A banknote with an illustration of a hatching parrot chick

An “ADDvancing” portfolio

In regions and countries with extreme circulation conditions, banknotes are exposed to extraordinary stresses. In response, Louisenthal, a subsidiary of G+D, developed banknote substrates Hybrid and the new Hybrid ADDvance®, to integrate cutting-edge security features across whole banknote series. Astrid Drexler, Product Manager for High-Security Paper, talks about the expansion of the Hybrid portfolio and how the interplay of substrates and security features can enhance efficiency across the complete cash cycle.

“Banknotes are carried in trousers and jacket pockets, maybe even in shoes, so they are always subject to extremely demanding conditions” says Astrid Drexler, Product Manager for High-Security Paper at Louisenthal. “Demand for durable substrates is always on the rise, and it is exactly what we are serving with the Hybrid banknote substrate.” Hybrid banknotes bring together proven security with an extended service life. A premium cotton paper core, protected on both sides by an extremely thin foil, meets different customers’ requirements in different cultures demanding individual solutions. “We are working with customers all over the world and have to adapt to different climatic zones, but also to small, unexpected everyday situations”, says Drexler

Contemporary composite materials such as Hybrid and Hybrid ADDvance® represent the logical next step in banknote security and performance

Astrid Drexler, Product Manager for High-Security Paper.

A complete, reliable and scalable platform

“Hybrid ADDvance® offers an evolution by extending the Hybrid principle to higher denominations and entire series of banknotes” Drexler explains. Hybrid and Hybrid ADDvance offer a platform for banknote security that is reliable, scalable and ensures a long service life throughout the entire lifecycle of both lower and higher-value denominations. “Hybrid features a cotton core that integrates all the established, durable security features from the cylinder mold watermark through security threads and security foils, to machine-readable elements”, says Drexler. 

She is firmly convinced that security must manifest itself directly in the substrate as well as in the features. Hybrid and Hybrid ADDvance are the epitome of a counterfeit-proof, robust banknote in both the traditional and the modern sense. In contrast to the pure polymer note, they actually incorporate security in multiple ways. Features are not just applied to one piece of plastic.

Feels like cotton – for man and machine

“Contemporary composite materials such as Hybrid and Hybrid ADDvance represent the logical next step in the right direction,” Drexler adds. “The demand for durability, is increasing in the market.” In addition to a long lifespan and security features that are as stable as they are reliable, these materials must also have the appropriate properties to be tested for authenticity and fitness for circulation within cash centers on high-speed processing machines. “Whether in commercial banks, central banks or ATMs, our entire substrate portfolio, including Hybrid and Hybrid ADDvance®, must be optimally processable,” says Drexler. “We exploit synergies from all product areas and consider possible effects on banknote processing systems as early as the development stage of new substrates” Drexler continues. “We can do this because we are a  full service provider for the complete currency cycle and offer products and solutions along the entire value chain.”

View inside a machine through which a banknote passes

During the research and development of new substrates, testing on banknote processing systems is an important step to reduce rejects. Tests reveal which machine adaptations are necessary so that notes from different substrates can be recognized. And, of course, special attentional is paid to shredding capabilities for end of life processes. “We want to ensure the stability, safety and efficiency of a modern, machine-based cash cycle, even when notes from different substrates are in circulation”, Drexler adds.

Increases the lifespan of banknotes by 2-3 times

 

Multiple benefits that pay off

Hybrid and Hybrid ADDvance substrates guarantee that a banknote is slow to soil, does not become limp, is easy to identify, and is mechanically stable. Notes, that are clean and intact make secure authentication easier for the general population as well as for the central bank’s processing systems. They also support a central bank’s clean note policy. What’s the point of having the most beautiful note if it cannot be processed mechanically?

“Clean and intact notes offer clear, unequivocal authentication both for the general public and for the fitness and authenticity checks in banknote processing machines”, Drexler adds. It is the combination of a machine-based cash cycle with substrates adapted to individual needs that ultimately pays off. Central banks of medium-sized countries will recoup any additional costs associated with Hybrid and Hybrid ADDvance banknotes within just a few years as it increases the lifespan by 2-3 times as compared to cotton notes.

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We offer scalable substrate solutions that meet the diverse requirements of each country.

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