Louisville, KY —Flexo Wash has introduced its latest Laser Anilox Cleaner, the FW 850 Laser Anilox Cleaner, specifically developed for Narrow Web Clients. This cleaner is a perfect solution for printers with wastewater challenges.

Laser cleaning is a modern, effective and sustainable cleaning system for aniloxes.  With a quick cleaning time, your aniloxes will be deep cleaned, with minimal effort and reduced downtime. Most importantly, this sustainable cleaner is waste-free with no liquid handling or consumption.

FW 850 series models clean up to two narrow web rolls in one cleaning cycle. The FW 850 Laser Anilox Cleaner can be installed without requiring water supply, drain or safety equipment. 

DETAILS:

• 1-2 aniloxes per wash*

• Max diameter: 180 mm (7”)

• Max cleaning length: 700 mm (27.6”)

• Max weight per anilox: 50 kg (110lbs)

As anilox technologies have evolved to thinner cell walls, higher line screens and tougher inks, Flexo Wash cleaning technology has adapted to these modern advancements. Our safe and gentle cleaning method means that you can both deep clean the rolls and wash them on a daily basis. Flexo Wash’s focus on the high protection of these delicate and expensive aniloxes is the driving force in developing the latest laser technology.

www.flexowash.us

New Curtain Coating Technology to Improve Safety, Increase Productivity

Appleton, WI – Appvion, LLC, a Wynnchurch Capital, L.P. (“Wynnchurch”) portfolio company, announced a significant investment in new equipment slated for delivery and installation in 2023.

“This is the largest single investment made in our Appleton plant for many years and marks the start of a new and exciting journey for the Appvion team,” said Laurie Andriate, CEO at Appvion. “The investment provides many benefits for Appvion and our customers, including elimination of “double-handling” of rolls to improve productivity as well as safety of our people.”

This new equipment will allow Appvion to make products more efficiently, allowing Appvion to optimize finished goods capacity and eliminating the need to secure pre-coated base in a consolidating white paper market.

“The capital investment demonstrates our commitment to Appvion. Continued investment in new technology fosters future growth in Appvion’s core business,” said Greg Gleason, Managing Partner at Wynnchurch.

The announcement comes just months after the company was purchased by Wynnchurch Capital, L.P., a private equity firm headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois. Founded in 1999, with offices in California, New York, and a Canadian affiliate, Wynnchurch Capital is a leading middle-market private equity investment firm. Wynnchurch’s strategy is partnering with middle-market companies in the United States and Canada that possess the potential for substantial growth and profit improvement. The company’s focus is on leveraging business strengths and identifying new market opportunities to support management’s vision—with an unwavering commitment to sound business judgment, partnership, communication, and integrity.

About Appvion
As a leading manufacturer in North America, Appvion develops innovative, water-based, and environmentally responsible coating solutions for consumers’ everyday life. Appvion utilizes its material science expertise to apply high-performance, functional coating solutions to various flexible substrates, including products from an FDA-compliant facility. Primary offerings include direct thermal paper and film products and renewable, fiber-based consumer and industrial packaging solutions. Headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, Appvion employs nearly 400 people. Connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn to learn more.

Celebrating ambitious pioneers tackling our biggest challenges 

Plymouth, MI – Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that CEO, Lynn Perenic of Argent Tape & Label was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2022 Michigan and Northwest Ohio Award finalist. Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who think big to succeed. 

Lynn Perenic was selected by a panel of independent judges according to the following criteria – entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact – among other core contributions and attributes. 

Lynn Perenic is a gifted visionary and a results-producing entrepreneur who brings an instinctive curiosity to every endeavor. A passionate educator, Lynn inspires others to challenge the status quo and reach higher to achieve more.  

As Argent Tape & Label’s president and chief executive officer, her inspiring vision and unwavering belief in others has completely transformed the manufacturing company from a $790,000 a year organization into an extremely successful multimillion-dollar enterprise. Nearing the mark of $10 million in annual revenue, Argent is well-positioned for continued growth. 

Following 20 years of teaching in Michigan’s Hazel Park School District – where she taught a diverse population of elementary and special education high school students – Lynn understands knowledge, perseverance and a diligent work ethic are the formula for success.  

In 2010, Lynn acquired the ownership stake in Argent Tape and Label near bankruptcy at the time. An eternal optimist who is driven by her belief in people’s potential and her many years of experience as an educator, Lynn committed herself to recovering the company’s profitability and helping it thrive.  

Already possessed of the requisite communication skills, Lynn knew that she needed to fast-track her knowledge of business management and develop an actionable strategy for recovery and success. She enrolled in the Oakland County Venture Forward program, an 11 -week intensive program for business executives and top management leaders. The program ultimately nominated her as one of the 50 Businesses to Watch in Michigan.  

Lynn knew that she wanted to create a culture of transparency and connection. Drawing inspiration from such texts as A Stake in the Outcome: Building a Culture of Ownership and The Great Game of Business, she made the choice to implement Open Book Management (OBM) at Argent. She cultivated a professional community that encourages innovation at all levels, welcoming team members and customers alike to become partners in success.  

Lynn herself is a living manifestation of this collaborative management and servant leadership style. She believes in paying it forward, and her spirit of giving has become a hallmark of her dedication to her team and community. She mentors her employees and tutors their children, provides a variety of courses – including English as a second language and financial literacy – at Argent’s facility and supports numerous charitable organizations.  

She has drawn the attention of OBM thought leaders and business leaders alike, winning the Allstar Award for Best of the Best in OBM and the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council’s Women’s Business Enterprise Star Award. Recently, Lynn was elected to the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council board of directors.  

She earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Oakland University and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Central Michigan University. Ever an educator, she leverages each success to help her team, company, community and customers succeed. Lynn and her husband reside in Franklin, Michigan. 

The regional finalists will be recognized and winners will be announced at the Michigan and Northwest Ohio awards celebration on June 23, 2022 at One Campus Martius in Detroit. The regional winners will then be considered by the National independent judging panel for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June 2023.  

For over 35 years, EY US has celebrated the unstoppable entrepreneurs who are building a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous world for all. The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized more than 10,000 US executives since its inception in 1986. Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners have exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of fellow alumni and other members of the entrepreneurial community in over 60 countries — all supported by vast EY resources. 

Sponsors 

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are presented by PNC Bank. In Michigan and Northwest Ohio, sponsors also include Donnelley Financial Solutions, Trion Solutions Inc., Foley & Lardner LLP, and Tanner Friedman Strategic Communications. 

About Entrepreneur Of The Year®  

Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind.  

It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. National overall winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ title. ey.com/us/eoy 

About EY Private  

As Advisors to the ambitious™, EY Private professionals possess the experience and passion to support private businesses and their owners in unlocking the full potential of their ambitions. EY Private teams offer distinct insights born from the long EY history of working with business owners and entrepreneurs. These teams support the full spectrum of private enterprises including private capital managers and investors and the portfolio businesses they fund, business owners, family businesses, family offices and entrepreneurs. Visit ey.com/us/private 

About EY 

EY exists to build a better working world, helping create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets. 

Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate. 

Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today. 

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com. 

Ernst & Young LLP is a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited operating in the US. 

The new system is integrated with a ChromaPlex LT engine from Colordyne Technologies.

Brookfield, WI – Gulmen Digital, a manufacturer of commercial label printing and finishing machines located in Melbourne, Australia, developed the Quantum Jet 333 industrial label printer to satisfy market and application demands for high quality and faster turnarounds. The system leverages Colordyne’s ChromaPlex LT aqueous pigment inkjet engine to offer high speed and high resolution for short-run labels and tags.

With 30 years of experience in the label and packaging industry, Eddie Gulmen, President and Founder of Gulmen Digital, recognized an opportunity in the market for a 13-inch (330 millimeters) printing system and found in Colordyne a technology partner that shared his vision. For Gulmen, navigating the challenges of Australia’s vast landscape and spread-out population was the key driver for developing a process color, mid-range platform that bridges the gap between high capital cost equipment and high quality performance.

Gulmen Digital views the new high speed, high resolution and low capital cost system as a great fit for printers in the consumer products space and businesses looking to reduce costs by offloading work from their flexo presses without sacrificing the quality of the printed product. With the Quantum Jet 333, businesses can eliminate process waste and reduce the room for error that surrounds analog print production including plates, inks, material and more.

“Inkjet is brilliant. From the computer to printing, it’s straightforward like that,” said Gulmen. “You create the artwork, place it in a folder with automated color management, set the copies and off it goes. Digital printing allows users to save on material and labor. Plus, with digital the job can be finished faster.”

Celebrating a 20-year milestone, Gulmen Digital started in the label and packaging business as a service provider and eventually moved into manufacturing and distribution of commercial printing and converting equipment. Partnering with Colordyne, Gulmen Digital identified a cost-effective way to speed up its engineering development cycle and bring a new inkjet printing solution to market quickly. The company sees a clear market for the Quantum Jet 333 today and in the future.

“The goal is to get to a point where a single person can manage a fleet of these printers,” said Gulmen. “This platform will provide opportunities for further process automation to control the printer, like automatic unwind loading with turret rewinds and intelligent camera systems for fault detection and recovery.”

By leveraging Colordyne’s ChromaPlex LT print engine, the system can consistently produce high volume jobs at 1600 x 1600 dpi print quality while running at speeds up to 150 feet (45 meters) per minute. The Quantum Jet 333 can print on various types of materials used for labeling and product identification and it’s equipped with an intuitive color touchscreen that makes it easy to operate.

“We are happy we were able to collaborate with Gulmen Digital and its innovative approach to bring to market a successful and affordable technology,” said Taylor Buckthorpe, Director of Sales & Marketing at Colordyne. “Colordyne has played a role in advancing inkjet technology, but it’s partners like Gulmen Digital that identify the fit for end users that make it exciting to continue innovating.”

About Colordyne Technologies
Headquartered in Brookfield, WI, Colordyne Technologies is a leading manufacturer of high speed, high resolution and low capital cost UV-LED and water based inkjet print engines. They are designed for integration onto existing printing and converting equipment to create an affordable hybrid production press. Colordyne Technologies recognizes the years of investments made into the people and equipment that make up a label converting press room. Colordyne’s unique retrofit approach to digital printing allows label converters to seamlessly integrate process color inkjet directly onto existing production lines at breakthrough speeds and without the loss of current press functionality.

Visit www.colordynetech.com for additional information.

About Gulmen Digital
Headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Gulmen Digital is an Australian manufacturer and distributor of efficient, maintenance-free digital printing and finishing solutions. Gulmen Digital is a one-stop supplier to the industry for a wide range of consumables, from paper synthetic material, laminate to ink supplies.

Learn more at www.gulmendigital.com.au.

The SGP Partnership, the leading authority in sustainable certification for the printing industry, announced today Syracuse Label & Surround Printing of North Syracuse, NY has achieved its sustainability certification. A recognized leader in sustainability, the company offers digital and flexographic printing solutions with a product portfolio that includes pressure-sensitive labels, shrink sleeves, flexible packaging, cartons, hang tags, roll fed-wrap labels and other custom-made printed products. 

“We are so excited to receive SGP certification and are proud of our environmental commitment,” said Kathy Alaimo, Syracuse Label & Surround Printing president. “This certification differentiates us from our competitors and makes a significant difference when competing for talent.”

As a certified SGP facility, Syracuse Label & Surround Printing is committed to sustainability targets by reducing waste, conserving energy, sourcing sustainable materials, creating a safe workplace and lowering carbon footprint. Each year, SGP certified facilities, like Syracuse Label & Surround Printing, must propose a continuous improvement project as part of its certification. In addition, every two years, facilities must undergo an independent third-party audit.

“SGP is proud to have Syracuse Label & Surround Printing as a certified facility. The company is a strong leader in sustainable practices, from its zero-waste-to-landfill to lean manufacturing,” said Jonathan Graham, SGP chair. “The company is a model of how a manufacturing facility benefits its customers with sustainability built in every process and aspect of the company. Retailers working with Syracuse Label & Surround Printing can be confident of a strong sustainable supply chain partner.”

As part of its sustainability program, Syracuse Label & Surround Printing recycles all plate material, computer equipment, metal replacement parts, UV & florescent lights, wood pallets and batteries. The remaining raw material, kitchen and office waste is used as solid fuel for alternative power generation. By using digital technologies, the company reduces the waste of all printing materials including plates, substrate, inks and other printing supplies. The result of lean manufacturing includes a decrease in electricity and natural gas for heating, cooling and plant operation.

Printer and supplier facilities interested in eliminating waste, reducing energy consumption, transitioning to sustainable materials, and winning new business from organizations that require sustainable printing practices should visit www.sgppartnership.org to learn more about becoming SGP certified. 

About Syracuse Label & Surround Printing: Syracuse Label & Surround Printing is a 100% employee-owned company and one of the largest and most versatile independent label converters in the Northeast. We offer digital and flexographic printing solutions with a product portfolio that includes flexible packaging, shrink sleeves, pressure sensitive labels, cartons, hang tags, roll-fed wrap labels, and other custom-made printed products. Our advantages include cutting-edge print technology, a complete in-house Art Department, and a large, experienced staff of technical advisors, production people, and sales service personnel. We offer superior quality at competitive prices, fast turn-around times, exceptional service and unparalleled solutions. www.syrlsp.com

About SGP Partnership: The Sustainable Green Printing Partnership (SGP) is the only certification organization promoting sustainability in all printing processes and suppliers to the printing industry throughout the United States and Canada. SGP promotes a sustainable print supply chain through best practices, innovation, information sharing and validation. The SGP program encompasses the three pillars of sustainability – people, planet, and profit. SGP’s growing list of partners include 3M, Bobst, Cooley/Group, EFI, EMG, FLEXcon, Laird Plastics, Monadnock Paper Mills, Nvent Marketing, Piedmont Plastics, Polymershapes, Sun Chemical, Ultraflex, REI, ANN Inc., BrandKey Graphics, Snowball Print Marketing, major print organizations, academic institutions, and other leading companies. www.sgppartnership.org

UPM Raflatac extends its CarbonNeutral® product portfolio by achieving CarbonNeutral® product certification for the whole Linerless product range. The certification is issued by Natural Capital Partners in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol. The leading global framework provides a robust and pragmatic blueprint for carbon neutrality.

Direct thermal (DT) linerless labeling products help customers to reduce their packaging footprint and is in high demand in the packaging value chain. Sustainability and efficiency benefits of using linerless are significant as linerless brings up to a 40 percent reduction in material usage compared to traditional labelling technologies. DT linerless market has seen approximately 15 percent year-on-year growth in recent years.

“Our ambition in UPM Raflatac is to go beyond fossils. In practise this means that we are constantly innovating new ways to reduce the carbon emissions of our products. This is a must to meet our climate commitments but also, for our business as the market demand for sustainable labeling solutions is high and growing all the time. The new CarbonNeutral® product certification of our linerless range is a great addition to our CarbonNeutral® product portfolio which already includes the RAFNXT+ products. This is a big leap forward in providing our customers even more sustainable solutions and enabling them to take positive climate action,” says Robert Taylor, Sustainability Director at UPM Raflatac.

The carbon footprint measure of UPM Raflatac’s linerless products has already been certified by the Carbon Trust. The new CarbonNeutral® product certification is further proof of the actions the company has taken to define, measure and reduce the emissions originating from the linerless manufacturing process, raw materials, and transportation. Furthermore, the emissions that are today still unavoidable are now compensated.

The Linerless products’ cradle-to-customer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are compensated in full through global projects that are verified to internationally recognized standards, such as the Gold Standard. This means that UPM Raflatac has already taken care of compensating the emissions that are today still unavoidable on behalf their customers. Customers can make deduction of emissions relating to UPM Raflatac linerless products in their life cycle assessment (LCA) calculations.

“We work with leading organisations to deliver action on climate change and create a more sustainable world. Our joined-up approach helps organisations like UPM Raflatac address their environmental impacts by using carbon market solutions which also support sustainable development. UPM Raflatac’s new CarbonNeutral® product is a great next step on their climate action journey,” says Natalie Taylor, Director of Client Solutions at Natural Capital Partners.

The actions UPM Raflatac has taken with linerless are part of its efforts to lead the label industry into a net-zero carbon emission future. UPM is among the first forest industry companies committed to the UN Business Ambition for 1.5 °C to take tangible actions to mitigate climate change. UPM has also joined The Climate Pledge which commits the company to achieve net-zero annual carbon emissions by 2040 – a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement’s goal of 2050.

Read more about the offset projects here.

UPM Raflatac
UPM Raflatac is leading in sustainable labeling through our innovative self-adhesive label materials and services. We offer high-quality paper and film label stock for branding and promotion, informational labels, and labels with functionality. We operate a global network of factories, distribution terminals and sales offices. Our company employs around 3,000 people and made sales of EUR 1.7 billion (USD 1.9 billion) in 2021. UPM Raflatac is part of UPM.

Find out how we are labeling a smarter future beyond fossils at www.upmraflatac.com.

Seattle-based Richmark Label has recently doubled its investment with BOBST by adding another two UV inkjet presses to the first two that were installed in early 2021. All four digital machines leverage BOBST Digital Inkjet Technology delivering unrivaled speed, quality, and productivity.

One of the country’s oldest pressure-sensitive label companies, Richmark Label was established over 70 years ago, and now resides in its third location, in Seattle’s historic Capitol Hill neighborhood. It manufactures a wide variety of prime labels for customers in all 50 US states. 

In October 2020, Richmark invested in two BOBST digital label presses – an LB701-UV and an LB702-UV – to replace its original, and aging presses. The plan was to replace the existing presses with presses that could deal with its short runs and handle much longer runs that were being run flexographically. Bill Donner, Richmark Label’s president, looked at a number of options before choosing the BOBST presses. According to Bill, the presses had the best combination of quality, speed, and price of anything he had seen – without the drawbacks he definitely didn’t want.

“Our average job order was about $1,000, so we needed an efficient, cost-effective press for our current short runs and one that would also be right for the longer runs we wanted to transfer from our flexographic presses. We chose the LB701-UV and LB702-UV presses and were so impressed that we bought two more a year later.”

“The print quality is every bit as good as we expected and the ease with which our people were able to learn to operate them has been even better than we expected. The set-up time, which is critical for short-run orders, is excellent and the press speed for many orders is unbelievable,” Bill said.

The perfect inkjet fit

 Wholly developed and owned by BOBST, the digital inkjet technology powering the LB701-UV and LB702-UV delivers a high native resolution of 1200 x 1200 dpi. In addition, they afford Richmark fast and easy industrial label production, allowing them to print on a wide range of substrates including paper, self-adhesive and flexible materials, proving more efficient than even the most cost-effective traditional processes. 

The larger of the two – the LB702-UV – cost-effectively addresses 90% of all label jobs up to 26,000 linear feet in length, with the capacity to print over 2.1 million sq ft per month at a printing speed of up to 330 ft/min. The LB701-UV, meanwhile, can produce 800,000+ sq ft of labels per month printing at 230 ft/min. In addition, both presses achieve fast and frequent changeovers with a short web path that reduces set-up times and waste, making them a very sustainable option for label companies.

Having been convinced that the technology would be the perfect fit for the business, Richmark Label also chose to partner with BOBST because of BOBST’s strong vision, which focuses on innovation in digitalization, automation, connectivity, and sustainability. 

“The digital market is fast evolving, so we needed a partner with a clear path towards the future. The BOBST team also has an incredible knowledge of digital print and a deep understanding of the labels market. These were key components in our final decision process,” concluded Bill.

“As part of the BOBST oneLABEL portfolio, the BOBST UV inkjet printers offer limitless, profitable digital label production and they have taken Richmark Label to the next level in their evolution,” commented Dean Haertel, Business Director oneLABEL, North America. “With four of these ultra-productive and cost-efficient machines in house, they can guarantee the fastest delivery, highest quality, and most competitive prices to secure their place as a leading label supplier.” 

About BOBST
We are one of the world’s leading suppliers of substrate processing, printing and converting equipment and services for the label, flexible packaging, folding carton and corrugated board industries.

Founded in 1890 by Joseph Bobst in Lausanne, Switzerland, BOBST has a presence in more than 50 countries, runs 19 production facilities in 11 countries and employs more than 5800 people around the world. The firm recorded a consolidated turnover of CHF 1.563 billion for the year ended December 31, 2021.

www.bobst.com

GEW has announced the appointment of Amir Dekel as Vice President, Sales at GEW Inc., as part of the company’s ongoing restructuring of its sales operations in North America. Dekel will be directing his primary efforts on GEW’s core label and narrow web business, working with key OEM partners and with a renewed focus on end user engagement.

Dekel is a degreed engineer with M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, who brings international sales, marketing and management experience alongside expertise in global business development and technology solution sales across various print technologies, including Conventional and Digital. His background is in Operations and Management leadership, generating revenue growth by building sales and marketing functions from the ground up. He is a known authority and in-demand keynote speaker at industry forums. Dekel has experience in developing print-related solutions globally, and is fluent in English, German and Hebrew.

Prior to joining GEW he was the Business Unit Manager, Print Division at ISRA VISION, a world leader in automatic inspection and automation equipment, and was responsible for all activities of this Business Unit worldwide.

Robert Rae, Managing Director of Sales at GEW, comments: “Amir joins GEW at an interesting time as we reorganise our team in the US, to enable growth in new UV curing markets without losing focus on our core label printing customers. Amir’s long experience in narrow web in North America (as President of AVT) makes him the perfect candidate to manage this key part of GEW’s business, with his extensive market knowledge. In addition, during his comprehensive training at GEW, I have been very impressed with his technical grasp of our products and technology, which will be invaluable in the field.

“We have been in transition for some time at GEW Inc and I am very excited for Amir to bring his considerable resources to bear promoting LED and arc lamp products across the narrow web market. This will also allow Jennifer Heathcote to refocus her business development role on the industrial, coating and converting markets, as well as continuing her technical leadership role in the industry via organisations such as RadTech.”

Rae continues: “Amir will be primarily based at his office in Atlanta, in addition to spending time at GEW Inc. headquarters in Ohio. He will travel extensively to visit our customers in the web printing industry, old and new, across North America.”

At the same time, GEW’s Jennifer Heathcote is promoted to the position of Vice President, Business Development. Jennifer will shift her role to focus on business development in the industrial, coating and converting markets.

Amir Dekel
Vice President, Sales
GEW Inc., Unit X, 11941 Abbey Road, North Royalton, OH 44133, USA
M: +1 440 673 5640 | E: adekel@gewuv.com

About GEW
GEW is the market-leading manufacturer of both UV Arc and LED systems for the labelling, narrow web and sheetfed printing industries. The company has world-class production facilities at its UK headquarters, subsidiaries in the USA & Germany, and an extensive network of worldwide distributors.

GEW specialises in the design and installation of UV LED systems, having introduced its latest UV LED product, AeroLED, in early 2022. Representing the next generation for UV LED curing, AeroLED eliminates the need for a chiller by air-cooling from a single remote fan to bring UV LED within affordable reach for all. LeoLED, released in 2019, is GEW’s water-cooled solution, delivering maximum power and UV dose for more demanding applications. LeoLED is compatible with GEW’s renowned ArcLED hybrid system.

www.gewuv.com

Schaumburg, IL – INX International Ink Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SAKATA INX, announced today it is establishing INX Venture Capital to make minority investments in technology and materials science startups with strategic relevance to the printing inks and coatings value chain. INX Venture Capital will be a $50M investment program and will focus on categories like sustainability and circular economy solutions, digital printing, business and manufacturing automation, and services for brand owners.  

“Our corporate venture capital program represents an expansion of INX’s innovation toolkit, furthering our mission of leading the printing inks and coatings industry in delivering safe and sustainable solutions that enhance the customer experience,” said Shane Bertsch, Vice President of Strategic Planning and Innovation. “We’re eager to marry our focus of creating value for customers, brands, and consumers with our curiosity for new technologies and business models.”

Bryce Kristo, INX’s Chief Financial Officer, added, “As one of the largest ink manufacturing companies in the world, we believe our technical expertise and industry relationships can help entrepreneurs build great companies that create a positive impact on consumers’ lives and our planet. We are excited to deploy INX’s resources to help our portfolio companies scale.”

INX Venture Capital is stage agnostic, with an emphasis on early stage startups that have demonstrated “product market-fit” and have begun to generate revenue. The fund will also pursue select seed and growth stage opportunities. Typical checks will range from $1M to $3M initially, with reserves for follow-up investments. INX Venture Capital will have a global investment mandate, with an emphasis on opportunities in its core markets of North America, Europe, and South America, in concert with SAKATA INX’s worldwide innovation efforts.

The fund is jointly run with Touchdown Ventures, the leading provider of corporate venture capital managed services. Scott Lenet, Touchdown co-founder and President, noted, “We are enthusiastic about the capital investment, industry expertise, and operational excellence that INX can bring to its portfolio companies. We believe INX Venture Capital will be an ideal partner for entrepreneurs and venture investors seeking to launch and scale innovative new technologies that are applicable to printing inks and coatings.”

See details about INX Venture Capital.

About INX International Ink Co.
INX International Ink Co. is the third largest producer of inks in North America, with full-service subsidiaries in Europe and South America and is part of SAKATA INX worldwide operations. We offer a complete line of ink and coating solutions technology for commercial, packaging and digital applications. As a leading global manufacturer of inkjet inks, we provide a full palette of digital ink systems, advanced technologies and integrated services. To stay in touch with the latest developments, follow INX on Facebook and Twitter and visit www.inxinternational.com.

About Touchdown Ventures
Touchdown Ventures partners with corporations to manage their venture capital programs. Touchdown works closely with each corporation to help achieve the financial and strategic benefits from venture capital investments. The firm maintains offices in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. More information on Touchdown can be found at www.touchdownvc.com.