GAE Agrees To Acquisition By Litho Supplies

The UK's Graphic Arts Equipment is to be acquired by finishing equipment specialist Litho Supplies following collaboration between the two companies.

That collaboration began before Ipex 2006 and included a joint venture to establish Shinohara UK last year.

Graphic Arts Equipment (GAE) will continue to trade as a separate entity, with its joint managing directors, Tony Hards and Bryan Godwyn joined by a Litho Supplies director on the board.

For Tony Hards it will be his first experience of life with a PLC business after a printing industry career that spans more than half a century, having begun as an apprentice compositor with the Dexion inplant, Krisson Printing, in 1956.

Hards joined the GAE sales team in 1965 and became sales manager in 1981 before leading the 1992 management buy-out of the company's equipment division.

He was responsible for agreeing the Horizon, Shinohara and Perfecta sales agencies in the UK that provided the foundation for growth of the business.

He commented: "This is excellent news for all concerned, none more so than our manufacturers and our customers.

Litho Supplies has a formidable sales network and shares the same customer-focused business philosophy as GAE.

Although we have achieved very good results in recent years, I fully expect this agreement to give us an impetus as more printers, at every level and in every sector of our industry get the chance to see just how good our products are." Both he and Godwyn have given their 'wholehearted backing' to the deal.

Bryan Godwyn, who became GAE's joint managing director in 2003 having served as finance director since the 1992 management buy out, added: "GAE's customer-facing activities are broadly complementary to those of Litho Supplies, so there are significant cross-selling opportunities.

Also, internally there is a fundamental synergy that can only help us to improve efficiency and become even more competitive.

It's a two-way street and we feel GAE brings some strong qualities to the table that will prove to be of benefit of the new operation." He explained: "For us this is a new beginning and a new challenge.

The quality and dynamism of our principals - Horizon, Perfecta and Durselen - and the partnerships we have developed with GBC, Renz, Toppy and Lasermax Roll Systems - has brought GAE in to the premier league.

We now feel we have the organisation and infrastructure to drive the business forward at this, the highest level.".

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