As July 2016 comes around, ITL is celebrating Group Technical Director, Peter Dunlop’s twentieth year at the company.

Peter first joined the company on a university placement year in 1995 and was assigned to work on a project to develop a new electronic chip for use in banknote validators. Peter impressed everyone to such an extent that he was invited back to join ITL full time after he had completed his final year of studies. Peter began in the Development team in Royton, which at the time comprised of exactly two people. As the Development department gradually grew over the years, Peter climbed his way up the ladder, eventually becoming Development Manager. Peter now presided over an expanded team of mechanical, electric and software engineers and held an extended set of responsibilities including the coordination of projects managing budgets, new product development as well as improving current marketing offerings.

In recent years, Peter has overseen ITL’s Research & Development in the more strategic position of Group Technical Director, a position he assumed earlier this year. He is now responsible for the group’s overall development strategy and technology roadmap. Peter has been key to ITL’s success and recent rapid growth due to his leadership ability and focus on data-driven products and services.

ITL has grown considerably since Peter joined 20 years ago and not only have staff numbers in the UK headquarters skyrocketed but a number of offices have now been established worldwide, including locations in Australia, China and the USA. ITL’s approach to its internship programme has changed considerably. The company now takes on a number of summer placements, year-in-industry and graduates. In addition to the improvements in infrastructure, Peter has supervised a number of technological innovations that has led ITL to be the provider of the most secure cash handling products in the world.

20 years of work can really take it out of you and to unwind away from the office, Pete can be found whiling away the hours on his boat that is moored at Abersoch in North Wales but has ventured out to the Isle of Man and Ireland. Peter’s boat isn’t just for relaxation purposes, he has competed in a number of races on the high seas and has even managed to win a couple!

ITL Chairman, David Bellis, said “I don’t really know what to say other than Pete is a truly great guy and it’s been a pleasure to watch him progress over the past 20 years and to now work together on the board. Pete’s ascent from student placement to Group Technical Director has been great to witness and attests to just how incredibly competent and capable he is as an engineer, manager and director.”

Innovative Technology Ltd. (ITL) is pleased to announce that the company’s CR-158 coupon printer now supports Windows drivers. The drivers will make the integration of the printer into operator machines much quicker and easier.

The CR-158 is a compact coupon printer that can be implemented in most machines on the market regardless of space constraints. The printer is available with two different bezel options to suit both the European and US markets and also incorporates a high quality, field-proven Seiko print mechanism. Complimentary ticket template software is also included with the unit, allowing for unlimited branding opportunities.

VP of Sales for ITL Americas, Rebecca White, commented “The addition of Windows drivers provides fantastic benefits to customers. Integration and ticket development will now be a much simpler and quicker process than ever before. Windows drivers drastically reduce the time taken to integrate a CR-158. Operators only need to install the driver and select the 58mm paper option. Furthermore, standard templates can be easily modified just like any MS Word document.”

For more information regarding the CR-158, please visit our webshop

The European Central Bank (ECB) today unveiled the new €50 banknote, which will enter into circulation on Tuesday 4 April 2017. The introduction of the new note marks the latest step in making euro banknotes even more secure. After the €5, €10 and €20, the €50 is the fourth denomination in the second series of euro banknotes, known as the Europa series.

“The introduction of the new €50 will make our currency even safer”, Yves Mersch, ECB Executive Board member, said. “Its state-of-the-art security features help protect our money. It is part of our continued efforts to preserve the euro as a stable currency, a currency that 338 million people across the euro area rely on day by day. The gradual launch of the new euro banknotes with new and enhanced features also underlines the Eurosystem’s commitment to cash as a trusted and efficient means of payment.”

The €50 is the most widely used euro banknote, accounting for 45% of all banknotes in circulation. There are more €50 banknotes in circulation than the €5, €10 and €20 together. 

The new €50 banknote includes a portrait window – a new and innovative feature first used on the Europa series €20. When the banknote is held up to the light, a transparent window near the top of the hologram reveals a portrait of Europa, a figure from Greek mythology, which is visible on both sides of the note. The same portrait also appears in the watermark. The front of the banknote features an “emerald number”, a shiny number that, when tilted, changes colour from emerald green to deep blue and displays an effect of the light that moves up and down. These security features make it easy to check the new €50 for authenticity, using the “feel, look and tilt” method.

All applicable ITL EURO datasets will be updated before the notes release in April 2017. Further information will follow on our website and in our Technical Bulletins.

2016 has been a fantastic year so far for Innovative Technology Ltd. (ITL), with the company receiving a number of awards and accolades in recognition for both manufacturing and business achievements.

In February, ITL was chosen by the London Stock Exchange as one of the “1000 companies to inspire Britain” due to its commitment to investing in new products and expanding its global reach through the opening of overseas offices. The report is a celebration of the UK’s fastest-growing and most dynamic small and medium sized businesses and to be included on the list, companies need to show consistent revenue growth over a minimum of three years, significantly outperforming their industry peers. ITL was given special acknowledgement for its growth strategy during the economic recession of 2008. After inclusion in the report, ITL was also invited to open the market at the London Stock Exchange at the end of the month.

Speaking on why ITL was selected by the London Stock Exchange - Group Managing Director, Aidan Towey said “We have made a sizeable investment into the R&D department, ensuring that we are at the forefront of all technological advances – innovation is at the heart of what we do.”

Later on in the year, ITL was nominated in three categories at Insider Media’s Made in the North West Awards ­­– the Advanced Manufacturing award, the Manufacturing Innovation award and the Exporter of the Year award. ITL walked away with the Manufacturing Innovation award thanks to the recently launched TEBS (Tamper Evident Bag System) unit, which the judges praised for its state-of-the-art technology and its ability to solve the problem of cash shrinkage – a growing concern for large and small retailers. Victory in the North West awards led to a nomination at the national ceremony, held at the National Exhibition Centre in Liverpool in June.

Operations Director, TJ Crowley, who collected the award on behalf of the company, said “This is another fantastic achievement for us at ITL. Not only did we win this award but we were shortlisted in two other categories as well, which shows just how well we’ve been doing in the last year. I’m delighted that we’ve won an award that values innovation in manufacturing since that represents the ethos of the company. It was also great news that winning the category meant we would be representing the North West at the national awards.”

Additionally, ITL has also applied for the Manchester Evening News’ Business of the Year, a prestigious award that celebrates the best companies in Manchester. The judging panel considers a wide variety of criteria such as financial success and business growth but also considers intangible factors such as impact on the community and employee development.

Aidan said “It’s a pleasure to be involved with these various awards throughout the past six months and our place on the shortlist for the MEN’s Business of the Year has been the culmination of our efforts and achievements.