Stuart Fox has taken charge of the new-look Kongsberg business, following its acquisition by private equity company OpenGate Capital.

This has seen Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems (PCS) launched as a standalone business, targeting the ‘opportunity to innovate and expand the business’ into new markets.

Founded in Norway in 1965, Kongsberg was purchased by Esko (then Barco) in 1998. In December 2020, Esko agreed the sale of Kongsberg to private equity firm OpenGate Capital. The acquisition includes the original research and development facility in Kongsberg, Norway, and the production facility in Brno, Czech Republic, as well as the transfer of 400 former Esko employees. This has included several seasoned digital finishing experts, such as Mr Fox.

He commented, ‘This is truly an exciting day for everyone at the company. Since 1965, the Kongsberg name has been synonymous with innovation. Our systems have led the industry in delivering precision, reliability and quality through seven decades. Following the acquisition by OpenGate Capital, we will now focus on our future, and the next generation innovation and growth.

‘This is an opportunity for the Kongsberg team to realise its ambitions, and to explore new markets. We will be developing strategic initiatives to further innovate our digital finishing hardware and software solutions, as well as growing the Kongsberg brand beyond the packaging industry.

‘Whilst we are excited about the future, we are also committed to ensuring we honour our heritage. We have an incredible team of 400 people, many of whom have been a part of the Kongsberg family for more than 30 years.

‘The Kongsberg values that are important to our customers – the strength, the performance, the longevity of the machine – will endure. Sales, service, consumables and spare parts will all continue as usual. Customers will receive the same level of service during the transition and they can look forward to business as usual throughout 2021.’

Mr Fox concluded, ‘We will continue investing in our table technology, and in the coming months we will be showcasing the latest developments with our automation solutions.’