JAPAN/GERMANY– On June 24, 2019 Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (Toppan) announced that it has signed an agreement with Wrede Industrieholding GmbH & Co. KG (Wrede) to acquire 100% of Interprint GmbH (Interprint).

It is expected that the transaction will be consummated by the end of 2019 as soon as merger control proceedings have been completed.

Toppan, headquartered in Tokyo, will further strengthen its leading position in the global printing industry with the acquisition of Interprint. Toppan is committed to expanding its global market with the aim of achieving a 30% overseas sales ratio. The transaction accelerates its international expansion strategy in the décor printing market together with Spanish Decotec Printing S.A., acquired in 2017, and Toppan Interamerica Inc.

“With both companies together, we are confident that we will bring outstanding value to the industry globally,” said Norio Yamanaka, Director & Managing Executive Officer of Toppan’s Environmental Design Subdivision.

“We are excited about Interprint’s benchmark décor design expertise as well as its exceptional and long-standing customer relationships. It will be the foundation for our future expansion not only in Europe, but also through the rest of the global market,” said Hideo Yoshikawa, CEO of Toppan Europe GmbH.

Interprint will become a part of the Toppan Group. The well-established Interprint brand name will be retained and serve as an umbrella for Toppan’s décor printing activities outside of Japan.

“Over the last 50 years, Interprint has had an outstanding track record in business thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of its management team. Our decision to choose Toppan as a strategic investor is a signal to all employees and customers worldwide that Interprint will continue to be a trusted partner now and in the future,” said Michael Sindram, Managing Director of Wrede Industrieholding.

“We are pleased to have achieved our top priority of finding a financially strong and reliable new shareholder for Interprint. I am convinced that with Toppan by its side, Interprint is well-positioned to continue its success story of international expansion,” said Thomas Wrede, Chairman of the Advisory Board.

Toppan Printing Co., Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, was established in 1900 and is a leading global provider of integrated solutions in the fields of printing, communications, security, packaging, décor materials, and electronics. Serving customers in every sector of business and industry, Toppan’s global team of more than 50,000 employees offers optimal solutions enabled by industry-leading expertise and technologies to address the diverse challenges that businesses and society face in today’s rapidly changing market. With approximately 12 billion EUR or 13 billion USD in annual sales.

Wrede Industrieholding GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Arnsberg, Germany, consolidates the industrial activities of the Wrede family of entrepreneurs. With a global workforce of more than 2,000 employees at ten production plants, the group generates almost 500 million euros in revenue. On December 2018 Wrede Industrieholding announced it had decided to search for an investor or new partner for its “Decorative Surfaces” division: Interprint.

Interprint GmbH, headquartered in Arnsberg, Germany, was established in 1969 and is one of the world’s leading décor printers with 1,300 employees and 8 production sites in Germany, the United States, Poland, Malaysia, China, Russia and Brazil. In 2018, Interprint Group generated approx. 350 million euros in revenue, providing the furniture and flooring industries with more than 1.1 billion m2 of sustainable and innovative surfacing solutions.