The new Canadian facility offers complete end-to-end smart card
solutions for the North American market and will be developing innovative solutions based on smart card technology. With double the footprint of their previous facility, G&D Canada has enough capacity to meet North American demands for smart cards used in electronic payment systems, high security ID documents, and new applications, such as, customer loyalty programs.
"G&D is the number one partner of choice for EMV solutions in Canada. We are proud of the significant role our technology has played over the past 40 years in helping shape the Canadian payment and ID marketplace," commented Anna Rossetti, President of G&D Canada.
Canadians will see their credit and debit cards migrate to EMV technology within the next several years, representing one of the most significant changes ever for the Canadian banking sector. A total of approximately 60 million credit cards and 37 million debit cards will be replaced by chip card versions. "With the new facility in Markham we are able to supply the growing demand of the North American market effectively from both a volume and technology perspective," said Michael Kuemmerle, G&D Group Executive for Cards and Services.
"At Visa Canada, we applaud G&D for their vision in building this advanced technology facility," said Derek Fry, President, Visa Canada. "As a leader in Canada's chip migration to the EMV global platform, Visa understands the importance of having skilled partners such as G&D to ensure a smart and seamless transition for the Canadian marketplace. G&D has played significant role in helping to shape card solutions in Canada for many years. We look forward to their continuing support and leadership in delivering EMV and other emerging technologies into this market."
The key physical focus of the new production facility is in the protection of client assets and data integrity. It has therefore been equipped with the latest in highly sophisticated security systems including biometric authentication.
The facility provides complete card solutions that cover the entire lifecycle of a smart card, from the development of card applications and card design through to printing the laminated cards, embedding the chips, card personalization, and shipping. The production facility is certified by VISA, MasterCard, and AMEX.
Canada has been preparing for the adoption of EMV and following related fraud trends in many parts of the world for quite a few years. At the end of 2005, there were approximately 400 million EMV cards, 587 thousand EMV equipped ATM's and 4.5 million EMV equipped terminals globally. Canada's decision to migrate to EMV has been carefully calculated for improved fraud mitigation and dynamic payment capabilities.
"G&D's new emerging technology facility is well positioned to support and deliver MasterCard's innovative product offerings," said Kevin Stanton, President, Canada Region, MasterCard Worldwide. "We commend G&D on their investment and commitment to the Canadian marketplace. As a leader in the field of contact and contactless technology, G &D's expertise and experience is extremely valuable in helping MasterCard deliver the next generation of smart card solutions for our financial institution customers and their cardholders."