Magnadata Group
Encyclopedia
Magnadata Group, also known as Magnadata International, is a specialised printing company in Boston in Lincolnshire. Since 2010 it has had the national contract for producing the UK's train tickets. It is one of the main companies in Europe that can produce magnetic ID cards for a company's workforce. It claims to be a global leader in RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology. The technology is referred to as smart ticketing.
meet at Holborn Viaduct
. It employed around 170 staff.
. A Director of the company was John Vincent Sheffield, former High Sheriff of Lincolnshire
from 1944-5, and great-uncle of the wife of David Cameron
. Other members of the Sheffield family - Edmund and George - were directors.
Norprint International was based on Norfolk Street in Boston. It had a division on Valley Road in Dovercourt
on the Essex coast with 550 staff. Norprint also made ticket printing machines. Norprint claimed to be Europe's largest producer of industrial and retail labelling systems, and the largest in the world outside of America.
In early 1968 it helped to start the I'm Backing Britain
campaign, by running off the promotional stickers for free. Before the days of barcodes in supermarkets, Norprint made hand-held price labellers, used by the main supermarkets; these were made in Harwich.
In April 1989 it received a Queen's Award for Technological Achievement
for its magnetic striped and encoded tickets and payment tokens.
Norprint produced tickets for airlines and the London Underground
. It was owned by Norcros plc.
On 25 June 1998 Norcros put Norprint up for sale. In July 1998 Norprint was bought by a management buyout
(MBO) for £13.7 million. After the buyout it was known as Norprint Labelling Systems.
In 2005 it developed the Nortag, a small inconspicuous RFID label on products to combat shoplifting, which won The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation (Technology)
in April 2005. It is known as electronic article surveillance
(EAS). The Nortag took seven years to develop.
, in his capacity
as Vice-Chairman of British Trade International, being accompanied by Bridget Cracroft-Eley
.
In February 2006 Magnadata, also based in Boston, bought Norprint. Norprint had around 220 staff and Magnadata had around 200.
tickets for British Rail
. For this it received the Queen’s Award for Technology in 1989
; it was the first printing company to receive this award.
In August 2010 it was awarded the £24 million contract to produce the magnetic strip tickets for train tickets in the UK for the Association of Train Operating Companies
(ATOC). This is for around 750 million tickets a year at over 2500 railway stations.
on the B1183, which follows alongside the Maud Foster Drain
. Haven High Technology College
, a secondary modern school
, is next door.
.
for printers.
Dapag
Dapag had been formed in 1943. It made machines for printing tickets, labels and tags. It was based at Plumtree Court in EC4 in London, near where the A40 and A201A201 road
The A201 is an A road in London running from Kings Cross to the Elephant and Castle.The route passes along Kings Cross Road, Farringdon Road, Farringdon Street, New Bridge Street, Blackfriars Bridge, Blackfriars Road, London Road to the Elephant and Castle, and finally New Kent Road where it merges...
meet at Holborn Viaduct
Holborn Viaduct
Holborn Viaduct is a bridge in London and the name of the street which crosses it . It links Holborn, via Holborn Circus, with Newgate Street in the City of London, passing over Farringdon Street and the now subterranean River Fleet.It was built between 1863 and 1869, at a cost of over two million...
. It employed around 170 staff.
Norprint
Norcros was founded on 29 May 1956. Dapag was part of Norcros. The name Norcros comes from Normanby, North Lincolnshire, home of Normanby HallNormanby Hall
Normanby Hall is a classic English mansion, located near the village of Burton-upon-Stather, north of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire.The present Hall was built in 1825–30 to the designs of Robert Smirke for Sir Robert Sheffield , whose family had lived on the site since 1539. It replaced a...
. A Director of the company was John Vincent Sheffield, former High Sheriff of Lincolnshire
High Sheriff of Lincolnshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
from 1944-5, and great-uncle of the wife of David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
. Other members of the Sheffield family - Edmund and George - were directors.
Norprint International was based on Norfolk Street in Boston. It had a division on Valley Road in Dovercourt
Dovercourt
For the neighbourhood in Toronto see Dovercourt-Wallace Emerson-JunctionDovercourt is a small seaside town in Essex, England. It is older than its smaller but better-known neighbour, the port of Harwich, and appears in the Domesday Book of 1086...
on the Essex coast with 550 staff. Norprint also made ticket printing machines. Norprint claimed to be Europe's largest producer of industrial and retail labelling systems, and the largest in the world outside of America.
In early 1968 it helped to start the I'm Backing Britain
I'm Backing Britain
I'm Backing Britain was a brief patriotic campaign aimed at boosting the British economy which flourished in early 1968. The campaign started spontaneously when five Surbiton secretaries volunteered to work an extra half an hour each day without pay in order to boost productivity, and urged others...
campaign, by running off the promotional stickers for free. Before the days of barcodes in supermarkets, Norprint made hand-held price labellers, used by the main supermarkets; these were made in Harwich.
In April 1989 it received a Queen's Award for Technological Achievement
Queen's Awards for Enterprise
The Queen's Awards for Enterprise is an awards programme for British businesses and other organizations who excel at international trade, innovation or sustainable development. They are the highest official UK awards for British businesses...
for its magnetic striped and encoded tickets and payment tokens.
Norprint produced tickets for airlines and the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
. It was owned by Norcros plc.
On 25 June 1998 Norcros put Norprint up for sale. In July 1998 Norprint was bought by a management buyout
Management buyout
A management buyout is a form of acquisition where a company's existing managers acquire a large part or all of the company.- Overview :Management buyouts are similar in all major legal aspects to any other acquisition of a company...
(MBO) for £13.7 million. After the buyout it was known as Norprint Labelling Systems.
In 2005 it developed the Nortag, a small inconspicuous RFID label on products to combat shoplifting, which won The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation (Technology)
The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation (Technology) (2005)
The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation was awarded on 21 April 2005, by Queen Elizabeth II.-Recipients:The following organisations were awarded this year....
in April 2005. It is known as electronic article surveillance
Electronic article surveillance
Electronic article surveillance is a technological method for preventing shoplifting from retail stores or pilferage of books from libraries. Special tags are fixed to merchandise or books. These tags are removed or deactivated by the clerks when the item is properly bought or checked out...
(EAS). The Nortag took seven years to develop.
Magnadata
On 7 December 2000, Magnadata was visited by Prince Edward, Duke of KentPrince Edward, Duke of Kent
The Duke of Kent graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on 29 July 1955 as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Greys, the beginning of a military career that would last over 20 years. He was promoted to captain on 29 July 1961. The Duke of Kent saw service in Hong Kong from 1962–63...
, in his capacity
Special Representative for International Trade and Investment
The Special Representative for International Trade and Investment is a member of the British Royal Family who represents the Sovereign for UK Trade & Investment which reports jointly to the Foreign Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills – his role involves representing the...
as Vice-Chairman of British Trade International, being accompanied by Bridget Cracroft-Eley
Bridget Cracroft-Eley
Bridget Katharine Cracroft-Eley CVO, JP was a former British secretary, farmer and magistrate.Born in Lincolnshire, she was the daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Weston Cracroft-Amcotts and his wife Rhona Clifton-Brown, daughter of Edward Clifton-Brown...
.
In February 2006 Magnadata, also based in Boston, bought Norprint. Norprint had around 220 staff and Magnadata had around 200.
UK train tickets
In 1987 Magnadata was the first company to produce magnetic stripMagnetic stripe card
A magnetic stripe card is a type of card capable of storing data by modifying the magnetism of tiny iron-based magnetic particles on a band of magnetic material on the card...
tickets for British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
. For this it received the Queen’s Award for Technology in 1989
The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation (Technology) (1987)
The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation was awarded on 21 April 1987, by Queen Elizabeth II.-Recipients:The following organisations were awarded this year.-References:...
; it was the first printing company to receive this award.
In August 2010 it was awarded the £24 million contract to produce the magnetic strip tickets for train tickets in the UK for the Association of Train Operating Companies
Association of Train Operating Companies
The Association of Train Operating Companies is a body which represents 24 train operating companies that provide passenger railway services on the privatised British railway system. It owns the National Rail brand. The Association is an unincorporated association owned by its members...
(ATOC). This is for around 750 million tickets a year at over 2500 railway stations.
Structure
It is based in the north of Boston in LincolnshireLincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
on the B1183, which follows alongside the Maud Foster Drain
Witham Navigable Drains
The Witham Navigable Drains are located in Lincolnshire, England, and are part of a much larger drainage system managed by the Witham Fourth District Internal Drainage Board. In total there are over of drainage ditches, of which under are navigable...
. Haven High Technology College
Haven High Technology College
Haven High Technology College is a comprehensive school located on Marian Road in the north of Boston, Lincolnshire, England. HHTC offers a broad and flexible curriculum to students of most abilities. The college combines its distinctive approach to the education of young people with the added...
, a secondary modern school
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
, is next door.
Magnadata Pty
In May 2002 it bought Spectron Transit Tickets Pty Ltd, of Australia, which is now Magnadata Pty, based in St Marys, New South WalesSt Marys, New South Wales
St Marys is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales Australia. St Marys is located 45 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Penrith....
.
Norprint
Norprint is a subsidiary of Magnadata. It has thirty printing presses running 24 hours a day at the site in Boston, and claims to be the largest printing facility in the UK. It produces over 10 billion labels per year. Norprint claims to be the UK's largest distributor and reseller of thermal transfer ribbonsThermal transfer printer
A thermal transfer printer is a printer which prints on paper by melting a coating of ribbon so that it stays glued to the material on which the print is applied. It contrasts with direct thermal printing where no ribbon is present in the process...
for printers.
Products
- Energy tokens for gas and electricity smart meterSmart meterA smart meter is usually an electrical meter that records consumption of electric energy in intervals of an hour or less and communicates that information at least daily back to the utility for monitoring and billing purposes. Smart meters enable two-way communication between the meter and the...
s - it claims to be the UK's leading supplier of these, and supplies these around the world. - RFID labels
- Magnetic rail tickets
Customers
Customers include- New York MetroNew York City SubwayThe New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
- Dublin Bus
- Valencia Metro (Metrovalencia)
- Sydney Rail
- London Underground