Fujifilm a provider of inkjet heads and integrated printing systems has acquired European Unigraphica
Photo Fujifilm
On 8 June 2022, Fujifilm announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Unigraphica. Unigraphica is a system integrator operating for over 37 years based in Liechtenstein with expertise in providing customized inkjet printing systems. The company will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujifilm and will be named Fujifilm Unigraphica from from 1st July, following the closure of the deal which is expected to take place later this month.
The acquisition means the expansion to Europe of the Fujifilm Integrated Inkjet Solutions business, which works across various industries to supply solutions for high-volume production processes through integrated inkjet printing systems. Fujifilm’s inkjet system technologies and products, together with Unigraphica’s experience and integration capabilities will provide customers with industry-leading solutions and support.
The Fujifilm Integrated Inkjet Solutions business began as a provider of custom inkjet systems for brands in North America. It has since then been expanding into other regions, including Europe and Japan, and into other markets, such as commercial imprinting. Customers are benefiting from fully integrated, reliable, single-pass inkjet built to industrial standards. This includes production-ready multi-colour print systems, fully integrated into production processes.
“We are thrilled to have the knowledge, expertise, and strong reputation of Joseph Schweiger and the entire Unigraphica team joining us,” said Greg Balch, who is responsible for the whole of the Fujifilm Integrated Inkjet Solutions business in North America and Europe. “I am confident that this addition will support and accelerate our business expansion.”
“Through this acquisition, Unigraphica’s services will be strengthened with Fujifilm’s portfolio of inkjet printing technology,” said Joseph Schweiger, CEO, Unigraphica. “We are excited about the additional resources and the access to new inkjet printing solutions that Unigraphica can provide to customers by joining the Fujifilm group.”
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.
