Print Solutions
Baldwin Technology Company has acquired QuadTech from its parent company Quad/Graphics. With this acquisition, Baldwin adds all of QuadTech’s highly regarded technology and strategic locations across the Americas, Europe, China, Japan and India.
QuadTech is a leader in the design and manufacture of control systems that help commercial, newspaper, packaging and publication gravure printers improve their performance and productivity. The company maintains a worldwide network of sales and service operations, and sells automated systems in more than 100 countries.
Baldwin will strategically unite QuadTech with two of its existing divisions – Web Printing Controls and PC Industries – creating a global platform that will operate as Baldwin Vision Systems. The resulting combination of businesses and technology will represent a comprehensive portfolio for print process automation, inspection and related services.
Karl Fritchen, current QuadTech president, will lead the new Baldwin segment. Product technologies will span closed loop automation for registration, inking, colour management, web handling and 100% inspection for the commercial, newspaper, labels, packaging, converting and publication gravure industries.
‘The combination of products and expertise held within both companies will enable us to reach areas of the market we were unable to reach individually,’ commented Karl. ‘From an international operations and market perspective, each party’s strengths are highly complementary. This is definitely a situation where we can accomplish much more together than we could have as independent companies.’
‘QuadTech will serve as a catalyst for the formation of our new Baldwin Vision Systems segment, which will greatly enhance our ability to provide an even more comprehensive automation portfolio for our customers around the world,’ said Brent Becker, president and CEO of Baldwin. ‘Together, we provide our customers an unmatched portfolio in commercial and newspaper automation, and I am very excited about the additional capabilities we will gain in the packaging markets. The work QuadTech has done recently on colour within the packaging market clearly places us as the industry leader, and we have aggressive plans to build upon that position. I fully expect that our combined global presence, coupled with a new tiered product offering, will position the company to further satisfy our customers’ needs in an even larger geographical area.’
QuadTech is Baldwin’s fifth acquisition since joining the BW Forsyth Partners family of companies in 2012, and the fourth completed in 2017.
Pictured (left to right): John Woolley, business leader, PC Industries; Herman Gnuechtel, business leader, Web Printing Controls; Brent Becker, president and CEO, Baldwin; and Karl Fritchen, president, QuadTech.
