Press release - Arcsis.org

23-12-06 12:48

Smart Packaging Solutions collects awards as well as innovations

Rewarded with ‘Sesame’ of innovation at the exhibition ‘Cartes 2006’, and then with the first prize ‘Créa 13’ by the General Council of the department, Smart Packaging Solutions tears out at the end of 2006.  And 2007 looks such as promising.

At the end of 2006, Smart Packaging Solutions’ annual production capacity will be 100 millions micro-modules for smart cards. The company is specialized into conception and manufacturing of microelectronic technologies. Since its creation in October 2003, the number of its employees has increased from 9 to 61 people.  Therefore the company recently won the prize ‘Créa 13’ offered by the General Council which rewards the companies combining innovation and jobs creations.  Located in Rousset, SPS is at the same time client and supplier of the major companies in microelectronics. «Our mission is to find out products with high added value that can be easily included in flexible substrates» explains Henri Boccia, CEO.  Their four activity fields are: identity/security, multimedia, medical/environment and at last, Multicomponents Smart Card (battery, screen, electronic circuit, captor, micro modules…) which are expanding markets.  « Between our fiscal years 2005/2006 and 2006/2007, we should multiply our turnover by 8 and we will multiply it again by 3 for the next fiscal year. » insures Henri Boccia.

An ultra-secured electronic passport
It must be said that the company keeps on introducing innovations, in focus to win the ‘SESAME’ of innovation during the last exhibition ‘Cartes 2006’, a worldwide true reference in microelectronics.  The international experts have unanimously awarded this trophy to SPS, even though the company was facing more than 200 candidates of all over the world!  SPS has been rewarded in the Identification category regarding their ultra-secured technologies for electronic passports, « E-Star » and « E-Booster ».  To insert the first into the passport cover and affix the latest on the page dedicated to the holder help to link, by electromagnetic coupling, for the first time and in a unique way, the graphic personalization and electrical personalization of this identity document.  Counterfeiting is impossible and life lasting is guaranteed.  « We negotiate with 13 companies appealed by our solution » tells Henri Boccia. SPS works as well on an identity card « a plastic dual interface card», that is to say able to work with or without contact.  It will be possible to bend the document over than 60 000 times without alteration, which is 8 times more than the other technologies.  « We have good chance to sell it in many countries » tells the CEO.

Multi-applications technologies
SPS has also introduced innovations in their other favourite fields.  For a client they are developing a Multicomponents card able to measure the sun UV radiance to give, on a small screen, the skin protection degree. In the medical field SPS has set up a piloting solution in real time for haemodialysis, more comfortable for patients, and with possible other uses such as quality analysis of water or foodstuffs.  Production should start early 2007.  At last, with its partner AGFA (30% Shareholder from June 2006), SPS is working on a smart card able to store patients’ data, such as radiographies, in order to make the medical transmission easier. "Stemmed from an expansion of Gemplus to whom SPS has bought 6 patents to start with, we have, in 3 years, registered 5 other patents and another 3 are pending".
At the same time, SPS is engaged in SCS (Secured Communicating Solutions) Competitiveness development centre, where they are leader in the project «Fire» in order to prevent, to simulate, to foresee and to fight more efficiently against fire woods with a system made of captors set on the ground. For Henri Boccia, between SCS development centre, CIM PACA where he is partner, as a founding member at the R&D platform mutual MicroPacks, the CMP Georges Charpak, and Arcsis that helps exchanges between foreign and French actors in Microelectronics, the ‘Provencal’ channel seems to be today very well equipped.  « Without any doubt, its international visibility has increased, points out Henri Boccia. It is an asset to attract new companies in Provence that will widen the range of regional competencies in secured communicating articles.

Photo: 1st award ‘CREA 13’ given to Henri Boccia, CEO of SPS
Contact: Corinne JOACHIM corinne.joachim@arcsis.org