SICPA

Beginnings

The company was founded in 1927 by Maurice Amon (1880–1959) in Lausanne to sell Swiss agricultural products, at that time primarily milk and cream, after Amon invented a new type of milking grease that facilitated the milking process. SICPA quickly moved to inks for printers to serve the growing demand driven by the rapid development of the graphic arts sector in the Lausanne region during the 1930s.

After World War II, Maurice Amon's sons Albert (1916–2010) and Salvador (1912–1993) directed the company towards sophisticated inks with characteristics that deter counterfeiting. In 1948, the Spanish 100 Peseta note was the first in the world to be printed using SICPA's security ink.

In 1952, SICPA established a joint venture in Lausanne with Gualtiero Giori, an Italian printing specialist. In 1965, Giori founded a company with a British competitor firm, De La Rue, the world's oldest printer of banknotes.

In 1969, SICPA’s development of standardized security inks for banknotes, supported by the Institute of Criminology of the University of Lausanne, received approval from Interpol.

Worldwide expansion

Since then, the company has extended its worldwide market reach. In 1982, the company won a contract from the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing to provide the ink for the US Dollar. In 1987, the first bank note using OVI colour-changing ink was issued in Thailand. The firm also supplied the inks for the new Euro notes in 2002.

That same year, SICPA acquired the security ink segment of American company Flint Ink.

In 2006, SICPA introduced its new generation of banknote security technology.

SICPA's factory relocated to Chavornay in 1990.

The company's activities are divided into three main segments:

Inks and security technologies are the historical core business of the company, and focus on banknotes, ID documents, postage stamps, security labels, etc. The firm cooperates with the central banks of most countries.

The company offers product and brand protection solutions and services to over 15 industries, including pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and luxury goods, to ensure supply chain integrity. This includes integrated and multi-layer authentication solutions, burglar-proof solutions as well as identification and traceability solutions.

The company has been providing integrated security solutions for governments since 2004. Secure traceability consists in providing a secure stamp or affixing a direct mark on products subject to excise duties, such as tobacco, alcohol or oil, as well as soft drinks and cosmetics. This enables countries to combat tax evasion and smuggling, and plays a role in public health considerations. SICPA has developed a set of multilayer or multi-level security solutions that integrate visible and invisible physical security, and digital security with serialization (SICPATRACE).

Controversies

A highly secretive company, SICPA has been regularly quoted by both media and politicians for either potential corruption practices (Brazil, Kenya and Morocco) or some of its lobbying practices (France, Ecuador). In April 2023, the Swiss federal prosecutor’s office fined the company CHF1 million, along with a CHF80 million compensation of benefits made in Latin America because of "identified organisational deficiencies" that did not prevent employees of Sicpa from bribing officials in foreign countries.

Brazil

In 2015, the company was accused in Brazil in an investigation by the federal police concerning the conditions under which it was awarded the contract by Casa da Moeda. Charles Nelson Finkel, reportedly paid bribes of $32 million to finance ministry officials to secure the contract worth several billion euros. Casa da Moeda later elaborated on the contract award conditions in a note detailing the tendering procedure and the contract with SICPA was canceled. SICPA claims to have committed no irregularities and to be cooperating fully with the authorities.

In June 2022, the Brazilian justice system overturned Finkel’s 2019 conviction, acquitting him of corruption charges. The Brazilian government continues to work with the company, particularly for the tracing of tobacco products (SCORPIOS contract), which was extended in 2017.

Kenya

In 2016, SICPA was criticized in Kenya for the way it obtained a public contract in 2012. Raila Odinga, former Prime Minister of Kenya, accused SICPA of "illegally obtaining a contract for more than one 100 million Swiss francs from the Nairobi Finance Department (Kenya Revenue Authority, KRA)." La Tribune de Genève also reports that according to the Kenyan press SICPA "had obtained the contract well before it was added into the Kenyan trade register. It also did not meet the authorities' criteria." However, the Swiss newspaper also points out that "there is no document to support a possible malpractice in Kenya [and that] KRA is very satisfied with the services provided by SICPA".

In a parliamentary hearing, Maurice Juma, director of Kenya's Public Procurement Oversight Authority (PPOA), said that "Under the procurement law, the contract was processed through fraudulent means and it cannot be sustained".

In 2018, Kenya's High Court ruled that the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) had not adequately followed constitutional provisions. The contract the KRA had with SICPA for the supply of the duty stamps was annulled; however, KRA appealed the ruling and on 11 May received permission to continue the implementation of the excise goods system. In November 2023, Kenya’s Court of Appeal overturned the High Court decision which had nullified the KRA tender awarded to SICPA in 2013.