This Gemalto service center has been operating in Stockholm for over five years. So far, it was focused on serving national eID products and corporate badges, as well as contactless cards for transport and access. It is now expanding into the personalization of payment cards to locally serve financial institutions, and also to deliver innovative e-banking and e-ID applications with the same card. From this facility, Gemalto provides extended services that aim at providing Swedish banks with a VIP treatment such as picture card validation and printing, urgent change-requests handling and new product introduction management. The company also provides Internet-based production monitoring to its customers. This value-added service consists of a highly secure web interface that enables banks to monitor their card personalization process. It provides full card traceability and real-time interaction with the Gemalto personalization center to increase efficiency and responsiveness in managing urgent customer requests. For example, banks are offered the possibility to track a particular card or batch and get real-time information regarding production status. “Our enhanced Swedish facility enables local banks to benefit from the extensive portfolio of innovative services Gemalto already offers to its customers globally,” commented Philippe Cambriel, Executive Vice-President of Gemalto’s Secure Transactions Business Unit. “It will also be capable to support introduction of advanced new products on the market, notably payment cards with value-added services such as digital electronic signature.” www.gemalto.com