05 Apr 2022
ICON Corporate Finance has advised on another cross-border deal with the sale of printing and packaging specialists, Edale, to Japanese giant, Canon.
Edale engineers and manufactures world-class printing and converting solutions for the label and packaging industry. The company has a long history in the flexo label industry and a strong reputation for its web transport and converting solutions for digital label production.
With 75 years of experience in the printing and packaging industry, Edale has developed award-winning British design and engineering expertise providing digital and hybrid solutions for the packaging industry. Edale exports 75% of its products and specialises in four distinct areas: Cartons, Digital Web, Labels and Finishing - all manufactured in its purpose-built facilities near Southampton.
Mick Asada, CEO, Canon Production Printing comments: “We’re excited by the enormous potential that will come from far closer co-operation, and confident that this will help to realise Canon’s ambition to become a major force for digital innovation in the packaging arena.”
Edale Chairman, Grahame Barker added: “We’ve experienced a period of exciting growth and I’m delighted that Canon will be that partner for the next stage of Edale’s development”. Grahame Barker will retire and the business will be led by the existing Edale management team under Managing Director, James Boughton.
Canon Production Printing develops and manufactures high-tech printing products and workflow software for the commercial printing market and is part of Canon, a global provider of imaging technologies and services. Canon Production Printing operates on 3 continents, with approximately 3,000 employees and has its Global Headquarters in Holland.
Brian Parker, Head of M&A at ICON who led the transaction, commented: “This is a great exit for Edale, which is enjoying strong growth due to the boom in e-commerce and its focus on sustainable packaging, and has world class British engineering at its heart. It’s a great time to be an owner of a UK technology company as we continue to see strong buyer interest from overseas. In fact, 8 of our last 10 exits have been cross-border transactions.”