Specialty chemicals group Altana has acquired overprint varnish specialist Schmid Rhyner, strategically expanding its Actega division.
Founded in 1880 and headquartered in Adliswil, Switzerland, Schmid Rhyner specialises in print finishing and sells its products in over 100 countries worldwide. It operates a subsidiary based in New Jersey, US. In addition to protecting packaging with high-quality matte and gloss coatings, Schmid Rhyner products achieve a variety of optical effects. The company also develops products for digital printing and has been involved in the development and commercialisation of the digital embellishment unit (DEU) integrated into the Gallus Labelfire hybrid press platform. Actega Metal Print is another part of Actega’s activities in print finishing, having acquired Landa’s Metallography technology and rebranding it as EcoLeaf. EcoLeaf will be formally launched at drupa 2020.
Actega division president Thorsten Kröller said, ‘With the acquisition of Schmid Rhyner, we strengthen our technology competence in this area. It enables us to open up new markets and application areas, especially in the fields of flexible packaging and digital printing.’
The strategic acquisition of Schmid Rhyner includes production, research and development activities in Switzerland, as well as the US-based subsidiary. Jakob Rohner, Schmid Rhyner CEO, commented, ‘Our team openly embraces the opportunity of becoming part of Actega. Schmid Rhyner will benefit from the broadened distribution channels for future growth.’
Altana CEO Martin Babilas said, ‘In acquiring Schmid Rhyner, we are continuing to systematically pursue the Altana strategy of generating value-creating growth through targeted acquisitions.’
Read the January/February 2020 issue of Digital Labels & Packaging for more from Actega Metal Print and EcoLeaf; register here to receive the magazine
