40 Years of Operational Service at Banco de Portugal

Royal Dutch Kusters Engineering proudly marks an exceptional milestone as its CDS-500 banknote destruction system at Banco de Portugal's Carregado facility reaches 40 years of operational service. 

Installed in 1986, the CDS-500 remains in use today and continues to support Banco de Portugal's banknote destruction operations. The milestone reflects four decades of dependable performance in an environment where security, reliability and operational continuity are essential.

According to Banco de Portugal, the CDS-500 continues to provide reliable and predictable operation in daily practice. Its large processing capacity has simplified destruction operations by reducing the number of processing steps required to handle the necessary volumes of banknotes.

"40 years of equipment running says a lot about its robustness and quality."

Banco de Portugal

A trusted asset for four decades

Throughout its operational lifetime, the CDS-500 has proven to be an important asset within Banco de Portugal's destruction process.

The central bank highlights the system's reliability and ability to perform consistently over time. By extending the lifecycle of almost every component, Banco de Portugal has been able to achieve maintenance cost savings while reducing downtime.

The CDS-500 also contributes to a safe and ergonomic working environment through its straightforward operation, allowing operators to perform destruction activities efficiently and with confidence.

Another important advantage is the system's flexibility. Banco de Portugal explains that the CDS-500 offers additional processing capacity within its destruction workflow and is capable of accepting material from different machines as well as paper strips with various substrates and sizes.

OBS-500 continues to deliver reliable briquetting performance

The partnership between Banco de Portugal and Royal Dutch Kusters Engineering extends beyond the CDS-500.

Since 2001, the Carregado facility has also operated a Kusters OBS-500 briquetting system, which remains operational today.

According to Banco de Portugal, the OBS-500 continues to operate reliably and effectively. The fully automated system reduces staff workload, requires only scheduled maintenance based on operating hours and has not experienced any major breakdowns.

Its high capacity enables efficient processing of different paper materials, including cotton- and wood-based substrates. The system has also provided the flexibility to integrate additional equipment over time as production requirements evolved.

Designed for long-term performance

For Royal Dutch Kusters Engineering, the 40-year milestone demonstrates the importance of designing equipment with durability, maintainability and long-term operational value in mind.

"Every installation represents a long-term partnership with our customers. Seeing a CDS-500 continue to support Banco de Portugal after four decades is something we are genuinely proud of. It reflects our commitment to delivering robust engineering solutions that continue to create value throughout their lifecycle."

Jeroen Kusters, Director or Sales, Royal Dutch Kusters Engineering

Looking ahead, Banco de Portugal sees further opportunities for innovation, including enhanced remote supervision capabilities and future developments in recycling processes for briquetted banknote material. At the same time, the central bank emphasises that safety, robustness and reliability remain the most important criteria when selecting destruction and briquetting systems.

A partnership built on trust

The relationship between Banco de Portugal and Royal Dutch Kusters Engineering demonstrates how reliable engineering and long-term customer support can contribute to decades of successful operation.

As Royal Dutch Kusters Engineering celebrates more than 115 years of engineering excellence, the continued operation of the CDS-500 at Banco de Portugal serves as a powerful example of technology designed not only to perform today, but to continue delivering value for generations.

We are grateful for the trust placed in Royal Dutch Kusters Engineering over the past four decades and proud of the cooperation that has developed over the years. We look forward to continuing this partnership for many years to come and to supporting Banco de Portugal with reliable, sustainable and future-ready solutions for its operations.