Nordson UV buy takes Baldwin into new curing markets

Baldwin Technology is to buy Nordson’s graphic arts UV business in a deal expected to be completed by the end of this month. The two had worked together for a number of years and Baldwin president and chief executive Karl Puehringer says the deal is a logical step in that relationship. “Adding UV capabilities to the Baldwin product portfolio is exciting, because the technology is complementary to Baldwin’s, and it will enable our customers to partner with a single source for both infra-red drying and UV curing on both offset and digital printing.” Baldwin says it will trade under its own name and the Horizon and Primarc brands, under which Nordson had developed a strong presence in the graphic arts market segment. “Demand for UV applications has been growing in both traditional offset printing and the expanding digital inkjet space, due to the variety of finishes and special effects UV curing provides, the instant curing ability, improved quality of the printed product and the environmentally-friendly absence of VOC emissions,” says Puehringer. “Nordson’s consumables (UV lamps and parts) and service business also helps Baldwin carry out its strategy of expanding its recurring revenue, adding uniformity to revenue expectations. The acquisition expands our broad product range to further leverage our global presence to deliver value to our customers around the world, and UV curing in the ink jet printing sector will accelerate Baldwin’s expansion into the faster-growing digital market.” The Nordson UV business will bring 79 employees based at their Slough, England headquarters operation, the Horizon Lamps manufacturing location, and in sales and service operations in other locations around the world.