Cartamundi
Encyclopedia
Cartamundi, also called Carta Mundi, is a Belgian company, based in Turnhout, that produces and sells board games, card games, collectible card games, packages and playing cards through its manufacturing and sales subsidiaries. The name of the company in Latin
means cards for the world.
between Biermans, Brepols
and Van Genechten
.
Cartamundi has established twelve international sales branches throughout the world since 1970. France in 1993, U.S. in 1994, Sweden in 1999, Hungary in 2000, Singapore in 2002 and Spain in 2002. The other branches were established through acquiring other companies. Cartamundi acquired Swiss AGMüller (Switzerland) in 1999, Altenburger und Stralsunder Spielkarten (Germany) in 2000, Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg (Germany) in 2002, Games & Print Services, Ltd. (U.K.) in 2003, 50% of Copag
(Brazil) in 2005 and Dertor Poland (Poland) in 2005. Cartamundi also has a sales branch in The Netherlands.
The company also maintains manufacturing facilities in Canvey Island
(UK), Altenburg
(Germany
), Kraków
(Poland
) and Dallas (Texas
, USA).
In the early-to-mid 1990s, Cartamundi produced collectible card game
s for other companies. They made early editions of Magic: The Gathering
for Wizards of the Coast
's, and Decipher, Inc.
's Star Trek Customizable Card Game
and Star Wars Customizable Card Game
.
In 2006, Cartamundi produced the playing cards used in the James Bond
movie Casino Royale
.
Cartamundi acquired Yaquinto Printing Company
, established in Dallas, Texas
in 1961, in 2006, and moved their U.S. branch there in 2007. The facility was renovated from September 2008 to January 2009.
Entrepreneur of the Year for Flanders.
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
means cards for the world.
History
The company was founded in 1970, a joint ventureJoint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
between Biermans, Brepols
Brepols
Brepols was once one of the largest printing companies of the world and one of the main employers in Turnhout . Besides its printing business, Brepols is also active as a publisher...
and Van Genechten
Van Genechten Packaging
Van Genechten Packaging is a Belgian printing company, located in Turnhout. It is one of the companies of the printing valley located around Turnhout, Belgium.-History:...
.
Cartamundi has established twelve international sales branches throughout the world since 1970. France in 1993, U.S. in 1994, Sweden in 1999, Hungary in 2000, Singapore in 2002 and Spain in 2002. The other branches were established through acquiring other companies. Cartamundi acquired Swiss AGMüller (Switzerland) in 1999, Altenburger und Stralsunder Spielkarten (Germany) in 2000, Spielkartenfabrik Altenburg (Germany) in 2002, Games & Print Services, Ltd. (U.K.) in 2003, 50% of Copag
Copag
Copag is a company based in São Paulo, Brazil. The company has produced plastic playing cards for poker and bridge since 1908. With the recent popularity of poker, Copag's business has quickly grown...
(Brazil) in 2005 and Dertor Poland (Poland) in 2005. Cartamundi also has a sales branch in The Netherlands.
The company also maintains manufacturing facilities in Canvey Island
Canvey Island
Canvey Island is a civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary in England. It is separated from the mainland of south Essex by a network of creeks...
(UK), Altenburg
Altenburg
Altenburg is a town in the German federal state of Thuringia, 45 km south of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district.-Geography:...
(Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
), Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
(Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) and Dallas (Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA).
In the early-to-mid 1990s, Cartamundi produced collectible card game
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
s for other companies. They made early editions of Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
for Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
's, and Decipher, Inc.
Decipher, Inc.
Decipher, Inc. is an American gaming company based in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. They began with three puzzles called "Decipher" then moved on to party games and Pente sets, but since 1994 produced collectible card and role-playing games. Their longest-running offering is the How to Host a Murder...
's Star Trek Customizable Card Game
Star Trek Customizable Card Game
The Star Trek Customizable Card Game is a collectible card game based on the Star Trek universe. The name is commonly abbreviated as STCCG or ST:CCG. It was first introduced in 1994 by Decipher, Inc., under the name Star Trek: The Next Generation Customizable Card Game...
and Star Wars Customizable Card Game
Star Wars Customizable Card Game
Star Wars: Customizable Card Game is a customizable card game based on the Star Wars fictional universe. It was created by Decipher, Inc., which also produced the Star Trek Customizable Card Game and The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game. The game was produced from December 1995 until December...
.
In 2006, Cartamundi produced the playing cards used in the James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
movie Casino Royale
Casino Royale (2006 film)
Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond...
.
Cartamundi acquired Yaquinto Printing Company
Yaquinto Publications
Yaquinto Publications was the wargame publishing arm of the Robert Yaquinto Printing Company of Dallas, Texas. In March 1979 Robert Yaquinto hired Steve Peek and Craig Taylor, both experienced wargame designers with several famous titles in their resumes...
, established in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
in 1961, in 2006, and moved their U.S. branch there in 2007. The facility was renovated from September 2008 to January 2009.
Awards
In 2008 Cartamundi became Ernst & YoungErnst & Young
Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers ....
Entrepreneur of the Year for Flanders.