Headquartered in Nottingham, the £493m pharmaceutical and consumer packaging group has 38 paperboard packaging sites spread across the UK, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, and the US and employs 5,000 staff. Chesapeake’s £60m turnover Specialty Chemical Packaging operations is not part of the deal. “We are delighted to have Carlyle working with us as we continue building on the strong reputation we have earned for our high quality products and services,” said Chesapeake chief executive Mike Cheetham. “Carlyle’s backing will support our aspirations to build upon our strong investments over the past three years as we further grow and develop our business. This collaboration will allow us to respond effectively to new business opportunities as we look to further align our business with our customers’ global requirements,” he added. According to Chesapeake head of marketing and communications Bob Houghton, the company is looking to build its presence in new territories and markets. Capital for the purchase was provided by Carlyle’s Carlyle Europe Partners, a €5.3bn private equity fund, financing was provided by Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, UBS and Barclays. Eric Kump, managing director of Carlyle Europe Partners, said: “Chesapeake is a strong business focused on attractive growth markets. The management team has delivered sustained growth and significantly strengthened the company in recent years. We look forward to partnering with them to further develop the company’s international footprint and to invest in delivering industry leading products and services.” Carlyle was advised on the sale by Moorgate Capital, Latham & Watkins, Credit Suisse and KPMG. Moorgate Capital head of packaging M&A Nicholas Mockett said: “Carlyle’s investment in Chesapeake highlights the increasing importance of printed packaging in the overall marketing mix and the vital role that printing and packaging plays in highly regulated industries, such as pharmaceuticals, in protecting the consumer. “Chesapeake is an exceptional platform for growth, with strong management, excellent facilities, and unparalleled footprint.” Mockett, who personally advised on the acquisition highlighted that the Chesapeake sale represents the third “significant” deal for a UK-based packaging group this year, following Filtrona’s £160m purchase of Contego Healthcare in March and Graphic Packaging’s £81m purchase of Contego Packaging in January....

The option to upgrade from four to five or six colours, already avalable for other Indigo models, is now being offered on the B2-format Indigo 10000s, thanks to HP’s IndiChrome ink range. Sussex-based Pureprint is hoping to add orange and violet colour stations in August to enhance corporate colour matching accuracy on its machine. “It’s about bringing the 10000 inline with the capabilities of our three 7500s,” said group technical director Aaron Archer. He added that the group’s second Indigo 10000, due to be installed later this year, will also probably be configured with six colours. According to HP, a number of other 10000 owners are also looking to upgrade their B2 presses. However, Precision Printing, which this week hosted an event to highlight the capabilities of the 10000, is sticking with four colours for now, while the German arm of Elanders is reportedly looking at upgrading to six. Though Pureprint are opting to add orange and violet, according to HP, any two-colour combination of orange, violet and green can be added. A retrofittable upgrade to a five or six colour system will cost around £25,000 per colour station added, the same as with new installations of five or six colour Indigo 10000s. Though he reported high interest in additional colours, HP product manager for commercial sheetfed presses Erik Brammer said that 10000 users were most eagerly awaiting the introduction of white ink early next year. “A lot of customers are desperately waiting for the white ink. That enables so many POS applications where white can really add value if you print CYMK on top of that or you can print on transparent substrates to create very high value pieces,” Brammer added. A further option of upgrading to seven colours will be available around September/October. Also available from this date will the possibility of ordering spot colours mixed by HP from 11 base inks, which will allow users to access 97% of the Pantone colour gamut, according to Bammer. As of early 2014, Indigo 10000 owners will also be able to install their own spot colour ink mixing systems. Also in the pipeline for early 2014 are upgrade options to enable automatic blanket replacement and continuous colour calibration linked to ICC profiles....

Headquartered in Nottingham, the £493m pharmaceutical and consumer packaging group has 38 paperboard packaging sites spread across the UK, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, and the US and employs 5,000 staff. Chesapeake’s £60m turnover Specialty Chemical Packaging operations is not part of the deal. “We are delighted to have Carlyle working with us as we continue building on the strong reputation we have earned for our high quality products and services,” said Chesapeake chief executive Mike Cheetham. “Carlyle’s backing will support our aspirations to build upon our strong investments over the past three years as we further grow and develop our business. This collaboration will allow us to respond effectively to new business opportunities as we look to further align our business with our customers’ global requirements,” he added. According to Chesapeake head of marketing and communications Bob Houghton, the company is looking to build its presence in new territories and markets. Capital for the purchase was provided by Carlyle’s Carlyle Europe Partners, a €5.3bn private equity fund, financing was provided by Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, UBS and Barclays. Eric Kump, managing director of Carlyle Europe Partners, said: “Chesapeake is a strong business focused on attractive growth markets. The management team has delivered sustained growth and significantly strengthened the company in recent years. We look forward to partnering with them to further develop the company’s international footprint and to invest in delivering industry leading products and services.” Carlyle was advised on the sale by Moorgate Capital, Latham & Watkins, Credit Suisse and KPMG. Moorgate Capital head of packaging M&A Nicholas Mockett said: “Carlyle’s investment in Chesapeake highlights the increasing importance of printed packaging in the overall marketing mix and the vital role that printing and packaging plays in highly regulated industries, such as pharmaceuticals, in protecting the consumer. “Chesapeake is an exceptional platform for growth, with strong management, excellent facilities, and unparalleled footprint.” Mockett, who personally advised on the acquisition highlighted that the Chesapeake sale represents the third “significant” deal for a UK-based packaging group this year, following Filtrona’s £160m purchase of Contego Healthcare in March and Graphic Packaging’s £81m purchase of Contego Packaging in January....

The pack contains a variety of samples, including white ink, laser cutting, 3D UV varnishing, and printed clear gloss PET. The samples are unbranded to allow Exaprint’s customers to use them as selling tools. Exaprint UK managing director Simon Cooper said: “Our customers can show their customers some of the things that are possible, that they might not be able to do themselves. “We are bringing these techniques to a wider audience, rather than to just an elite few who can afford to make those big investments in the equipment required.” The Creative Box costs £10, which is redeemable against orders for products from the range. However, Exaprint is currently running a limited-time promotion using social media and the sample pack is free to Twitter users who tweet a promotional message. For details visit www.exaprint.co.uk Exaprint launched onto the UK market in May. The firm offers a trade only outsourcing service to printers and designers, using its own sophisticated web-to-print tools. Only registered users see pricing. More than 500 firms have subsequently signed up with the service....

The company has issued a statement in which it said that difficult economic conditions and continuing structural change in the graphics industry, resulting in a reduced customer-base, had resulted in the group suffering “massive” revenue decline in the last four years. It also cited the strength of the Swiss Franc as a “detrimental impact on profit margins”. As a result it said that it is looking at a “fundamental restructure” of its global operations over the coming months, including the option to consolidate its two main sites, Zofingen and Felben in Switzerland, which “are not operating at sufficient capacity”. A decision is expected in the next few months. In September last year PrintWeek revealed that the family-run business, which employs around 2,500 worldwide, was in the early stages of moving away from a local operating structure, with its 40 global subsidiaries to be grouped under eight regional divisions. Under the new structure Muller Martini UK will be grouped with the Northern Europe division, headed by the former Muller Martini Benelux managing director Dirk Deceuninck, to whom around 100 staff will report. As a result Müller Martini UK managing director Andreas Schillinger departed the company in November. In its latest statement regarding the restructure the company said: “The aim of the reform is to preserve the company’s future role as a leader in the shrunken global graphics industry through innovative printing and print finishing products together with a high-quality customer service, and to put the company on a sustainable and future-oriented foundation. “In addition, Muller Martini must adapt the size of the company to a scaled-back market to enable it to continue investing in future-oriented product developments.” The firm has manufacturing facilities in Switzerland, Germany, China and the US that produce a range of post-press equipment and narrow-web presses. It also offers an advisory facility across its global network, MM Services, which it markets as a comprehensive customer support and advice service. Group chief executive Bruno Müller said: “In order to survive in strong shape, we cannot avoid the need to operate on a smaller scale. “However, by concentrating our forces, we will do our utmost to continue to intensify the comprehensive advice we provide to our customers on new investments and in particular in the service area. “Our sales and service network regionalisation program, which was initiated last year, gives us a good starting point in this context.” A source close to the company said: “Scary times for many at Müller Martini. This is a difficult one to turn around and to put on a secure footing.”...