Baldwin acquires Western Quartz

Known for manufacturing state-of-the-art UV curing lamps

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Baldwin
Baldwin UV curing solutions

Baldwin Technology Company has announced the acquisition of certain assets of Western Quartz Products, a long-standing, global market leader in the ultraviolet curing and exposure industry. Known for manufacturing state-of-the-art UV curing lamps, as well as for having a reputation of exceptional quality cultivated through decades of serving a variety of industries, Western Quartz is a true pioneer in the UV space.

“We are excited to welcome Western Quartz, along with its customers, to our global UV technology arm and our broad portfolio of products that improve processes for printing, packaging, and industrial markets,” said Joe Kline, chief executive officer of Baldwin. “This acquisition further demonstrates Baldwin’s commitment to expanding our reach and technology connection for the benefit of our customers, as we continue to grow our caring, collaborative, people-centric culture for team members.”

Western Quartz began in 1931 in Hermosa Beach, California, and was one of the first producers of quartz lamps for medical purposes. Following decades of continued research and development, along with innovation spearheaded by founder John F. Dallons and his family, Western Quartz moved further into the UV curing industry and grew to become a preeminent supplier of UV curing and exposure lamps worldwide, with customers throughout the US, Europe, and Asia.

“Western Quartz enhances Baldwin’s capabilities in additive (doped) UV lamp production for industrial markets, providing an excellent complement to our existing UV and LED-UV technology portfolio within our AMS Spectral UV business and PRIMARC products,” said Rich Bennett, president of Baldwin’s AMS Spectral UV unit. “Through this acquisition, we will continue to manufacture the same great quality that Western Quartz customers are used to, and will harmonize operations, increase capacity and add more capabilities.”

“We are proud to join the Baldwin family and to see our 89-year legacy of quality and innovation be preserved through this acquisition,” said Katy Wetterstrand, director and chief financial officer of Western Quartz. “It is an exciting time for UV technology to help improve manufacturing processes, as well as human safety, through new applications in sterilization and disinfection around the world. Through Baldwin, Western Quartz joins a sizeable organization with significant reach and resources, and we look forward to continuing to expand our services and capabilities for our customers and the industry.”

2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India

Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.

The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry. While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.

The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.

Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.

Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.

Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.

– Naresh Khanna

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