The Offi cial Publication of the International Card Manufacturers Association February 2020 Volume 30 • No. 1 Personalization Changes in Financial Cards 2019 Card Industry Statistics and Trends Highlights All About the 2020 ICMA EXPO Meet the Card Industry’s New ACEs founder /executive director is published by CMA for ICMA. Please submit all articles, news releases We’re Marking a Major Milestone This Year! and advertising to: | By Jeffrey E. Barnhart CARD MANUFACTURING™ C/O: CMA 191 Clarksville Road ICMA will celebrate 30 years of promoting growth Princeton Junction, New Jersey 08550 USA within the global card industry at our 2020 Card Manufacturing & Personalization EXPO. Founder/Executive Director We will pay tribute to our association’s rich past, honor our members’ Jeffrey E. Barnhart [email protected] dedication, recognize 30 years of innovation and set the stage for what’s to Association Manager come in our ever-evolving industry. Lynn McCullough [email protected] This one-of-a-kind conference, Historical Success, Embracing the Future, Manager, Member Experience Lea Bongiovanni will feature expert presentations, valuable networking opportunities and an exhibition hall. [email protected] Join us from March 29 to April 1 at the Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, Florida as we memorialize Managing Editor Jennifer Kohlhepp three decades of accomplishments our organization has achieved. Through great leadership [email protected] and member commitment, we have done remarkable work and have had a powerful impact Marketing Manager Kelsey Tweedly on the global card industry. Membership Coordinator Nicole Lauzon If you haven’t registered for this historic event yet or need more information, visit [email protected] ICMAEXPO.com. Project/Advertising Sales Manager Diane Webster-Sweeney [email protected] Public Relations Director from the ICMA staff Ken Hitchner Public Relations Manager Kimberly Tjoumakaris Shine a Spotlight on the Best of Your Work [email protected] | By Diane Webster-Sweeney Social Media Specialist Kelly Potts ICMA’s Élan Awards of Excellence celebrate the pinnacle of design and Creative Director Dave Sherwood technical innovation in the global card industry. Founder Emeritus/Industry Advisor Open to ICMA members only, entries are scored based on graphical Albert J. Vrancart [email protected] design, printing, complexity, technology, quality, innovation, uniqueness, TELEPHONE practicality and security (if applicable). There are three card categories 1-609-799-4900 as well as awards for Unique Innovation, Personalization & Fulfi llment Products and Best WEBSITE ICMA.com Supplier/Vendor New Product and a People’s Choice award. E-MAIL In response to the cresting metal card trend, a new subcategory for metal cards has been [email protected] added to the Best Secure Payment Card category. If you have manufactured a card that showcases new and unique designs and/or capabilities but cannot display its branding due to customer requests, you can identify it as a concept card and enter it into the appropriate awards category this year. Card Manufacturing™ publishes information for the benefit of its The benefi ts of entering the Élan Awards of Excellence competition go far beyond winning members and readers. The sponsor, International Card Manufacturers worldwide industry recognition for producing one of the best cards of the year. The contest Association (ICMA), the publisher and the editors of Card Manufacturing™ drives innovation, which generates competition in the industry and ultimately makes the cannot be held liable for changes, revisions or inaccuracies contained entire card industry better. The finalists also receive personalized awards, which are in the material published. For more detailed information on the products, presented annually at the ICMA EXPO Élan Awards of Excellence Dinner. programs, services or policies covered in Card Manufacturing™, Enter this prestigious competition by March 6 and shine a spotlight on the best of your best work. it is recommended readers contact the appropriate person, company, For more information, visit ICMA.com. agency or industry group. ICMA.com 3 contents VOLUME 30 • NUMBER 1 FEBRUARY 2020 ICMA.com 6 8 13 RECURRING SECTIONS FEATURES 3 Founder/Executive Personalization Changes All About the 2020 ICMA EXPO Director’s Message 6 in Financial Cards 13 Card personalization continues to You won’t want to miss this year’s evolve as card design and card body special ICMA EXPO, during which 22 ACE News construction advances. we will celebrate our association’s 30th anniversary. See the agenda | By David Tushie, Magellen Consulting, ICMA and meet the exhibitors to date. 24 Association News Standards and Technical Representative | By Jennifer Kohlhepp, Managing Editor, ICMA Member 30 2019 Card Industry Statistics & Product News 8 and Trends Highlights The global card industry manufactured 33 Members On the Move 37.1 billion cards in 2019, which was 1% more than it manufactured in 2018. 35 Industry News | By Al Vrancart, Founder Emeritus and Industry Advisor, ICMA 37 New Members THE SPOTLIGHT IS ON ICMA’S DIAMOND, PLATINUM AND GOLD MEMBERS These suppliers have committed to the highest level of support to ICMA activities in 2020. Platinum Level COVER STORY Gold Level 26 The Road to Contactless: A Market Ready for Change This CPI Card Group white paper discusses what is driving the contact- less revolution, the opportunities for consumers, issuers and merchants and considerations and key steps to implementing dual-interface cards, an important transitional step on the road to contactless. | By CPI Card Group 4 CARD MANUFACTURING | FEBRUARY 2020 contents industry standards PERSONALIZATION CHANGES IN FINANCIAL CARDS David Tushie – Magellan Consulting, Inc., ICMA Standards and Technical Representative Many years ago, at the dawn of used successfully. The unusual front of the card letting the back of the machine-readable card personaliza- characteristic of the use of metal in card carry all the physical data elements tion, standards were introduced to these cards is not that it is different required for successful transactions. guarantee electronic transactions but rather that it has had such a rapid And, with EMV now a worldwide could be processed accurately and growth. Plastic card manufacturing implementation, all of the logical data globally. These standards controlled processes, developed and perfected elements must be encoded into the se- the placement of the data on the card, over years of commonality, needed cure chip on the card by either contact the format of the data and to a lesser rapid adaption and changeover to or contactless means. degree the other non-transaction data be viable. To make this all happen, the person- required for security elements, issuer The core personalization data on the alization equipment must be flexible. identity, customer service and market- card remains the same but its place- This flexibility must include the setup ing promotions. As I have noted many ment and the technology used to time required to configure the job and times, the card market tends to be personalize the card has had to adapt the setup time required to convert it to evolutionary where changes are to changing requirements as well. the layout required by the next person- introduced slowly and rarely obsolete Reviewing several newly issued cards alization job in the queue. legacy features. Looking at today’s shows the account number (PAN) on environment, the brands seem to Some of the recent features in per- either the front or the back of the card. be more flexible in approving many sonalization flexibility were made This same flexibility was also true of requests for new data placement on possible by the advent and integration the cardholder’s name. It seemed that the card as well as the materials of of Drop-on-Demand (DOD) printing each issuer had a different idea as to construction of the card body itself. into the card personalization process. the importance of a particular data It seems like just a few years ago com- Emboss data can be augmented with element. Marketing—striving for the mon industry vernacular referred to printed data. Additionally, it’s now most effective data layout—has chosen the “plastic card market.” However, possible to provide flat card person- to highlight their “messaging” and print today millions of metal and metal alization anywhere on the card. As it as a single word, or phrase, on the composite cards have been issued and marketing requirements change, DOD 6 CARD MANUFACTURING | FEBRUARY 2020 PERSONALIZATION CHANGES IN FINANCIAL CARDS printing supports the change process enhanced by color laser technology is and executes these changes quickly by one such area in secure card personal- About the Author: ICMA Standards virtue of its high-speed print capability. ization that is undergoing considerable and Technical Representative David Further, as marketing generates new development. Tushie has had a long and continuing career in the card industry working for requirements for graphical images, More changes are certain to come. international companies such as Data- they can be integrated into the person- This industry will continue to innovate card, UbiQ and NBS Technologies. He alization process with minimal impact with its card design and materials has master’s degrees in engineering on the workflow. and business, holds U.S. and interna- of construction. Issuers continue to tional patents in measurement and card These flexibility driven changes clearly search for card features and function- issuance systems and has had several identify the fact that card personaliza- ality that enhance their consuming years of involvement with the ANSI, IN- tion continues to evolve as card design desire for “top of wallet” position in CITS and ISO standards process. ICMA and card body construction advances. their cardholder’s wallets and purses. is represented at six ISO and ANSI standards meetings through his stan- Other technologies can be projected Personalization will continue to adapt dards role within the association. to have increasing influence as this as these innovations are implemented evolution progresses.