Leading electronic passport developer HID Global, is to make substantial investment in expanding its Connemara plant, it was announced this week.
HID Global, the trusted worldwide leader in solutions for the delivery of secure identity, headquartered in California USA, has announced 42 new jobs of its facility in An TUlach, Connemara.. HID Global Ireland Teoranta creates products for access and identification-related applications such as electronic passports and contactless swipe cards.
Announcing the significant expansion, Jason Bohrer, Senior Vice President, HID Global Operations said the vast majority of EU countries, as well as numerous countries outside of Europe, are now issuing machine readable electronic passports.
“Our expanded eGovernment operations in Connemara give us significantly higher production capacity for our microchip-based inlays, used as core components in the manufacture of eDocs, ePassports and eNIDs, and this will enable us to meet growing demand in more than 30 countries.”
The ePassport market will be worth nearly $7 billion annually by the end of 2014, with a compounded annual growth rate of 31.5 percent according to a recent Acuity Market Intelligence report. They say that 88 per cent of all passports issued in 2014 will be electronic passports and ePassports accounted for 57 per cent of all passports issued and 28 percent of all passports in circulation during 2009.
Liam Ó Cuinneagáin, Chairman of Údarás na Gaeltachta, welcomed the decision by HID Global to centralize its eGovernment base in the Connemara Gaeltacht.
“HID Global are locating all of their eGov product research, development and manufacturing operations in Connemara. Of particular significance is the decision to include full time research and development positions at its campus here. Secure documentation like ePassports are set to become commonplace over next couple of years.
“These will be developed in Connemara and carried by millions of the world’s traveling citizens. This substantial investment made by HID Global is a significant vote of confidence in the area, its workforce and the Irish economy,” he said.
The secure contactless technology inlays and prelaminates that HID Global Ireland Teo manufactures in Connemara allow governments, worldwide, to make their ePassports and other electronic documents more secure.
The company’s microchip-based inlays are tamper-proof and highly secure, and reduce authentication error and documentation falsification. Utilizing patented technologies, including ceFLEX material and wire transfer technology, HID Global's eGovernment solutions are designed to extend the life of e-documents, while withstanding daily mechanical wear and reducing incidents of tampering and fraud.
In addition to expanding production of these inlay products, the HID Global manufacturing and eDoc engineering teams in Connemara will also support development and manufacturing of additional eGov-related technologies and solutions for existing customers, while meeting the needs and requirements of new customers.
HID Global is a trusted leader in solutions that deliver secure identity for millions of customers around the world. Recognized for robust quality, innovative designs and industry leadership, HID Global is the supplier of choice for OEMs, system integrators and application developers serving a variety of markets, including physical and logical access control, card personalization, eGovernment, cashless payment and industry and logistics.
Headquartered in Irvine, California, HID Global has over 1,500 employees worldwide and operates international offices that support more than 100 countries. HID Global is an ASSA ABLOY Group brand. For more information, visit www.hidglobal.com
