Axalto

Infobox_Company
company_name = Axalto
company_
company_type = Public
foundation = 2004
company_slogan = Your future in hand
location = Paris, France Beijing, China Singapore
key_people = Olivier Piou, CEO
products = Smart Cards
homepage = [http://www.axalto.com/ www.axalto.com]
industry = Smart Card
num_employees = 4,500
revenue = $ 992 million (2005):"See Gemalto for current company information."

Axalto was a smart card manufacturer with over 4,500 employees in 60 countries, one of the world's leading providers of microprocessor cards (Gartner, 2005) and also a major supplier of point of sale terminals.

In June 2006, Axalto merged with rival Gemplus International to form Gemalto.

Axalto's business covered the telecommunications, public telephony, finance, retail, transport, entertainment, healthcare, personal identification, information technology and public sector markets. The company recorded sales of over $992 million in 2005 and was fully-listed on Euronext, the pan-European market.

History

*Formerly, Axalto was the Smart Card and Terminal Department of Schlumberger.
*After Schlumberger purchased Sema, the Smart Card and Terminal Department became a part of SchlumbergerSema.
*And then after Schlumberger sold Sema to Atos Origin, the Smart Card and Terminal Department became Axalto.
*In 2004, Axalto had its initial public offering.
*On December 7, 2005, it announced its merger plan with main competitor Gemplus, to create Gemalto.
*On May 19, 2006, the European Commission approves the merger between Axalto and Gemplus
*On June 2, 2006, the new company, Gemalto, is officially created

External links

* [http://www.gemalto.com/ Gemalto Official Site]
* [http://www.axalto.com/ Axalto Official Site]
* [http://www.gemplus.com/ Gemplus Official Site]