An interview with Crane Currency

Can you elaborate on the production process of a bank note?

Production processes of a banknote actually begin outside of the print works. Security threads (such as Crane Currency’s Motion® micro-optics security features) are produced in our high security thread manufacturing sites. They are securely shipped to our world class Paper Mill for insertion into the webs of paper. Watermarks and durability treatment of the substrate also happens in the Paper Mill. Paper is then cut into sheet form ready for secure dispatch to the print site.

There are over five complex print processes involved in the production of a banknote. The equipment used are some of the most sophisticated machines operated worldwide in the printing industry today.

Normally the first printing process is Offset Lithography. The currency machine in this process chosen for Crane’s Hal Far Malta site can print over 50 different inks simultaneously. Among these are a range of visible, invisible, phosphorescent, UV magnetic and infrared inks. We will have on site presses to apply foils, holograms and our exciting new leading technology micro optics features.

The traditional heart of banknote printing is the Intaglio process. We have purchased the most modern presses available on the market capable of applying simultaneously five inks with this process. A huge advantage to our award-winning design team when reviewing new concepts and designs. Intaglio is the process which gives a banknote its unique tactile feel and increases product durability.

We will use unique screen presses supplied by one of the industry’s leading manufacturers to apply iridescent, optical variable inks (OVI) and moveable colour changing patterns (SPARK Live).

® Each banknote will be personalised by a unique prefix and serial number, as well as an invisible ink application on our numbering presses. Traditionally the following process to numbering would be a standalone varnish application press if a customer required that feature.

We have bought for these processes leading edge technology that combines both of these processes together in one machine pass, a huge advantage and a technical leap forward.

The numbering, varnish application uses UV drying materials meaning it is immediately dry to move into our finishing department.

In this department sheets are cut into single banknotes, further inspected (all the printing presses have sophisticated camera inspection systems), they are counted, banded into packets of 1,000 banknotes and securely packed and sealed in cases the size of which is determined by our central bank customers.

The guillotines used are the most complex in the industry, are computer controlled and their settings are linked to each other. If our esteemed customers require more advanced data and further single note inspection we have the industry’s leading automated inspection machines capable of capturing and storing huge amounts of data at over 160,000 notes/hour. All of this data can be supplied to our customer along with their banknote shipments.

What is the material used?

Normally banknote paper substrate comprises a very high percentage of cotton. This is a durable material which can withstand the extreme cylinder pressures and the high temperatures required for currency printing.

It is also an attractive substrate to allow Crane to include their cutting-edge technology of Motion micro optics based security threads.

How are bank notes designed?

Banknote design is about taking all requirements on banknotes into account from the very beginning: • Banknotes must be resistant against coun

terfeiting, • banknotes must be easy to handle and

identify for the users (public and sensors), • banknotes should be durable and they should also be attractive and reflect the country, and • banknotes have to be designed so that they can be produced in high volumes and good quality.

Today a banknote is a very sophisticated high technology product but still there is a lot of artistic handcraft involved, such as fine detailed drawings and patterns. To design banknotes you need a team of designers with different skills and experience, who are all working hard to meet all the requirements.

Banknote design is like any product design – a process to develop solutions in a manner where both functional, practical and aesthetic demands are included.

Can you elaborate on your microoptics features?

Crane introduced Motion®, its first micro optics based security feature for banknotes, in 2006. It first appeared on the Swedish 1000 Kroner. When the Federal Reserve specified Motion for the US100, it captured the attention of central banks around the world and accelerated the adoption of this technology.

The key attribute of Crane micro-optics is the use of technology to create a security feature that meets two criteria: easy for the public to authenticate a valid banknote and difficult to counterfeit. It is an intuitive technology that provides quick assurance to the public that the banknote is authentic. And Crane micro-optics have never been counterfeited or even successfully simulated, despite being in some of the world’s most valuable banknotes. What makes Motion family of security features so difficult to counterfeit is the use of proprietary materials and processes. Thus, the would-be counterfeiter has no commercially available starting point from which to attempt simulation.

As a dynamic optically variable feature, Crane micro optics has helped to change the relationship and interaction that the public has with cash. Crane has continued to enhance the technology to develop more engaging effects which in turn has brought higher levels of engagement between the public and their currency. These features are becoming more engaging through customised images and three-dimensional effects.

What is the time it took you from ground-breaking to initiate production?

Incredibly from ground breaking to first production, the timeframe was exactly 12 months. We are most proud however of the fact by good governance, pro-active man- agement of our contractors, suppliers and associates, we are, and remain a zero accident and injury free worksite.

We have onboard associates who are fulltime environmental health and safety experts and they are senior managers in the business, reflecting the importance that Crane places on the welfare of all the people on our site and the controlled impact we have on our environment and our neighbours around us.

As an example, no materials are ordered or allowed on our site, without the correct health and safety data information being available.

What is your Corporate Responsibility strategy? Social

Beyond earning the trust of our customers, Crane Currency has built strong effective partnerships with our communities. We have worked cooperatively to increase the vitality and long-term health of the cities and towns in which we operate. We have established robust relationships with local educational organisations to expand the pool of available skilled labour not just for Crane Currency, but all local employers. Crane Currency actively supports local charitable and philanthropic efforts with direct funding and through our Crane Currency Ambassador programme, which leverages the efforts of our employees in the community.

Crane Currency is a proud founding member of the Banknote Ethics Initiative, which has set the highest industry standards for integrity and ethics. This trade group has made significant advancements in building trust and partnerships in a highly competitive industry. We hold all of our suppliers and vendors to these same standards of conduct through our global purchasing protocols.

And lastly, Crane Currency has a 200year history of caring for the safety of our employees and our environment. We establish regular meetings with local communities to understand the issues which are important to them and work together on solutions. Our teams are focusing on using continuing improvement methodologies to innovate solutions to reduce waste, conserve energy and minimise our environmental footprint.