Japanese press manufacturer Komori has agreed a deal which will see it take over German finishing company MBO Group.
MBO Group, which was founded in 1965 to manufacture paper folding machines, has two plants in Germany and a ‘manufacturing footprint’ in Portugal. It also operates local subsidiaries in the US, France and China. Its current portfolio includes machines for paper folding for general commercial printing and inline processing, employing a combination of paper folding machines and digital printing systems. Furthermore it subsidiary, Herzog+Heymann, offers machinery designed to handle thin paper.
Komori believes that acquiring these operations will help it break into post-press for commercial print. It is also looking to develop new possibilities through the combination of the MBO Group’s technologies and Komori’s digital printing system business, offset printing presses and other products. Though Komori’s main focus is its offset operation, the group’s medium-term management plan is to strengthen its digital printing system business ‘on a profitable track’, and secure and expand recurring income from such technology. Komori offers digital inkjet presses through partnerships: the Impremia S29 is its version of Konica-Minolta’s KM-1 B2 UV-curing press and the Impremia NS40 is based on Landa’s S10 B1 nanographic press.
‘Komori believes that both companies are well-positioned to supplement each other,’ the company said in a statement. ‘Going forward, Komori will therefore strive to bring together technologies and networks possessed by both companies in the field of post-press equipment marketing. In these ways, Komori will effectively push ahead with its initiatives aimed at transforming its business structure.’
MBO’s UK distributor Friedheim told Digital Printer that the move was ‘welcome,’ and that it should ‘bring further investment and development to the MBO group, and ultimately help continue to bring the best possible products to the market.’ National post press sales manager Stuart Bamford added that, ‘As a successful partner of the MBO Group for a very long time, it is business as usual for Friedheim.’
