Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

A world leader in the digital prepress, printing, semiconductor and flat panel display industries, Dainippon has committed itself to Inca’s existing business plans, which include a continued average staff growth of 25 per cent year on year.

The acquisition is the second major sale of a Cambridge inkjet firm abroad this year following Danaher’s £85.7m purchase of Linx Printing Technol-ogies in January.

The sale is the latest phase in the ongoing expansion of Dainippon Screen’s digital printing business. Inca is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dainippon; it will keep all existing staff and trade as Inca Digital, a member of the Dainippon Screen Group of companies.

Inca managing director, Bill Baxter, said: “As a firm backed by venture capital we have been looking for the right company with which to partner. Dainippon Screen is a great parent for us.

“We have been expanding pretty fast over the last few years and will continue to do so in Cambridge. Dainippon is totally supportive of our existing business plans, which account for staff growth of 25 per cent per annum.

“There is real synergy between us and the acquisition will enable us to develop profitable applications in totally new areas.

“Dainippon is a very large and well respected company.

“The work we’ll do is key to the future of printing and other businesses like printed electronics and RFID, those which rely on placing small amounts of liquids in very specific places.”

Akira Ishida, Dainippon Screen’s chairman and president, agreed, saying: “This is a highly strategic investment for us.

“The impact of digital inkjet technologies on the conventional print market is accelerating and Inca’s technology complements our existing digital imaging and printing products perfectly.

“Significantly, Inca’s expertise gives us access to important new markets in industrial printing and packaging.

“By combining Inca’s expertise in wide format inkjet printing, with Screen’s considerable experience in the media technology, semi-conductor and flat-panel display industries we can further strengthen and grow Inca and Dainippon Screen’s businesses, while working together to develop new applications across multiple sectors in the future.”

Inca Digital was formed in May 2000 – following a 30 year long Cambridge inkjet tradition – when it spun-out of Cambridge Consultants Ltd (CCL).

CCL has been the source of an entire world-leading cluster that includes Xaar, Linx, Domino, Xennia, VideoJet and Willett.

In 2001, Inca shipped the world’s first commercial digital flatbed printer and has since remained at the forefront of development in the wide format digital inkjet industry. It has grown from seven staff to 140 in five years, with a quarter of those dedicated to Research & Development.