Ricoh has purchased German colour management software specialist ColorGate, the latest move in the manufacturer's strategy to boost growth by expanding its product portfolio.
According to Jonny Rumney, NSW state manager at ColorGate distributor Celmac, the move will help ColorGate expand its footprint with the backing of a much larger company. "I’m quite close to the owners of ColorGate, I’ve known them twenty years, and they’re really excited about the whole thing. They sold the business to make it bigger and better – long-term, it’s going to be good," said Rumney. "It seems like a logical step for both parties, especially in industrial print where they’re both important players."
The deal adds ColorGate's colour management technology to Ricoh's stable of industrial print solutions, which Peter Williams, corporate vice president and general manager of commercial and industrial printing business group at Ricoh, says will reinforce the manufacturer's value offering. "By combining ColorGate's proprietary software technology with our own industrial printers, Ricoh will provide solutions covering the whole printing workflow from pre-press to post-press," he said.
"This acquisition will enable ColorGate to expand its industrial printing business and global presence as together we become better able to support our customers to accelerate their transition from analogue to digital based production."
Thomas Kirschner, co-founder of ColorGate, says he is looking forward to continuing to serve as its CEO once the transition is complete. "We are delighted to have been selected by Ricoh to contribute to this strong future growth strategy whilst we continue to serve our established customer base, OEM partners and reseller channel," he said.