Baldwin Technology Company Inc.—a world leader in providing process automation solutions, consumables and services for the print, packaging, textile and corrugated industries—has acquired QuadTech, Inc., from its parent company, Quad/Graphics. With this acquisition, Baldwin adds all of QuadTech’s highly regarded technology and strategic locations across the Americas, Europe, China, Japan and India.
QuadTech is a global leader in the design and manufacture of control systems that help commercial, newspaper, packaging and publication gravure printers improve their performance and productivity. Headquartered in Sussex, Wisconsin (USA), QuadTech maintains a worldwide network of sales and service operations, and sells automated systems in more than 100 countries.
Baldwin will strategically unite QuadTech with two of its existing divisions—Web Printing Controls and PC Industries—creating a global platform that will operate as Baldwin Vision Systems. The resulting combination of businesses and technology will represent the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio available for print process automation, inspection and related services. Karl Fritchen, current QuadTech President, will lead the new Baldwin segment, which brings together the best and brightest global talent and capabilities in the industry. Product technologies will span closed-loop automation for registration, inking, colour management, web handling and 100 percent inspection for the commercial, newspaper, labels, packaging, converting and publication gravure industries.
“The combination of products and expertise held within both companies will enable us to reach areas of the market we were unable to reach individually,” commented Fritchen. “From an international operations and market perspective, each party’s strengths are highly complementary. This is definitely a situation where we can accomplish much more together than we could have as independent companies.”
“QuadTech will serve as a catalyst for the formation of our new Baldwin Vision Systems segment, which will greatly enhance Baldwin’s ability to provide an even more comprehensive automation portfolio for our customers around the world,” said Brent Becker, President and CEO of Baldwin. “Together, we provide our customers an unmatched portfolio in commercial and newspaper automation, and I am very excited about the additional capabilities we will gain in the packaging markets. The work QuadTech has done recently on colour within the packaging market clearly places us as the industry leader, and we have aggressive plans to build upon that position. I fully expect that our combined global presence, coupled with a new tiered product offering, will position the company to further satisfy our customers’ needs in an even larger geographical area.”
QuadTech is Baldwin’s fifth acquisition since joining the BW Forsyth Partners family of companies in 2012, and the fourth completed in 2017.
“We are thrilled to partner with the QuadTech team, as this investment underscores our continued commitment to a strategy that blends organic and acquisition growth to enhance our global footprint, advance the technology and service we can deliver to our customers, and cultivate our unique culture of care and collaboration,” said Kyle Chapman, Founder and Managing Director of BW Forsyth Partners. “We will continue to support Baldwin’s strategy execution, as the team seeks opportunities to expand the company’s reach into new industries and new geographic markets, increasing solutions for customers.”
Baldwin Technology Company Inc. is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of process-automation equipment and related consumables for the printing, packaging and other industrial segments, including technical textiles, chip and fibreboard, and film extrusion. Through our global footprint, Baldwin offers our customers a broad range of market-leading technologies, products and systems that enhance the quality of industrial-produced products, with a focus on improving the economic and environmental efficiency of the production process. As a total solutions provider, Baldwin not only offers new equipment to our customers, but also dedicates extensive resources to maintaining and servicing existing equipment. Baldwin is privately owned by BW Forsyth Partners, a Barry-Wehmiller company.
BW Forsyth Partners is the investment arm of multibillion-dollar global manufacturing and engineering consulting firm Barry-Wehmiller. Established in 2009, BW Forsyth Partners blends Barry-Wehmiller’s unparalleled legacy of value creation and people-centric culture development with keen investing experience to help companies realize their true potential. With a focus limited to areas known well, BW Forsyth Partners seeks to partner with leadership teams to acquire small- to middle-market companies in the capital and component equipment, and professional services sectors. In each of our operating companies, BW Forsyth Partners deploys operational improvements and strategy development without compromising the autonomy, strategic vision and entrepreneurial spirit of their leadership teams.