"This acquisition creates an industry-leading source for instant card issuance solutions," said Todd Wilkinson, president and CEO of Datacard Group. "Datacard is the world's best-selling brand of card issuance solutions. CardWizard is the best-selling brand of instant issuance software. Together, the two companies have more than 30,000 successful instant issuance installations. It's a powerful combination."

Instant issuance allows banks, credit unions and retailers to provide customers with ready-to-use financial cards in a matter of minutes. The advantages are highly compelling for card issuers — higher activation rates, instant revenue streams and strong differentiation in a crowded and competitive market top the list.

"Both Datacard and DCS have developed strong customer loyalty and brand recognition worldwide," said Ron Zanotti, senior vice president of DCS. "The combined strengths of the two companies dramatically changes the market and opens a new world of possibilities for financial card issuers."

Datacard enabled the secure mass production of credit cards more than 40 years ago. Today, the company's systems are used to personalize the vast majority of the world's financial cards. In fact, more than 10 million cards are issued daily with Datacard systems. More than 25,000 of the company's installations feature instant issuance hardware and software solutions. DCS has deployed CardWizard software in more than 5,500 bank and retail locations, primarily in the United States. "We believe there is a strong, growing demand for secure, efficient and profitable instant issuance solutions," Zanotti said. "We now have a combined portfolio of unique technologies that allows us to accelerate innovation, bring solutions to market on a global basis and capitalize on that opportunity."

In addition to hardware, software and supplies, Datacard and DCS offer financial card issuers a wealth of knowledge — including best practices, process engineering, program optimization and a deep understanding of industry standards. The combined expertise and intellectual property of the two companies creates an unmatched resource for both card marketing and operations executives looking for new ways to drive revenue and profitability in their card programs.

Wilkinson said Datacard Group plans to maintain DCS staff and a facility in the Denver, Colorado area. "DCS customers in the U.S. will continue to work with their current sales and support teams," Wilkinson said. "Datacard will also support and supplement the DCS team in the U.S. and over time, we will leverage our global distribution network to accelerate international sales."