AUSTIN, Texas – Global identity solutions provider HID today announces it has signed an agreement to acquire Calmell Group, a Spanish manufacturer of smart cards, smart paper tickets and magnetic tickets, primarily for public transportation.
The addition of Calmell Group “expands HID’s smart ticketing portfolio to include smart paper and magnetic tickets, as well as provides HID a stronger geographic foothold in the public transportation space, particularly in Spain, the European Union, Northern Africa and Latin America,” according to the joint announcement.
“Calmell Group is a fantastic addition to our growing public transportation ecosystem, and we are excited to welcome them to the HID family,” says Björn Lidefelt, executive vice president and head of HID, in the announcement. “Calmell’s offering and expertise enable people to get where they need to go, aligning well with our desire to help the world travel more freely.”
Why HID Acquired Calmell Group
Founded in 1920 as a printing house for graphic products, the family-owned Calmell Group has evolved to mainly become a manufacturer of smart cards, smart paper tickets and magnetic tickets for the public transportation vertical.
“We look forward to incorporating Calmell into our growing smart ticketing offering,” says Marc Bielmann, senior vice presiden and head of identification technologies for HID, in the joint announcement. “This addition helps increase our relevance in the public transportation space, as well as better serve users in an increasing number of geographies around the world.”
Headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, Calmell will be part of HID’s identification technologies business area as part of its events and mobility solutions business unit led by Cesare Paciello and will benefit from HID’s sales and other global functions to support its offering.
“We are proud of our long history of creating innovative and reliable solutions that help people travel on their terms,” says Carles Marti Santiago, CEO of Calmell Group, in the joint announcement. “By joining HID, we now have a great opportunity to drive our impact well into the future by leveraging HID’s expertise in digital credentials to serve our partners.”
The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions.
