News

De La Rue Supplies 240 Eurobank Branches with Payment Kiosks Equipped with MEI Note Acceptors

August 10, 2005

MEI, the world's leading developer of electronic payment systems, announced that its MEI note acceptor has been integrated into De La Rue's Cash Star™ 5110-cash payment kiosk. The kiosks have been deployed in more than 100 Eurobank branches throughout Greece, and will be deployed into a total of 240 Greek Eurobank locations by the end of 2005.

Eurobank customers can use the ATM-style kiosks to make both small loan payments and Bank credit card payments directly to Cash Star™ 5110 without waiting in teller lines. This self-service option improves the bank's service efficiency and reduces the need for extra tellers during peak hours, while offering customers time savings and increased transaction privacy. Bank customers may also use the kiosk to pay utility bills, taxes, invoices, and top-up their mobile phone credit. The Cash Star unit is equipped with a magnetic and chip card reader and MEI note acceptor integrated with innovative software developed by Printec S.A. in order to enable the bank's customers to make payments using their method of choice.

De La Rue evaluated three note acceptor systems and spent four to six weeks testing all three before selecting MEI as the most suitable. There have been no reports of note jamming, and De La Rue distributors have reported an exceptional three-month mean time between failures as compared with the industry average of two months or less.

"It is crucial that the Cash Star machine is reliable - customers will only learn to trust the kiosk if it accepts their payment and allows them to complete their transaction," said Manuel Agrela, product manager for self-service products at De La Rue Cash Systems. "We went with MEI because they offer the quality and technical features we need and offer a good lifetime value."   About MEI's Full Line of Cash Acceptors for Self-Serve Systems MEI (Mars Electronics International) offers the industry's most complete line of note and coin acceptors for the varying needs of retail self-serve applications. MEI SODECO™-BNA56 note acceptors are designed specifically for use in high-volume, high-value applications with dedicated cash-box collection and a revenue center. MEI CASHFLOW® SC Series note acceptors are the world's most technically advanced cash acceptor for retail applications. MEI Series 2000 note acceptors provide a lower end alternative for retail applications that do not require premium features or a lockable cash box. MEI Combo Acceptors are the industry's first unit that accepts cash, credit and debit. MEI CASHFLOW 9500 coin acceptors are ideal for kiosks and other unattended retail systems. MEI provides all the technical support that OEMs, professional software developers and systems integrators need to design, integrate, test and deploy their self-serve systems.

About De La Rue Systems Automatização, S.A. Located in Portugal, De La Rue Systems Automatização is a subsidiary of De La Rue group, the world's largest commercial security printer and papermaker, involved in the production of over 150 national currencies and a wide range of security documents such as travelers cheques and vouchers. De La Rue employs 6200 people in 31 countries, and it is also a leading provider of cash handling equipment and software solutions to banks and retailers worldwide, helping them reduce the cost of handling cash. For more information, visit www.delarue.com or contact enquiries@pt.delarue.com.

About Printec Group of CompaniesPrintec Group of Companies is leading the evolution in the field of Transaction Automation. With subsidiaries in 11 countries, Printec is a partner of choice for the area of Information Technology in South-Eastern Europe. The products and services that Printec offers cover E-payment Systems, Branch Automation, Card Applications, IT Integrated Solutions, Telecommunication Systems and Software Development Services. The focus of Printec's activities is the satisfaction of customer needs and demands. The emphasis given on the research and development of innovative products and solutions guarantees reliability and consistency in high quality. For more information, visit www.printecgroup.com.

About MEI Today, MEI payment systems are relied upon for more than 1 billion transactions per week in 90 countries.  The company developed the first electronic coin mechanism in the 1960s, followed by the first electronic note acceptor, and today has the largest worldwide installed base of unattended payment mechanisms.  In 2002, MEI reached a company milestone of selling more than 3 million note acceptors, 3 million coin mechanisms and 1 million control boards worldwide.  Its products are in widespread use in the vending, soft drink, gaming, amusement, transportation, retail, and kiosk markets.  For more information on MEI and its products, visit www.meiglobal.com/kiosks or call 1-800-345-8215.