It's on the cards

13 Jun 2003

Cape Town: Lithotech Afric Mail – a division of Lithotech (Pty) Ltd, and the leading service provider of high-volume mail production solutions, including advanced digital printing and intelligent inserting – has added the supply and personalisation of plastic cards to its list of services. It will now produce a variety of card types, including retail account cards, loyalty cards, medical aid cards and hotel key cards – and has already snapped up a lucrative Woolworths order.

Recognising the growth potential of plastic cards in South Africa, Lithotech Afric Mail Managing Director, Hennie Mentz said, “As retail business has grown, so has the need for cards to back customer drives. We were already providing print-to-post solutions for most of our clients who needed a retail or loyalty card production service. So for us it was a logical next step to generate the cards as well as improve the service to our clients in terms of price, production and overall turnaround time.”

Lithotech Afric Mail has learned a great deal since introducing the plastic card service only four months ago, and is already producing for a number of existing clients. Woolworths’ order of a million cards is the biggest to date.

According to Mentz, Lithotech Afric Mail’s success can be attributed to its ability to offer all services under one roof. “While there are a couple of other companies offering a plastic card production service, we are unique in providing a one-stop-shop of cards, card carriers, stationery, envelopes and a print-to-post production service.”

Incorporating technological advancements has played a part in readying the company for the supply and personalisation of plastic cards. Lithotech Afric Mail uses the latest thermal print techniques for quality flat surface printing and superior photographic image production. Thermal characters can be printed in colours other than black, including gold, silver, white, blue and red. The company has also integrated the latest embossing processes – tailored for raised characters as found on all credit cards – into its production.

The next step is a move into specialised security card production such as credit cards. “We are in the process of evaluating the accreditation process for the three major types – Amex, Visa and Mastercard – and will start work on this in the near future,” said Mentz.

“Our general strategy is to increase flexibility and adapt quickly to the needs of our customers. Exploring new avenues and further investment in new technology such as plastic card manufacturing equipment will continue the rapid growth of Lithotech Afric Mail’s productivity,” said Mentz.