What Custom Card-IBS does

Custom Card Services International Ltd (trading as CCSI, also DBA 'Custom Card-IBS' and 'MY ID Card') is a UK-based specialist manufacturer of custom printed plastic cards and related identification products, founded in 1992 and headquartered in Basingstoke. The company operates a single production facility handling the full card-production lifecycle in-house: litho, digital and screen printing, hot foiling, UV-ink security features, 2D/3D holograms, guilloche patterns, embossing, and encoding across magnetic stripe (Hi-Co/Lo-Co), chip/smart card, NFC, RFID and barcode formats. Its product portfolio spans 15 card categories — photo ID, NFC, payment, membership, loyalty, key, serial plates, event passes, gift, medical, cloakroom tags, bag tags, lanyards/card holders, wooden (FSC) and paper cards — supported by five service lines: plastic card printing, personalisation, cloud-based card production, personalised card equipment (sale and short-term hire), and end-to-end mailing and database fulfilment.

CCSI is privately held, ultimately owned by EMOS Holdings Ltd, and operates with 11-50 employees. It sells primarily through a consultative, sales-led direct model with dedicated account managers, offering bespoke solutions (no minimum order quantity on standard PVC cards, runs from 1 to 100,000+ units) under quote-based pricing; the cloud-based portal introduces a recurring subscription element. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2022 certifications, is a PASS Scheme-accredited proof-of-age card supplier, and is registered with the ICO and under the Data Protection Act. Customer evidence indicates deep enterprise relationships (Thames Water spanning 20+ years, London Borough of Hackney) alongside SMB and event-based demand across utilities, government, education, events, clubs, hospitality and startups in the UK and globally.

Revenue mechanics combine one-time card manufacturing and personalisation (the dominant streams), hardware sales and rental of personalisation equipment, professional mailing/fulfilment services, and a recurring subscription layer via the cloud-based issuance portal. Customer concentration is anchored by a few long-tenured enterprise accounts (utilities, local government) with a long tail of SMB and event-driven buyers across multiple verticals; segment diversification is horizontal rather than concentrated in a single end-market.

Name

Custom Card-IBS

Legal name

Custom Card Services International Ltd

Website

https://ccsi.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Custom Card Services International (CCSI), trading as Custom Card-IBS, is a UK bespoke plastic card manufacturer founded in 1992 serving businesses, schools, events, public-sector bodies and clubs with photo ID, membership, loyalty, NFC, payment and event cards plus printing, personalisation, mailing and cloud-issuance services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Basingstoke

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Card Manufacturing: Production and sale of custom plastic cards including photo ID cards, membership cards, loyalty cards, key cards, payment cards, gift cards, medical cards, event passes, NFC cards, and specialty items like wooden cards and paper cards.
2. Card Personalisation Services: Inkjet, thermal printing, embossing, and encoding services for customising cards with names, numbers, barcodes, photos, and secure data.
3. Card Equipment Sales and Rental: Sale or short-term hire of professional card printers, embossers and encoders, plus software and support for in-house production.
4. Mailing and Fulfilment Services: End-to-end personalised mailing services including direct-to-recipient delivery, bulk delivery, mail-outs with additional materials, and database management.
5. Cloud-based Card Production: Subscription-based custom-branded web portal for automated card issuance with data collection, printing, and direct dispatch.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Custom Card-IBS manufactures and personalises custom plastic cards including ID cards, NFC cards, payment cards, membership cards, loyalty cards, key cards, event passes, gift cards, and medical cards for businesses, schools, and public sector organisations. The company also provides related services such as card personalisation, cloud-based card production, personalised card equipment, and direct mailing services for finished personalised cards.

Product overview

Custom Card Services International (CCSI) operates as a UK-based specialist card manufacturer established in 1992, offering a comprehensive suite of card and identification solutions. The portfolio spans 15 distinct card product categories (Photo ID Cards, NFC Cards, Payment Cards, Membership Cards, Loyalty Cards, Key Cards, Serial Plates, Event Passes, Gift Cards, Medical Cards, Cloakroom Tags, Bag Tags, Card Holders with Lanyards, Wooden Cards, Paper Cards) complemented by 5 service offerings (Plastic Card Printing Services, Card Personalisation, Cloud-based Card Production, Personalised Card Equipment, Card Mailing). The offering functions as an integrated product-service ecosystem where the various card products serve as the core offerings, while the printing, personalisation, cloud production, equipment, and mailing services provide enabling infrastructure for design, production, and fulfilment across all product lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom ID Cards Custom-printed plastic identification cards for staff, students, members, and contractors. Targeted at businesses, schools, and public sector organisations needing branded or secure ID credentials.
• NFC Cards Plastic cards with NFC/RFID chips encoded for contactless applications such as access control, payment, or membership identification. Supplied to businesses and institutions needing contactless credential solutions.
• Payment Cards Custom plastic payment cards produced for clients. Targeted at organisations needing branded or co-branded payment card products.
• Membership Cards Custom plastic membership cards for clubs, gyms, associations, and loyalty programmes. Supplied to mid-market businesses and organisations with member communities.
• Loyalty Cards Custom plastic loyalty cards for retail and hospitality businesses running customer loyalty or reward programmes. Used to drive repeat purchase and customer retention.
• Key Cards Custom plastic key cards for hotels, offices, and housing associations used for physical access to rooms and buildings.
• Event Passes and Wristbands Custom plastic event passes, tickets, and wristbands for festivals, conferences, sports venues, and other events. Used for attendee identification and access control.
• Gift Cards Custom plastic gift cards produced for retailers and businesses selling prepaid stored-value or promotional gift cards to consumers.
• Medical Cards Custom plastic medical cards for healthcare providers, insurers, and patients. Used for patient identification, medical records reference, and clinical access.
• Serial Plates and Cloakroom Tags Custom plastic serial plates, cloakroom tags, and bag tags used for asset identification, event cloakrooms, and luggage tracking. Targeted at events, hospitality, and asset management use cases.
• Card Personalisation Service Service that personalises plastic cards with names, numbers, barcodes, magnetic stripes, and encoded data for clients. Used by organisations that need ready-to-use personalised cards rather than blank stock.
• Direct Mailing Services Service that handles the mailing of personalised cards directly to end recipients on behalf of clients. Targeted at organisations that want a single supplier for card production, personalisation, and dispatch.
• Cloud-Based Card Production and Personalised Card Equipment Provision of cloud-based card production tooling and personalised card equipment to clients that want to produce or personalise plastic cards in-house. Used by organisations needing decentralised card issuance.

Quantifiable outcome

• No minimum order quantity - from 1 to 100,000+ cards supported
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Entrust: Global provider of secure identity and card issuance solutions (formerly Datacard). Comparable to CCSI in card personalisation and issuance, but at enterprise scale with integrated software/hardware.
• Evolis: Global card printer manufacturer offering plastic card personalisation systems and consumables. Competes with CCSI's equipment sales/rental line and adjacent to its bureau services across multiple geographies.
• HID Global: Large identity solutions provider offering access control cards, smart cards and credential services. Operates in CCSI's adjacent enterprise/access-control space but at materially greater scale.
• IDEMIA: Global identity and security card provider serving financial, government and corporate markets. Adjacent competitor to CCSI for secure ID, payment and credential programmes at a much larger scale.
• Zebra Technologies: Major provider of card and barcode printers, RFID and identification solutions. Competes with CCSI's equipment and encoding offerings across enterprise and government customers.

Emerging players

• Identiv: Specialist in smart card, RFID and NFC identity solutions for physical and logical access. Comparable to CCSI through smart card and NFC capability but focused on integrated software/credential platforms.

Direct peers

• UK Plastic Cards: UK manufacturer of personalised plastic cards including membership, loyalty, gift and ID cards. Direct competitor in the UK custom plastic card market with similar bespoke service model.
• Allcard Print & Packaging: UK plastic card printer offering custom membership, loyalty, gift and ID cards with personalisation services. Competes head-to-head with CCSI in the UK bespoke plastic card market.
• Plastic Card Services: UK-based manufacturer of custom plastic cards for membership, loyalty, gift and ID use cases. Closest direct competitor to CCSI given similar product range, UK focus and bespoke service model.
• Magicard: UK-based manufacturer of desktop card printers and secure ID card solutions. Comparable to CCSI through card personalisation hardware and consumables, and overlap in ID card programmes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/follow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/custom-card-services-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Custom Card-IBS