Citation
(1999), "Smart work", Work Study, Vol. 48 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.1999.07948aab.008
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 1999, MCB UP Limited
Smart work
Industrial news
Smart work
ICL, the IT systems and services company, has acquired 100 per cent of Product Technologies Incorporated (PTI), the leading US-based smart card systems company, for a consideration of approximately £4 million. The move makes ICL the premier provider of multi-application smart card systems by number of sites, and assists the company's objective of becoming the world's number one supplier of smart card systems by revenue within the next three years. Formed five years ago, PTI has its headquarters in Middletown, Connecticut, USA, and a branch office in Moscow, Russia. The company specialises in software for card management systems and the provision of end-to-end smart card solutions, including ICL's SmartCity which it co-developed with ICL. Current sales for the company are in the region of £3 million per annum. PTI gives ICL a substantial presence in the burgeoning yet relatively immature US smart card market. The company has an installed base of over 60 sites, and in the past 12 months has installed systems in 18 universities, three military bases, a shopping mall, a corporate headquarters and a football stadium. Major customers include all three US armed forces, the University of Arizona, Mellon Bank, CyberMark and the Russian oil company, LUKOIL, which issued smart cards to its workforce as a secure method of payment to combat crime.