ASK-intTag LLC has signed an agreement to lease space at an IBM facility in Essex Junction, VT, USA. The company will occupy approximately 15,000 square feet of a separate and secured space at the IBM site to produce contactless inlays for a range of markets involving secure identification. Markets include mass transit, bankcards, food, healthcare, gaming, and event ticketing. The company says that it will be the first contactless inlay manufacturer in the US to print silver-based antennas on inlays, the composition of which is highly resistant to forgery.

ASK-intTag is a US based joint venture that combines the technology and manufacturing capabilities of ASK, a France based RFID manufacturer, and WS Packaging Group Inc., a prominent US label converter. The joint venture was formed in December 2008.

“The importance of having a secure US based manufacturing operation for contactless cards and tickets is imperative if the full promise of RFID technology and its deployment is to be realized,” says Terry Fulwiler, WS Packaging Group’s chief executive officer. “This is especially vital for such applications as secure identification and financial bankcards.”

“We have worked closely with the Vermont Department of Economic Development, the Vermont Economic Progress Council and the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation to make this vision a reality, and we greatly appreciate their cooperation,” says Thierry Burgess, ASK-intTag general manager. “This project will occur in Vermont because of an incentive package, including Vermont Employment Growth Incentives and Vermont Training Program funds, which will be finalized soon. These were extremely important factors in making our decision.”

ASK is headquartered in Sophia-Antipolis, France, with a wholly owned subsidiary in Singapore and a joint venture in China. Contactless cards and tickets developed by ASK are being used in transportation networks in several large US cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Houston, Atlanta, Minneapolis and Philadelphia, and will now be served by ASK-intTag.

WS Packaging Group is headquartered in Green Bay, WI, USA, has more than 40 years of experience and is one of the largest printing and label converting operations in North America. It operates 17 manufacturing facilities and produces packaging products for customers ranging in size from small businesses to large, high volume manufacturers and consumer product goods companies doing business locally, nationally, and in marketplaces worldwide.