Esko and Artwork Systems Will Combine Operations

The three principal shareholders of Artwork Systems Group NV have agreed to sell their shares in Artwork Systems Group to Esko, which is headquartered in Gent, Belgium. The resulting new entity will have estimated 2007 revenues in excess of $247 million and a combined workforce of close to 1000 employees.

'The combination of Esko and Artwork Systems is a significant milestone in the consolidation of suppliers to the printing and publishing industry,' says Carsten Knudsen, currently the CEO of Esko-Graphics A/S, who will become the CEO of the combined group. 'Especially in the packaging segment, bundling the expertise, products and customer networks of both companies creates new and exciting opportunities for supply chain partners to improve collaboration and facilitate integration. Our attention now goes first and foremost to protect our respective customers' investments into our solutions, and to work closely with them to respond to their future requirements.'

Artwork Systems, developer of software solutions for prepress, has offices in Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The company also owns Enfocus, which produces PDF and production-automation technology and products.

Esko creates solutions for the packaging pre-production industry, including the Esko Software Suite, Esko Kongsberg cutting and creasing tables; and Esko CDI computer-to-plate systems for flexo plates and sleeves. Owned by the Danish private equity fund Axcel, Esko has r&D and manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Czech Republic.

ARTWORK SYSTEMS
www.artwork-systems.com

ESKO
www.esko.com