturer of smartcards in India, has taken up expansion of its facility located at Medchal near Hyderabad, involving an investment of Rs. 15 crores.

The company set up the first smartcards production unit here a few years ago with an investment of Rs. 9.95 crores and a capacity of five million cards. The expansion, which will be completed in another three months, will take the capacity to 6.5 million cards.

But more than the quantity, the focus is now being given to peripheral support like technologies and range of products such as scratch cards, and GSM cards (SIM). As Iris Automation, it had obtained technology for smartcards manufacturing from Muhlbauer of Germany, one of the largest manufacturers of such cards.

Now as Iris Smartcards, it has tied up with Key Corp of Australia for GSM technology and is getting Biometrics technology from Keyware of Belgium. The GSM technology is of use in targeting the mobile phones segment, while biometrics will give the company capacity to tap the high security environment of defence and access control.

Using the technology from Keyware, as many as four biometric parameters can be encoded on the chip in any sequence that may be required. Chip card identification systems, incorporating biometrical processes such as fingerprinting, create a new dimension to security and access control, says Mr. G. Babji, Managing Director.

This has critical value in areas such as defence, business, online commerce and new solutions such as automated border clearance. In the last mentioned category, electronic visa is put into smart immigration cards and provides high security access control at ports of entry. Both the technology agreements were signed recently. Marketing offices are also being opened at Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.

The company, which takes up manufacturing as also `personalisation' of the smart cards, is supplying 1.5 lakh cards to Arabian Automobile Alliance (for cards branded as ONIC Insurance cards) and is preparing for another order of 4-5 lakhs. It is also in the process of supplying about eight lakh plastic cards (with bar coding) and smartcards with chips to the Telugu Desam Party for issue to its cadre and functionaries. Its other customers include Suman Motels, Tata Cellular (under Cellect Circle scheme), and the Tourism Club Card for Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, besides the State Road Transport Authority.

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Section  : Business
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