The Wow Factor for HSP EMEA in Abu Dhabi

Whether it was a full resumption of post-COVID international travel, the venue or the quality of the programme, or a combination of all three. But the High Security Printing™ (HSP) conference that took place at the W Hotel on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi was a sell-out.

280 people from 131 organisations and 43 countries took part, which was the maximum capacity of the venue – a spectacular modernistic structure overlooking the Formula 1 race track and marina. Over the course of three days, delegates enjoyed a combination of seminars, plenary sessions and a vibrant social programme including the opportunity to visit the magnificent Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and the conference dinner on the hotel lawn, where the HSP Regional Banknote and ID Awards of the Year were presented.

The conference opened with two seminars, one of which was run by the International Hologram Manufacturers Association on ‘DOVIDS for Currency – Technologies, Market Dynamics and Recent Developments’, providing a comprehensive technical and market overview of this most enduring of security features for banknotes.

The main programme was opened by Saif Al Dhaheri, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE, welcoming delegates and providing an introduction to the country and its business- and investment-friendly environment.

Presentations followed from Oumolat on the history of the seven-year-old printworks in Abu Dhabi, its achievements to date and its plans for the future and from platinum sponsors Komori on sustainability, and in particular the measures the company has taken since 2010, making it one of the green pioneers in the industry.

The programme then split into separate currency and ID tracks, with the currency sessions covering Regional Currency Developments, Design and Security, Production and Sustainability, and Understanding the Cash Cycle.

Among the highlights, the Bank of Spain talked about Neurocash, a joint project with the Universitat Politècnica de València (LENI) on the neuroscience behind banknote design, which is now being offered as a commercial service; Philopateer explained how a distance mapping project at the Central Bank of Egypt’s new printworks, resulting in minor modifications to workflow and operators’ movements, made significant improvements in productivity; Magyar Nemzeti Bank spoke on the drivers for cash demand; and Landqart shared the stage with the Banknote Factory of the National Bank of Kazakhstan to go through the 20,000 tenge banknote of the ‘Qazaq Eli’ series.

The Design and Security session heard from KURZ with an update on the latest KINEGRAM® features; from Oberthur Fiduciaire on its new Pulsar™ micro-mirror colour shifting thread; from IQ Structures on the use of artificial intelligence in DOVID design; and from Landqart on the design and creative opportunities provided by its Durasafe substrate.

The Production and Sustainability session led off with a presentation from Reconnaissance on its white paper on repurposing end of life banknotes (see below), before hearing from Koenig & Bauer on how flexible and simple processes are the key to efficiency; from Giesecke+Devrient on plant engineering, in which it gave examples of the new printworks and cash centre in Egypt (for which it was prime contractor), as well as a new production facility for passports in Bangladesh and installations of paper mills and foil production facilities in Asia; and from Hunkeler on sustainability in the banknote destruction process.

The final cash-related session heard from the International Currency Association on its new white paper with key recommendations to policymakers on how to safeguard cash; from SICPA on steps towards a more sustainable cash cycle; and from Secura Monde who, in a presentation entitled ‘Illusion and Paradox in a Changing World’ emphasised that, whilst Level 1 features are essential to maintain the integrity of currency, increasing automation in the cash cycle means that Level 2 features are becoming even more important.

The final session of the conference focused on technology, with fascinating presentations by the Industrial Innovation Group, the company behind the construction of Egypt’s’ new security printing centre NASPS (see CN January 2023) and by Hueck Folien on the eye-catching DOVID – the Spirit of Gizeh – that it created for the African Currency Forum in January.

Reconnaissance is now shifting its focus to the next HSP Latin America event, which takes place in Nassau, Bahamas from 5-7 June, and HSP Asia, which take place in Sri Lanka from 4-6 December.

For the next HSP EMEA, a poll was taken among delegates as to their preferred location, and the overwhelming winner was Sofia. So in March 2024 HSP EMEA will be going to Bulgaria.