SICPA Morocco Inaugurates Coding Centre

On 1 June, SICPA Morocco inaugurated its new regional coding centre for highly secure tax stamps in the industrial zone of Sidi Bernoussi in Casablanca.

The inauguration was in the presence of Mrs Kenza El Alaoui, Director General at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Mr Nabil Lakhdar, Director General of the Customs Administration, and Mr Said Mouline, Director General of the Moroccan Agency for Energy Efficiency.

The centre, which has been in operation since May 2021, prints highly secure unique codes on tax stamps, combining physical security elements and digital technologies.

The stamps are used to mark alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, beer, soft drinks, nectar and mineral water, both domestic and imported, as part of the SAMID system (Système Automatisé de Marquage Intégré en Douane – or Automated Customs Integrated Marking System), in order to secure the collection of taxes and prevent fraud and smuggling.

The centre has an annual coding capacity that will cover the needs of Morocco and some additional African countries. Further investments are planned, in a second phase, to provide even more capacity.

As the first African country to have adopted a modern traceability system on the continent, with SICPA’s solution, Morocco has become a model for many African countries, as demonstrated by regular visits from foreign administrations. Now it has taken on the additional role of African hub for SICPA.

The centre further strengthens the local presence of SICPA Morocco, which now has more than 160 local employees, and thus contributes to the transfer of skills and know-how between the Swiss and Moroccan teams.