With the joint venture, G&D is considerably expanding its existing smart card activities in Russia as well as in neighboring countries belonging to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The company intends to become the leading provider of smart card solutions in these emerging markets.
With Sitronics, a major group of high-tech companies in the Russian Federation and a subsidiary of industrial group AFK Sistema, G&D has found a partner with a strong market position in the Russian economy. G&D plays the role of technology partner in the joint venture, bringing in its long-standing expertise in smart card technology and production.

Over 100 employees at the 3,400-square-meter (36,400 sq. ft.) industrial complex in Zelenograd will produce smart cards according to latest production and security technologies and to meet the highest quality standards. The facility will have an initial capacity of around 30 million smart cards annually.

"The close cooperation between Sitronics and G&D in the design phase of the plant allowed for highly efficient construction of the production facility in Zelenograd. This plant represents state-of-the-art smart card manufacturing technologies and is able to produce smart cards that meet our customers’ highest demands," comments Franz Haniel, member of G&D’s Management Board.

"G&D’s experience as an international technology leader in the field of chip cards and chip card solutions is very valuable to us for carrying out smart card projects in Russia," explains Evgeny Utkin, CEO at Sitronics.
KCK already provides SIM cards to Mobile TeleSystems, the largest mobile phone operator in Russia and the CIS, and to UMC, the first mobile operator in Ukraine. Later on, the plant will produce smart cards for other fields of application.