What Plastic Card Services does

Plastic Card Services, trading as Certus Card Group, is a UK-based manufacturer and supplier of plastic and paperboard cards, founded in 1979 and operating from three sites (Skelmersdale as headquarters, plus Macclesfield and Colchester). The company produces gift cards, loyalty and membership cards, fuel and prepaid cards, passes and badges, access and keycards, and ID cards in standard CR80, smart (chip/RFID/contactless), key fob, M6 and custom formats, using Eco PVC, Recycled PVC and Paperboard materials, with the proprietary PaperBurstTech tamper-evident paperboard packaging as a notable innovation. Its offering covers the full value chain from consultation, design and creative services through card and carrier production, personalisation, secure data handling, assembly and finishing, to fulfilment, mailing and direct-to-customer delivery, supported by the in-house Ostium customer service portal.

The business operates a B2B model targeting enterprise clients primarily in UK retail (Cineworld, Coop, Asda, Specsavers, Lakeland, Go Outdoors, Holland Barratt, HTA), with additional verticals in hospitality, automotive, leisure and attractions, gaming and digital entertainment, and corporate. Revenue is generated through quote-based one-off card manufacturing and fulfilment contracts, supplemented by professional services for consultation and design, and a self-serve express order channel (The Hub) for sub-5,000-card runs targeting mid-market customers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and operates on a Request-a-Quote basis.

Certus Card Group Limited is a privately held UK company with 11-50 employees, no disclosed venture or private equity ownership, and no subsidiaries, funding rounds or M&A activity reported. It holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus and FSC certifications, which function as enterprise procurement credentials. All operations are domestic to the United Kingdom with no international footprint disclosed.

Name

Plastic Card Services

Legal name

Certus Card Group Limited

Website

https://plastic-card-services.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Certus Card Group (Plastic Card Services) is a UK-based manufacturer of plastic and paperboard cards, producing gift, loyalty, fuel, access and ID cards alongside carriers and fulfilment services for enterprise retailers and other sectors from three UK sites with 46 years of operating history.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plastic Card Manufacturing

NAICS

Paper Bag and Coated and Treated Paper Manufacturing (322220), Other Paperboard Container Manufacturing (322219)

SIC

Miscellaneous Plastics Products (3080), Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) (2670)

akta.pro primary industry

Paper-Based Packaging & Single-Use Paper Products (Paper Bags, Wraps, Cartons) (CRADALAL)

Keywords

• Plastic card manufacturing
• Gift card production
• Loyalty card solutions
• Card carrier packaging
• Smart card manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Macclesfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Card Manufacturing and Fulfilment: Complete card and carrier solutions manufactured in the UK, from consultation and design through to print, personalisation and delivery. Covers multiple product types including gift cards, loyalty cards, ID cards, access cards, and associated carriers.
2. Express Order Service: Streamlined ordering process for orders under 5,000 plastic cards with fast turnaround for urgent requirements.
3. Consultation and Design Services: Expert guidance and creative/technical design support to help design and deliver the right card solution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Plastic Card Services (Certus Card Group Limited) is a UK-based manufacturer of plastic and paperboard cards and associated carrier/packaging solutions for business clients. The company delivers end-to-end production from consultation and design through printing, personalisation, encoding, and fulfilment, covering gift cards, loyalty and membership cards, fuel and prepaid cards, access keycards, ID cards, and smart cards. It also provides retail-ready carriers, wallets, mailers, and display solutions, complemented by proprietary technology including PaperBurstTech® tamper-evident packaging and the Ostium customer portal.

Product overview

Certus Card Group is a UK-based manufacturer delivering complete card and carrier solutions at scale. The portfolio comprises multiple product categories: (1) Cards by Use (Gift Cards, Loyalty & Membership Cards, Fuel & Prepaid Cards, Passes & Badges, Access & Keycards, ID Cards); (2) Card Materials (Eco PVC, Recycled PVC, Paperboard); (3) Card Formats (Standard CR80 Cards, Card & Fob Combinations, M6 Cards and Carriers, Key Fobs, Smart Cards with chip/RFID/contactless capability, Custom Cards); (4) Carriers & Displays (Standard Card Carriers, Secure/Tamper-Evident Carriers, Card Wallets, Greetings Card Carriers, Giftable Carriers, Custom Carriers, Mailers/Letters/Envelopes, Display Options); (5) Specialised Technology Products (PaperBurstTech® tamper-evident paperboard packaging); and (6) Services including Card Production, Carrier Production, Assembly & Finish, Design Services, Personalisation, Data Services, Fulfilment & Mailing, Consultation, and the Ostium customer service portal. The company serves sectors including retail, hospitality, automotive, leisure and attractions, gaming and digital entertainment, and corporate. They offer express ordering for small quantities under 5,000 cards and support multiple delivery channels from bulk supply to direct-to-customer delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PaperBurstTech®: Award-winning tamper-evident paperboard packaging solution developed to improve gift card security while reducing plastic use.

Products and services

• Gift Cards Branded gift cards designed for retail, digital and promotional programmes to drive sales, sold to enterprise and mid-market clients in retail and other sectors.
• Loyalty & Membership Cards Branded loyalty and membership cards that encourage repeat business and build lasting customer loyalty, for retail and membership-based organisations.
• Fuel & Prepaid Cards Secure prepaid card solutions that control spending and simplify payments, targeted at automotive fuel, fleet, and prepaid programmes.
• Passes & Badges Durable, easy-to-issue passes and badges for managing access and events, for leisure, attractions, and corporate clients.
• Access & Keycards Technology-enabled access cards for secure entry, used by corporate and hospitality clients for building and room access.
• ID Cards Secure, professional identification cards for protecting people and premises, sold to corporate and institutional clients.
• Eco PVC Cards Lower-impact PVC card options designed to reduce environmental footprint, offered as a sustainable card material choice.
• Recycled PVC Cards Durable cards made using recycled PVC content without compromising quality, for sustainable card programmes.
• Paperboard Cards Fully recyclable paperboard cards ideal for sustainable programmes, including PaperBurstTech® tamper-evident variants.
• Standard CR80 Cards Industry-standard CR80 cards for everyday retail and business use, available in multiple materials.
• M6 Card and Carrier Retail-ready card and carrier solutions designed to sell on shelf, combining card with tear-off carrier.
• Key Fobs Compact, durable fobs ideal for loyalty and membership schemes, sold as standalone or alongside cards.
• Smart Cards Technology-enabled cards with chip, RFID or contactless capability for access, keycards, and secure applications.
• Custom Cards Bespoke shapes and sizes designed to stand out and elevate brand identity for differentiated card programmes.
• Standard Card Carriers Retail-ready hanging carriers designed for simple, effective in-store display of gift and loyalty cards.
• Secure Card Carriers Tamper-evident carrier formats that help reduce fraud and protect stored value on gift cards.
• Card Wallets Presentation wallets that elevate gifting and protect the card inside, sold to retail and hospitality clients.
• Mailers, Letters & Envelopes Mailers, letters and envelopes designed to deliver cards securely direct to customers, supporting direct-to-consumer card programmes.
• Card Display Options Display-ready solutions built for retail environments, including point-of-sale displays for card programmes.
• PaperBurstTech® Tamper-Evident Packaging Award-winning tamper-evident paperboard packaging solution that improves gift card security while reducing plastic use, sold as a standalone technology product and integrated into card programmes.
• Ostium Customer Service Portal In-house 24/7 customer service portal providing visibility, control and instant access to key information for card programme management, including orders, data, and reprints.
• Card Production Service High-quality plastic and paperboard card manufacturing at scale, offered as a contract manufacturing service to business clients.
• Carrier Production Service Precision-printing carrier manufacturing to support all card programmes, delivered in-house alongside card production.
• Assembly & Finish Service Attaching, collating and finishing solutions delivered in-house, including card and fob combinations and M6 card and carrier assembly.
• Personalisation Service Secure variable data printing for personalised, ready-to-use cards, including encoding for smart cards.
• Fulfilment & Mailing Service End-to-end packing, mailing and delivery managed in-house, supporting both bulk supply and direct-to-customer fulfilment models.
• Design Services Creative and technical design support for cards and carriers, provided to B2B clients designing bespoke card programmes.
• Data Services Secure data handling, processing and preparation for card programmes, supporting personalisation and direct-to-customer fulfilment.
• Consultation Service Expert guidance to help design and deliver the right card solution, provided to enterprise clients scoping new card programmes.

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HID Global (Assa Abloy): HID Global manufactures secure access cards, smart cards, and ID credentials globally, directly overlapping with Certus's access and keycard, ID card, and smart card product lines.
• CPI Card Group: CPI Card Group is a US-listed manufacturer of payment, prepaid, and gift cards, directly comparable to Certus in card production, personalisation, and fulfilment services.
• IDEMIA: IDEMIA is one of the world's largest card manufacturers (payment, SIM, ID, access) and a direct competitor to Certus across the same physical card categories, including gift, loyalty, and secure identity cards.
• CompoSecure: CompoSecure is a US-based manufacturer of premium metal and secure payment/gift cards, with comparable card manufacturing, personalisation, and fulfilment offerings to Certus.
• Paragon Group: Paragon Group is a UK-based provider of identification, secure cards, and customer communication services, directly competing with Certus in the UK market across ID, loyalty, and gift card manufacturing.
• Valid (Valid Soluciones): Valid is a Brazil-headquartered global provider of secure card manufacturing, personalisation, and fulfilment for payment, ID, and SIM, directly comparable to Certus's end-to-end card services.
• AB Note: AB Note is a Swedish card manufacturer focused on payment, gift, and loyalty cards with personalisation and fulfilment services, offering a directly comparable service mix to Certus.

Broad incumbents

• Giesecke+Devrient (G+D): G+D is a German-headquartered security technology group that manufactures payment, ID, SIM, and secure cards globally, overlapping with Certus's secure card and personalisation capabilities.
• Thales (incl. Gemalto): Thales, through Gemalto, is a global leader in digital security and card manufacturing, including payment, SIM, and identity cards. It is a broader incumbent operating across many verticals beyond Certus's UK-focused card business.
• Toppan (Toppan Security): Toppan Security is a global card manufacturer with capabilities in payment, ID, and secure cards, comparable to Certus but operating at much larger scale across multiple regions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights2 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@certuscardgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/certuscardgroup
• Xx.com/PlasticCardSLtd

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Plastic Card Services