12 | Regulars / NewsNewsInovar secures investment from Kelso & CompanyInovar Packaging Group, a full-service provider of pressure-sensitive labels, shrink sleeves and fexibles packaging, has announced that funds managed by Kelso & Company have acquired a majority interest in the company.Inovar was previously a portfolio company of AEA Investors. The existing management team, led by executive chairman and CEO Jeff Brezek, will continue to lead the Fujiflm Imaging Colorants expands in the UScompany and remain signifcant owners alongside Kelso. Fujifilm Imaging Colorants opens facility in DelawareArden Software expands Fujiflm Imaging Colorants has opened its frst of two new facilities in New Castle, operations in AsiaDelaware dedicated to the production of aqueous ink inkjet dispersionsThe packaging software frm has relocated its The New Castle site is Fujiflm’s frst dispersion manufacturing facility in the Asian arm of the business from the former US. The new facility, a $19M USD investment, will create more than 21 new offce in Delhi, India, to larger complex in professional, managerial, engineering and skilled labor jobs. The newly-added space, Hyderabad, India, marking the next stage of at approximately 8,100 sqft, includes state-of-the-art manufacturing and process the company’s global expansion plans.control equipment, adding to the current 40,000 sqft of occupied manufacturing Arden Software, headquartered in space at the site, which employs 90 people. Manchester, UK, specializes in CAD and CAM Fujiflm’s high purity reactive dispersant (RxD) pigment dispersion products are software for the print and packaging sector.important to the development of aqueous inkjet inks for a variety of fast-growing The company now employs more than 60 inkjet markets, including packaging, textile, and commercial printing. They use people around the world and has offces in a proprietary cross-linking technology to lock each pigment particle in a secure the UK, Denmark, Germany, India and the US.polymer cage, resulting in a highly stable dispersion that enables the design of ink formulations that can meet demanding performance requirements. Digimarc partners with Fujiflm supplies aqueous inks to digital printer OEMs and RxD pigment dispersions to ink formulators.Sealed Air In addition to this new facility, the construction of a second facility, which will The two companies partnered to bring add 11,000 sqft of new operational space to the overall site, began this spring and is product digitization to markets like food expected to be operational by summer 2023. Upon completion, the two plants will proteins, e-commerce fulfllment, industrials, double Fujiflm’s production capacity of pigment dispersions in the U.S. to meet the and consumer goods at scale through fast-growing demand for inkjet printing globally.smart packaging.Fujiflm leadership, employees and community partners were joined at the According to Digimarc, product digitization celebratory opening event with remarks given by the Lieutenant Governor of allows brands to maximize the value of every Delaware and the Mayor of New Castle, Delaware, and President of the Delaware package to deliver on consumer demands for State Chamber of Commerce.authenticity, sustainability, and personalized experiences. Read more on Page 71.Avery Dennison joins forces with WiliotAvery Dennison and Wiliot, one of the Internet of Things pioneers, have partnered to Labelco becomes part of create a new era of IoT that benefts people and the planet.Optimum GroupAvery Dennison will leverage its R&D capabilities and scale to design and manufacture second-generation Wiliot tags, stamp-sized computers powered by The addition of Labelco fts well within the Bluetooth that attach to any product or packaging to embed it with intelligence and European growth ambitions of Optimum connectivity to create more agile, proftable, and sustainable supply chains. Group and will expand its presence in In addition, Avery Dennison will integrate Wiliot sensing services (SaaS) with its Denmark. With the acquisition of 100 atma.io connected product cloud, enabling tag sensing information to be added to percent of the shares, the group becomes the end-to-end item-level data of a connected product. Both companies share a a player with large international customers vision for the future of the IoT, where almost everything is connected to the internet, which focus on food safety. Together with an ambition to help eliminate waste and provide unparalleled transparency and the group now consists of 18 member consumer connection. The partnership will help scale the manufacturing capacity of companies in the Netherlands, Belgium, Wiliot tags and leverage Avery Dennison’s market development, innovation, and ROI Germany and Denmark, with each company expertise to drive value and enable the company to deliver on large projects to some having its product and market combination. of the world’s largest retail, food, beverage, and pharmaceutical brands. labelsandlabeling.com