When we met Sander, he was showcasing the latest production from Royal Joh. Enschedé – a new crypto-stamp the company is promoting to postal organizations globally. Sander, who serves as the Regional Sales Director mainly for European organizations, was closely involved in the development. He states: “We’ve created crypto stamps for several nations and noticed the potential in this thriving market. So, we formed a project team that not only produces innovative crypto stamps, but also provides a secure marketplace on the Concordium Blockchain. The organizations we’ve presented this to have expressed great excitement, indicating that our digital transformation is on the right path.”

From Vatican City to Ireland (and all the countries in between)

In his role, Sander is responsible for selling and producing high quality stamps to customers. “Each customer has their own unique challenge, specific questions and different types of product. I work with very small customers such as Vatican City, but also very large ones, such as the Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria and Germany.”

Sander’s days are never the same. From purchasing an ABG machine, specifically designed for a very large customer, travelling to meet up with customers in his region to develop super innovative applications for a special issue from one of his customers. For this case, a very special ink was shipped from Japan and a university faculty was involved in producing an extraordinary stamp.

DataMatrixCode and crypto-stamp

As Sander previously noted, Royal Joh. Enschedé is fully engaged in its digital transformation. With the ABG machine that the company recently acquired, every printed stamp has its unique DataMatrixCode (DMC). This solution’s main focus is to raise the bar for counterfeiters with a digital addition that has more to offer than just counterfeit protection but also has track & trace capabilities. Since the machine was installed last year, already more than 200 million stamps were printed, inspected and made into rolls.

Sander continued, “Our latest innovation is a stunning crypto-stamp, complete with its digital counterpart registered on the blockchain in the form of an NFT. What makes it truly unique is the secure stamp booklet, printed on both sides with verifiable data that varies, an NFC chip that we have programmed, and the innovative link between the stamp and its NFT.”

This project is a good example of Royal Joh. Enschedé’s ability to bring together internal and external specialists to work on cutting-edge and technological initiatives. But there are more products where the physical and digital coupling in the blockchain have added value. For instance in the personalized diplomas and grade lists we create for various educational institutions, or secured paper for civil-law notaries in the Netherlands.

“By working on concepts like this, our 300-plus-year-old company is building a bridge to assist our clients in their digital transformation,” said Sander. “And this is what I love most about my job – being able to explain and help postal organisations leverage these advancements to unlock new possibilities and develop new solutions.”