GPW_AR_2013_Final_v10.pdf
National smart ID card Following an initial pilot programme in . anuary 2012, the GPW embarked upon a long and complex procurement process for the new national smart ID card.Tenders have been awarded to two companies, both international leaders in the ½ eld of electronic ID cards. One company will supply four personalisation machines and mailing solutions in . une 2013 – three to be housed in the passport factory at Visagie Street, and one at the disaster recovery site.Test runs will begin with these machines in . une 2013, with a view to smart ID card production beginning in . uly 2013. The second company will provide millions of blank, preprinted polycarbonate cards with contactless integrated circuits.These cards will be shipped to GPW at Visagie Street for personalisation. The Department of Home Affairs, with SARS, is rolling out “live capture” systems at Home Affairs of ½ ces so that all citizens’ details can be captured electronically with no paper work involved, thus obviating the room for fraud or identity theft. Each citizen’s digitised photograph, demographic details and electronic ½ nger prints will be downloaded immediately from the live capture booth in the Home Affairs of ½ ce, directly to the servers at GPW to be personalised onto the blank cards. As the cards are produced, they will be deposited in individual envelopes using the automated mailing solution, and then couriered to the Home Affairs of ½ ce where the citizen made the application for an smart ID card, the day before. It is envisaged that over the coming six to seven years, all old green ID books will be replaced with 38 million smart ID cards. The GPW deploys the most modern laser imaging technology in the world in its passport factory.This is used for, amongst other things, the production of laser perforations in paper-based documents and the personalisation of passports and identi ½ cation cards on materials such as paper and polycarbonate. GPW continues to operate on regular business principles by generating suf ½ cient revenue from services rendered, to defray its operational expenditure; thus ensuring sustainability as a “government-owned business”. The GPW’s security product offering is unrivalled both in South Africa and the broader African continent; and this has clearly been recognised by government through the award of the smart ID card contract. The successful appointment of the GM: Strategic Management will enable completion of the marketing strategy in 2013/14 as this general manger oversees the marketing function. The appointment was only made after the current ½ nancial year-end, and interviews will soon be held for a specialist in marketing. Outputs. Outputs of security and other printed matter during the review period decreased mainly due to decreased demand; while all the business units attained most of their targets. Production statistics There has been a steady decline in the demand for new passports by South African citizens, and this has impacted negatively on revenues for GPW, resulting in a 15 percent decline in gross pro ½ t. In 2014, the plan is to construct a polycarbonate plant at Visagie Street so that, with time, the entire process of smart ID card production will be done on a single, secure GPW site.
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GPW ANNUAL REPORT 2012 | 2013
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