EFI is to prioritise technology investments in an effort to accelerate growth in its fast-growing industrial inkjet business, further driving the transition from analogue to digital printing.
Alongside industrial inkjet printing, EFI’s Fiery business will also have a renewed impetus following the sale of the company’s eProductivity Software (EPS) packaging and print productivity software business to an affiliate of Symphony Technology Group.
Whilst EFI and EPS will continue to collaborate with their joint customers and partners to ensure mutual success, this realignment will permit EFI to accelerate investment into its inkjet and Fiery business units, and capitalise on the growth opportunities available in existing segments the company serves, as well as drive expansion into markets that are beginning the transformation toward digital.
Jeff Jacobson, EFI CEO and executive chairman, commented, ‘We have never been more excited about the opportunity in the industrial inkjet markets and our ability to leverage Fiery, the leading digital front end (DFE) technology for digital colour printing, to continue to drive the analogue-to-digital transformation in all high-value segments of imaging – while increasingly serving new adjacencies including e-commerce, direct-to-garment, and other rapidly growing segments.
‘We are making significant investments to continue to be the clear leader in the packaging and corrugated, display graphics, textile, and building materials/decor markets.’
Mr Jacobson continued, ‘The potential of the high-growth industrial inkjet markets is the impetus for us to accelerate our investments in market-leading products and services that drive the analogue-to-digital transformation. Industrial inkjet imaging is one of the greatest opportunities I have seen in my 35 years in this industry. The sale of the software business provides our industrial inkjet and Fiery teams the focus that will best position them for success.’
Following the realignment, EFI is to make investments in R&D to strengthen its position in core markets while entering new categories, including the development of technologies to address new applications for the textile space and for packaging.
Scott Schinlever, chief operating officer and general manager, EFI Inkjet, said, ‘The future of print is digital, and this realignment further solidifies EFI’s technology leadership position and accelerates growing our innovation edge as a provider of the world’s leading digital printers for the packaging and corrugated, display graphics, textile, and building materials/decor markets.
‘This sets the stage for our customers to continue to produce more in less time, with less labour, at higher quality, with a reduced environmental impact, and will allow us to drive our level of inkjet knowledge and expertise into promising new market applications.’
Toby Weiss, COO and general manager of the Fiery business unit, said, ‘The Fiery portfolio of products incorporates world-class colour algorithms, advanced cloud technology, and many other best-in-class proprietary solutions that reduce production time and increase print quality. Working in close consultation with our partners, the investments we are making in the future of Fiery technology will foster even stronger solutions – including leading-edge cloud offerings through an EFI IQ suite of products that continues to help customers achieve new levels of automation, accuracy and profit potential in digital printing.
The new owner of EPS, STG, is a private equity firm that focuses on investing in software, data analytics, and software-enabled technology services companies. Its ownership will support EPS to deliver enhanced value to its packaging and print customers and accelerate global growth.
