HID recently signed an agreement to acquire Calmell Group, a Spanish manufacturer of smart cards, paper tickets, and magnetic tickets, primarily for the public transportation vertical.

The addition of Calmell Group expands HID’s smart ticketing portfolio as well as provides HID a stronger geographic foothold in the public transportation space in Spain, the European Union, Northern Africa, and Latin America.

Headquartered in Barcelona, Calmell will be part of HID’s Identification Technologies Business Area in the 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, according to officials from both companies.

Public Transportation Focus

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.

“Calmell Group is a fantastic addition to our growing public transportation ecosystem, and we are excited to welcome them to the HID family,” said Björn Lidefelt, EVP and Head of HID in a statement. “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.”

Smart Ticket Offerings

HID plans to incorporate Calmell into their growing smart ticketing offering. “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,” said Marc Bielmann, SVP and Head of Identification Technologies, HID.

Carles Marti Santiago, CEO, Calmell Group, offered that 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.