Processing of stacks of sheets of securities into bundles and packs of bundles

A method for processing stacks of sheets of securities into bundles and bundle packs, said sheets each having an array of security prints printed thereon which array comprises M columns and N rows, said method comprising the following steps:

• a) cutting a first stack of sheets along said rows into N successive bundle strips each comprising M bundle positions;
• b) regrouping said N successive bundle strips into a regrouped formation corresponding to the Original formation of the first stack of sheets;
• c) cutting said regrouped N bundle strips along said columns into M successive bundle groups of N individual bundles each;
• d) storing said M successive bundle groups in M separate storage areas, which storage areas are vertically superposed, whereby each one of said M successive bundle groups is stored in a predetermined one of said M separate storage areas in a single operation, with all of the N individual bundles of each one of said M successive bundle groups also being transferred simultaneously in the predetermined one of said M separate storage areas;
• e) processing a subsequent stack of sheets according to steps a) to d) whereby each one of the M successive bundle groups processed from said subsequent stack of sheets is piled in the same predetermined one of said M separate storage areas as the first stack of sheets;
• f) repeating step e) until K stacks of sheets have been processed, whereupon each storage area contains a complete set of N bundle packs of K bundles each;
• g) emptying said M separate storage areas and processing each complete set into N distinct bundle packs of K bundles;
• and
• h) repeating steps a) to g) with subsequent stacks of sheets.