Uniplate
UniPlate is a South African number plate manufacturer founded in 1957, producing aluminium and polycarbonate blanks, RFID-enabled Smart Plates, and injection moulding services for government, automotive, fleet, and industrial customers across Southern Africa, the UK, France, and broader Africa.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1957
- HeadquartersJohannesburg, South Africa
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Uniplate does
UniPlate South Africa is a 251-500 employee number plate manufacturer founded in 1957 and majority-owned by Imbani Conglomerate since 2024. The company operates from its headquarters and main production facility in Pretoria, with additional branch offices in Roodepoort, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, and Durban, and serves customers across South Africa, the UK, France, and broader Africa. UniPlate self-describes as Southern Africa's largest number plate manufacturer, producing aluminium and polycarbonate blanks on lines capable of 35 blanks per minute, with full SABS, SANS 1116, and ISO 90001:2015 compliance. Its product portfolio spans three divisions: Number Plates (blanks, plate holders, branded products, and manufacturing equipment), Vehicle Identification (Smart Plates with embedded passive RFID, the IDePLATE cloud identity management platform, and IDeSTIX tamper-evident windscreen stickers), and Industrialisation (injection moulding for automotive, construction, and medical sectors, plus signage and reflective sheeting).
The company's go-to-market is direct B2B enterprise field sales targeting government agencies, automotive dealerships, fleet management companies, and private businesses, with quote-based pricing that is not publicly disclosed. Revenue streams are diversified across hardware sales (number plate blanks, equipment, branded products, reflective sheeting), professional services (injection moulding design and production), and licensing/royalties on its EVI vehicle identification technology. A 2009 merger with Tönnjes International Group, a global leader in vehicle identification, embedded proprietary EVI/RFID technology into the stack, enabling applications such as ANPR-based traffic management, automated toll collection, access control, tax collection, and stolen vehicle identification for law enforcement. The 2024 change of control to Imbani Conglomerate repositions UniPlate for expanded local market access and a likely acceleration of its vehicle identification and smart city solutions pipeline across Southern Africa and select international markets.
Uniplate firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Uniplate
- Legal name
- UniPlate South Africa
- Website
- https://uniplate.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1957
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- UniPlate is a South African number plate manufacturer founded in 1957, producing aluminium and polycarbonate blanks, RFID-enabled Smart Plates, and injection moulding services for government, automotive, fleet, and industrial customers across Southern Africa, the UK, France, and broader Africa.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Uniplate industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Vehicle Identification and Number Plate Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Forging and Stamping (3321)
- SIC
- Metal Forgings & Stampings (3460)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Labeling, Coding & Marking Equipment (Labelers, Inkjet, Laser) (IMALAOAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Labeling, Coding & Marking Systems (IMAHAOAE)
Keywords
Where Uniplate is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Johannesburg
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices5 records
Markets served
Uniplate business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Number Plate Manufacturing: Manufacturing and sale of aluminium and acrylic number plate blanks, serving as Southern Africa's largest number plate manufacturer. Products include standard blanks and smart plates with RFID technology.
- Number Plate Equipment: Supply of high-tech number plate manufacturing and printing equipment including embossing presses, automated riveting systems, reflective sheeting equipment, and custom embossing equipment for other manufacturers.
- Branded Products: Custom branding solutions including custom-printed plate holders, branded license plates for fleets, and promotional products for dealerships and businesses.
- Injection Moulding Services: Manufacturing of injection moulds for large-scale plastic production serving automotive, construction, and medical sectors. Includes co-design, engineering, mould evaluation, assembly, and polishing services.
- Signage and Reflective Sheeting: Supply of reflective sheeting materials including engineer-grade, high-intensity prismatic, and diamond-grade products, along with digital printable media and automotive wrapping vinyl.
- Vehicle Identification Technology: Smart vehicle identification technology solutions including EVI systems, traffic management, access control, and tax collection systems for government and municipal clients.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Uniplate product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UniPlate designs and manufactures aluminium and polycarbonate number plate blanks, plate holders, and branded products, and supplies hydraulic number plate presses and embossing equipment. It also produces RFID-embedded Smart Plates and the IDePLATE cloud identity management platform for Electronic Vehicle Identification (EVI), plus injection moulding components and reflective sheeting for traffic and industrial applications. Customers include government transport departments, municipalities, law enforcement, automotive dealerships, and fleet operators across South Africa, the UK, France, and Africa.
Product overview
Uniplate is a comprehensive product portfolio comprising three main divisions: Number Plates (including blanks, plate holders, branded products, and manufacturing equipment), Vehicle Identification (featuring Smart Plates with EVI/RFID technology, the IDePLATE cloud platform, IDeSTIX windscreen stickers, and applications for access control, traffic management, contactless systems, and tax collection), and Industrialisation (injection moulding components and signage/reflective sheeting). The Smart Plates enabled by IDePLATE represent the core innovation, integrating RFID technology with traditional licence plate manufacturing for electronic vehicle identification.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- IDePLATE: A revolutionary aluminum license plate with integrated RAIN RFID chip enabling contactless vehicle recognition and secure digital identity management through a cloud-based platform.
- IDeSTIX
Products and services
- Number Plate Blanks
Quantifiable outcome
- 35 blanks per minute production speed
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Uniplate
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Uniplate technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Uniplate partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Tönnjes International Group (TI)coreIn 2009, Uniplate merged with Tönnjes International Group, enabling continued leadership in high-tech security licence plates. The partnership enabled new business segments including vehicle registration services and identification solutions. Tönnjes is a global leader in vehicle identification technology.
- TÖNNJEScoreUniplate's partnership with TÖNNJES positions the company at the forefront of innovative vehicle identification technology. TÖNNJES provides expertise and decades of experience in Electronic Vehicle Identification (EVI), supporting governments, businesses, and organizations worldwide.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Uniplate competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Confidex: Finnish specialist in industrial RFID tags and vehicle identification solutions, including RAIN RFID labels for automotive and industrial applications. Competes in the same vehicle and asset identification category as UniPlate's IDePLATE/IDeSTIX offering but with a more software-agnostic, tag-focused model.
- Alien Technology: Provider of UHF RFID tags and inlays used across automotive, supply chain, and vehicle identification applications. Comparable as a technology supplier to UniPlate's smart plate manufacturing rather than as a direct competitor, but increasingly enabling similar RFID-based identification ecosystems.
Broad incumbents
- 3M: Diversified industrial manufacturer whose reflective sheeting division (Diamond Grade, High Intensity Prismatic) directly competes with UniPlate's signage and reflective sheeting line. Also supplies retroreflective materials for traffic signs and vehicle markings across the same government infrastructure customer base.
- Brady Corporation: Manufacturer of identification solutions including labels, signs, and RFID tags for industrial and safety applications. Overlaps with UniPlate's branded products, signage, and RFID-enabled identification offerings, serving similar fleet, automotive, and industrial customers.
- Avery Dennison: Global materials science company producing pressure-sensitive labels, RFID inlays, and reflective sheeting. Overlaps with UniPlate in the RFID tag supply chain (via IDePLATE), reflective sheeting materials, and vehicle identification-adjacent label technologies, though at much larger scale and broader scope.
- HID Global (Assa Abloy): Provider of RFID and identification technology serving access control, vehicle identification, and asset tracking markets. Comparable to UniPlate's IDeSTIX-based access management deployments (such as the Saudi Aramco win) at a much larger enterprise scale.
Others
- Signify (Philips Lighting): Global leader in lighting and visibility solutions including road signage and traffic infrastructure. Tangentially related as an end-customer for reflective and visibility products in the broader traffic safety ecosystem where UniPlate's sheeting business participates.
Direct peers
- Orafol: German manufacturer of reflective materials, retroreflective sheeting, and self-adhesive products. Directly competes with UniPlate's signage and reflective sheeting line for traffic sign and road safety applications across Africa and Europe.
- Utsch Group: German manufacturer of number plate production equipment, embossing presses, and reflective sheeting systems. Competes directly with UniPlate's equipment division for the same plate manufacturer customers globally, and offers comparable marking and embossing machinery.
- Tönnjes International Group: German-based global leader in vehicle identification technology and UniPlate's strategic partner since the 2009 merger. Develops and supplies the RFID/EVI technology underpinning UniPlate's IDePLATE and IDeSTIX products, and serves the same government and licensing authority customer base across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Uniplate social profiles
Digital presenceUniplate compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Uniplate financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Uniplate leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Uniplate funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Uniplate M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Uniplate
What does Uniplate do?
UniPlate designs and manufactures aluminium and polycarbonate number plate blanks, plate holders, and branded products, and supplies hydraulic number plate presses and embossing equipment. It also produces RFID-embedded Smart Plates and the IDePLATE cloud identity management platform for Electronic Vehicle Identification (EVI), plus injection moulding components and reflective sheeting for traffic and industrial applications. Customers include government transport departments, municipalities, law enforcement, automotive dealerships, and fleet operators across South Africa, the UK, France, and Africa.
Is Uniplate a public or private company?
Uniplate is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Uniplate founded?
Uniplate was founded in 1957. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Uniplate based?
Uniplate is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does Uniplate make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Number Plate Manufacturing is the primary driver. The others are number Plate Equipment, branded Products, injection Moulding Services, signage and Reflective Sheeting and vehicle Identification Technology.
Who are Uniplate's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Confidex and Alien Technology. Broad incumbents are 3M, Brady Corporation, Avery Dennison and HID Global (Assa Abloy). Signify (Philips Lighting) is listed as an others. Direct peers are Orafol, Utsch Group and Tönnjes International Group.
Does Uniplate have an API?
No public API is recorded for Uniplate.
What industry is Uniplate in?
Uniplate's product category is Vehicle Identification and Number Plate Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMALAOAD, Labeling, Coding & Marking Equipment (Labelers, Inkjet, Laser), with a secondary code of IMAHAOAE, Labeling, Coding & Marking Systems. Its NAICS code is 3321 and its SIC code is 3460.