INTRODUCTION

ABnote's Australian origins date back to 1837 when John Sands & Co began business, supplying specialist stationery and engraving printing plates for secure documents. With the discovery of gold in Victoria in 1848, John Sands became Australia's earliest supplier of security transaction documents.

The business emerged in its current form in the early 1990s, when Amcor acquired the John Sands cheque printing business and integrated it with its DataCard, Fortronics and Leigh Mardon divisions, trading under the Leigh Mardon brand.

In 1996, Amcor sold Leigh Mardon to the ABnote Global Group (ABN), one of the largest private sector security printers in the world. Today ABN operates through its subsidiary companies in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States.

ABN has an even longer history than John Sands/Leigh Mardon, tracing its founding to 1795 and American patriot Paul Revere. ABN is a global supplier of secure documents, services and systems, and its principal products include plastic cards, phone cards, paper certificates, lottery tickets, passports, state titles, certificates of origin, stock certificates, and cheques.

Locally, ABnote is the longest-established and most trusted supplier of secure transaction products, services and logistics in Australia and New Zealand employing around 650 people. The company is market leader in cheques, financial cards, EMV smartcards, driver's licences and high resolution barcodes.

ABnote is security accredited by Visa, MasterCard, EuroPay, Bankcard, Diners Club and American Express, and holds International Quality Standards Organisation ISO9001:2008 in Australia and New Zealand and ISO:14001:2004 in Australia. It is an award-winning company, having been recognized over many years by Australian industry associations for its innovation and quality.

ABnote services over 1000 customers, including Australia's major banks, Federal and State Governments and many large commercial enterprises. In the past decade these organizations have increasingly outsourced many of their requirements to ABnote because we offer technology competencies and an integrated service, which they could not maintain in-house.

Moreover, they rely on ABnote for more than the services they have outsourced. We are always investigating new ways of enhancing our customer's productivity and improving their bottom line.

 

Each year, the company produces:

  • 2 billion secure personalised documents
  • 180 million mail packs
  • 2 million personalised faxes
  • 75 million Medicare vouchers
  • 80 million plastic cards
  • 40 million personalised cards
  • 4.5 million driver's licences
  • 100 million barcode labels
  • 7 million smart cards

The company's success over almost 170 years is due to its continuing focus on new methods, new products, new technologies and a partnering approach to client relationships.

ABnote has chosen to position itself as a "total solutions supplier". This modern business practice has worked well for the company and its customers. Being able to fully integrate many steps in the supply chain means ABnote's customers benefit significantly through reduced administrative costs and simplified logistics processes.

Customers who take advantage of ABnote's broad range of services can, for example, incorporate card programs with statement and direct marking mailings, annual report distribution, data base and loyalty program management, manage inventories via the web, and obtain all printed stationery from a single supplier.

In the 21st century our customers look to ABnote to help them stay ahead of their competition through the delivery of cost effective solutions, exceptional service, and continuous innovation.

By virtue of being a member of the ABnote Global Group, we are uniquely positioned to localize the knowledge, experiences and innovations enjoyed in North America, Latin America and Europe to the benefit of our customers, while also offering capabilities to support our customers' Global or Regional expansion strategies.