8 April 2016 - Placard Pty Ltd, Australia’s leading supplier of card production and personalisation services, is pleased to announce the successful completion of UnionPay International certification for its Australian manufacturing plant and personalisation bureau which is the first facility in the region to do so.

Already operating as Australia’s only secure card manufacturer this accreditation is a major step in being able to service the future requirements for our existing customers as well as others in the Australasia region and beyond.

Placard has recently successfully launched the Australia Post Load&Go China UnionPay prepaid card across Australia Post outlets country wide as well as being readily available via the Australia Post website.

“Obtaining UnionPay International accreditation is another example of how Placard is introducing new business opportunities and offerings that support and meet the changing needs of its customers” said Chris Nunis, Placard’s CEO.

Mr.  James Yang, General Manager of UnionPay International South Pacific, said “We are very glad that Placard becomes the first certified vendor of card production and personalisation for UnionPay International in Australia. Now, UnionPay serves the world’s largest cardholder base, and we hope to accelerate the process of local card issuance by cooperating with major institutions in Australia, so as to provide more convenient and cost-effective payment service for the local residents in their daily consumption and international travels.”

About Placard

Placard is an Australian organisation, which has been in existence since 1987 as a manufacturer of plastic cards. Since then, Placard has continued to expand and is now operational in New Zealand, providing comprehensive card programs to over 500 clients and employs in excess of 160 staff. Placard is a well-established, quality, total card solutions provider and has a reputation of meeting its commitments to its clients and consistently achieves service levels beyond its clients’ expectations.

Placard is the only secure card manufacturer in the country and is recognised as the market leader in Australia with a substantial card personalisation and fulfilment bureau.

Placard’s secure manufacturing and bureau facilities are Visa, MasterCard, China Union Pay and American Express accredited to the highest level.

Placard’s core competencies lie in the design, printing, manufacture, personalisation and mailing of ISO Standard secure and non-secure plastic cards with Bureau services encompassing the latest Visa and MasterCard EMV standards for embossing, manufacture of Dual Interface cards, magnetic stripe encoding, indent printing, thermal print flat graphics, high quality Drop on Demand personalisation, laser printing processes and intelligent matching & mailing services.

For more information, please visit www.placard.com.au or call Tess Barone, General Manager, Sales & Marketing on +61 3 9722 5200.

About UnionPay International

UnionPay International (UPI) is a subsidiary of China UnionPay focused on the growth and support of UnionPay’s global business. As a membership organization with over 300 members worldwide, UnionPay International has enabled card acceptance in over 150 countries and issuing in more than 30 countries. UnionPay International provides high quality, cost effective and secure cross-border payment services to the world’s largest cardholder base and ensures convenient local services to a growing number of global UnionPay cardholders and merchants.