Tecnau, increasingly known for its developments in inkjet web finishing, has acquired inserting systems maker Sitma.

The Italian company says the deal will expand the product and services offering for direct mail and transpromo markets, and take it into sustainable packaging for books, e-commerce and parcel sorting for intralogistics.

The global entity will have more than 370 employees and revenues above US$100 million, based on 2022 figures.

Combined direct subsidiaries extend its reach to the US, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Singapore and Japan, in addition to its global distribution/agency network.

Tecnau has acquired “all operating activities” of Sitma Machinery, which was founded in 1965, and has its head office in Spilamberto outside Modena. It is known in the newspaper industry as the maker of collating, inserting, addressing, paper and poly wrapping systems.

Tecnau chief executive Stefano De Marco says Sitma has a long history in the graphics business with a very consolidated and high-performance product mix. “Over the last few years Sitma was able to diversify and apply its technical expertise to the fast-growing e-commerce business, developing sustainable, pack-to-size technological solutions as well as energy saving and low-running-cost parcel sortation systems.

“Tecnau endorses this strategy and will provide all the necessary support to retain and expand further the wide customer base in traditional segments and to broaden the portfolio and customer base in new growing areas. We’re of course very interested in possible synergies between these recent Sitma innovations and Tecnau’s new automation and packaging division”.