Business Management - M&A

Fedrigoni S.p.A. has completed its acquisition of the Ritrama group, expanding the company's reach in the pressure-sensitive labels market, which has demonstrated global growth in a variety of market segments.

Nosco has announced it has acquired the assets of Haapanen Brothers, a 40-year-old printing company based in Gurnee, Ill. With the acquisition, Nosco adds a seventh site, increased capacity for printing folded literature and Lit-a-Sure product lines, and specialty bindings, sales aids and other commercial marketing materials for the healthcare 
industry.

Maxcess and RotoMetrics have announced their intent to merge under the Maxcess International name. By merging with RotoMetrics, a manufacturer of precision cutting dies and support tooling solutions, Maxcess will enhance its product portfolio.

A plain truth for our commercial printing clients is that a company’s valuation is directly linked to its investment in technology. We think that investment in technology is just as crucial for producers of labels and packaging, but we wonder if the message is being heard clearly enough.

The exchange of public letters between representatives of HP and Xerox continued last week, with the HP Board of Directors stating Xerox's latest proposal in its attempt to acquire HP significantly undervalues the company. Mark Michelson, editor-in-chief of Printing Impressions shares why the sooner this saga ends, the better it will be for the printing industry.

Xerox Holdings sent a letter to the Board of Directors of HP Inc. and issued a press release Jan. 6, confirming that it has obtained $24 billion in binding financing commitments from Citi, Mizuho, and Bank of America to complete its proposed $33.5 billion cash-and-stock offer to acquire HP Inc.

Activist investor Carl Icahn implored HP shareholders to pressure HP's board to expedite a mutual due diligence process and accept Xerox's $33.5 billion cash-and-stock acquisition offer. And Xerox CEO John Visentin has started meeting with key HP shareholders the week of Dec. 9 to present Xerox's case for the deal.

Central National Gottesman Inc. announced today that its Spicers Paper division will add Kilmer, Wagner & Wise to its packaging portfolio. The acquisition will enhance Spicers’ existing stand-alone packaging business, Premiere Packaging Industries (PPI).

TC Transcontinental announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to sell its paper and woven polypropylene packaging operations to Hood Packaging Corporation for $180 million. Hood Packaging will acquire five operations and buildings from TC Transcontinental, including approximately 415 employees that will transfer to Hood Packaging after the closing of the transaction.

In a public letter issued on November 24, HP rebuked Xerox's threat of a hostile takeover, stating the proposal undervalued HP, along with addressing other concerns. Now, Xerox has responded, stating it still intends to mount a hostile bid attempt, while addressing what it claims to be misleading information in HP's letter.