TÖNNJES INTERNATIONAL GROUP

Nairobi/Delmenhorst, September 2022.
Kenya digitized the registration and identification of its vehicles back in 2016. Since then, all new cars and trucks have received an RFID sticker for the windshield when they are registered. The so-called IDeSTIX is produced by the German company TÖNNJES. The Kenyan National Transport & Safety Authority (NTSA) has now placed another order with the international market leader for vehicle identification: more IDeSTIX are to be delivered to the East African country by the end of 2023. In future, the stickers will also have a 2D code and a serial number.


Contactless identification and highly secure encryption technology
TÖNNJES products are used for Electronic Vehicle Identification, or EVI for short. “Kenya uses the IDeSTIX as a third license plate,” explains Managing Director Jochen Betz. The sticker contains a RAIN RFID chip on which a unique identification number is stored in multiple encrypted form. This can be assigned to the corresponding vehicle information in the NTSA database. Only authorized readers can decipher the number. “In this way, the police can immediately see whether the IDeSTIX details match the other license plates on the car,” says Betz.



More certainty in the used car trade
The RFID stickers, which are also used by the Philippines or the Saudi Arabian oil production company Saudi Aramco, are personalized and provided with a QR code when they are issued on site. If you have a smartphone at hand, you can scan it and view the characteristics such as license plate number, car color, make and model. “This makes it much more difficult to commit fraud, especially when selling used cars,” explains Jochen Betz. Simply removing the sticker to conceal a theft, for example, will not work as it will self-destruct when removed.

With the IDeSTIX, Kenya is only using part of the TÖNNJES portfolio. The EVI system includes the IDePLATE – an aluminum license plate with an integrated RAIN RFID chip – as well as mobile and stationary readers. The company’s hardware and software also enables a range of smart mobility applications such as contactless traffic management and parking systems. With its joint ventures, TÖNNJES operates in more than 50 locations and pursues the goal of giving every vehicle a unique identity in order to increase global road safety.

Cairo, October 2022.
Egypt launches its local license plate production: On October 16, the new production facility in Cairo officially opened, where all of the country’s license plates will be manufactured in the future. The high-tech factory is a cooperation between the international market leader for electronic vehicle identification, TÖNNJES International Group GmbH from northern Germany, and the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) from Egypt. The joint venture produces three to four million license plates a year locally for the Egyptian Ministry of the Interior.



Presentation for politicians and the press
“We are proud that we can now present our latest joint venture to the public and provide an insight into our work in Egypt,” explains Markus Müller, Managing Director at TÖNNJES. In addition to ambassadors from neighboring countries such as Mali, high-ranking Egyptian politicians General Mohamed Salah El Din, Minister of State for Military Production, his predecessor General Mohamed Ahmed Morsi and Dr. Eng. Mohamed Abdel Karim, President of the General Authority for Industrial Development, leads the way to the opening ceremony. The German embassy was represented by the head of the economic department, Alexis Below. After a speech by Major General Ing. Mokhtar Abdelativ, President of the AOI, the guests were able to learn more about the production of the license plates during a tour of the halls. General Abdelativ praised the good cooperation with the German partner company and the advantages that will result from the technology transfer in the future in front of the numerous representatives of the press. Finally, Mirjam Weber, Sales Manager at TÖNNJES, demonstrated the vehicle identification system that is implemented with the RAIN RFID license plate IDePLATE from TÖNNJES.



More flexibility and speed through technology – made in Germany.
Egypt relies on the expertise of TÖNNJES. The new production facility covers the African country’s current license plate requirements and operates independently and flexibly. As both AOI and TÖNNJES expect the market to grow, the joint venture is designed for larger production capacities and offers opportunities for expansion. “Fully automated production also ensures high quality and efficiency. We can largely rule out errors in the manufacturing process. Material losses remain low,” explains Mirjam Weber.

In the new factory, which is located on the AOI premises, TÖNNJES uses its own IDeROBOT embossing robots, which emboss the license plates fully automatically. TÖNNJES has already successfully put the IDeROBOTs into operation in other production facilities in Italy, Dubai and the Philippines. In addition, 60 jobs will be created in Cairo. “This will make Egypt less dependent on imports and create jobs,” continues Mirjam Weber.



Kick-off three years ago: Cooperation under the G-20 agreement
The joint venture in Egypt was launched when the companies involved signed a cooperation agreement as part of the “Compact with Africa”. In November 2019, representatives of African countries and the G20 countries met at the German Chancellery to discuss cooperation and investment in Africa. An approach that is nothing new for TÖNNJES: the market leader for electronic vehicle identification (EVI) operates in over 50 locations worldwide with joint ventures that strengthen the local economy and ensure reliable deliveries.

In addition to the embossing robot IDeROBOT, the Delmenhorst-based company is developing its own RFID license plate IDePLATE and the windscreen sticker IDeSTIX. The license plates have RAIN RFID chips with a unique identification number that can be read by authorities in stationary and moving traffic and compared with a vehicle database. The technology enables smart mobility applications such as access control or toll systems.

https://www.toennjes.com/en/news/automated-production-of-license-plates-in-egypt/

Manila/Delmenhorst, July 2023.
The Philippines continue to rely on know-how from Germany for modern vehicle labeling. The Land Transportation Office (LTO for short) has now awarded a contract to TÖNNJES INTERNATIONAL GROUP GmbH. The market leader for modern vehicle identification will supply a total of 16 million vehicle license plates and around 15 million IDeSTIX RFID windshield and headlight stickers to the Southeast Asian state by the end of 2024 – via an existing joint venture in the capital Manila. This means that the Philippines continue to rely on RFID-based technologies from Delmenhorst. TÖNNJES delivered almost 3.25 million license plates and IDeSTIX RFID stickers to the LTO in an initial order back in 2018.



Signposts for the future
“For us as a company, this order is the largest in the company’s history,” says Managing Director Jochen Betz, describing the collaboration with the Philippines. “Such a production volume is only possible with a local site in Manila. Fortunately, we set this up five years ago.” The TTPI joint venture will be the central point of contact for TÖNNJES’ license plate and RFID technologies in the coming months.



Problem solving on a grand scale
With the license plates and IDeSTIX RFID vignettes, the LTO is tackling a problem that has been plaguing the state for a decade now: In 2013, the Philippine government privatized license plate production, which lacked modern standards. The project failed and as a result, vehicles either could not be registered at all or were driving around with homemade license plates made of cardboard, Betz recalls. “The entire personalization and issuing system was therefore to be digitized and reorganized – under the control of the LTO. With the first order in 2017 and the construction of a high-tech production line on the LTO premises, part of the production backlog could be overcome. In 2018, we delivered the first license plates and IDeSTIX RFID stickers, after which the LTO took over production.”

However, the problem from 2013 to 2017 remains, as it is estimated that there are almost 20 million motorized two- and three-wheelers in the country alone. “Then there are cars, trucks and other vehicles. And they all need a modern and, above all, secure license plate,” says Betz.

With this new order, in which the TÖNNJES INTERNATIONAL GROUP was able to prevail against other international providers, the LTO and the Department of Transportation are building on the successful cooperation of recent years and closing the supply gap from 2013 to 2017 with new, secure license plates and IDeSTIX RFID stickers for cars and motorcycles.

https://www.toennjes.com/en/news/global-market-leader-supplies-the-philippines-with-license-plate-t