De La Rue and DuPont Electronics & Communications (DuPont) have announced an agreement for DuPont to sell its global Authentication business to De La Rue, a leading anti-counterfeiting solutions provider serving both commercial and government customers.

DuPont Authentication manufactures and sells photopolymer films focused on anti-counterfeiting applications, including brand protection and secure ID. The sale is expected to close by the end of 2016, subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Governments and brand owners around the world are increasingly focused on protecting their supply chains from counterfeiting and protecting both revenues and customers from illicit trade,” says Martin Sutherland, CEO of De La Rue. “This is a key area of growth for De La Rue, and in line with our strategy. We are delighted to be acquiring a business with a strong portfolio, global customers and a committed and talented workforce. These complement our existing offerings very well, and will strengthen our portfolio to help compete more effectively in this market.”

As part of the transaction, De La Rue will acquire DuPont Authentication’s Logan, Utah, manufacturing facility and employees, a research and development team in Wilmington, DE, USA, global salespeople, three brands (DuPont Izon, Traceology and Omnidex), customer information, and other relevant intellectual property. 

“This agreement is driven by our strategic plan to focus our investments and resources in our core Advanced Printing businesses,” says Jon Kemp, president, DuPont Electronics & Communications. “Anti-counterfeiting solutions are a core market growth area for De La Rue, and we believe our employees and our customers that will transition to De La Rue will benefit from their leadership in the identity sector.”

De La Rue’s purpose is to enable every citizen to participate securely in the global economy. As a trusted partner of governments, central banks and commercial organizations, De La Rue provides products and services that underpin the integrity of trade, personal identity and the movement of goods.

De La Rue designs, manufactures and delivers banknotes, banknote substrates and security features to customers in a world where currency will continue to be a key part of the developing payments eco-system. De La Rue is a fully integrated supplier of both paper and polymer banknotes, and creates security features that ensure banknotes are protected against counterfeiting.

De La Rue is a large international commercial printer of passports, delivering national and international identity tokens and software solutions for governments in a world that is increasingly focused on the importance of a legal and secure identity for every individual. De La Rue also creates and delivers secure product identifiers and “track and trace” software for governments and commercial customers alike to help to tackle the challenge of illicit or counterfeit goods and the collection of revenue and excise duties.