Brady Corporation acquires Brazilian label manufacturer

Brady Corporation, a provider of identification solutions and specialty materials, has announced that it has acquired Asterisco Artes Graficas Ltda (Etiquetas Asterisco) in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1980, Etiquetas Asterisco is a manufacturer of industrial high-performance labels. It specializes in custom labels printed on film materials for the electronics, automotive, pharmaceutical and other industries. With sales of approximately $7 million in 2005, the company currently employs 60 people.

‘Etiquetas Asterisco's excellent customer service and capabilities in high quality, custom, printed labels is a perfect match for our strategy of expanding our label offering,’ said Matt Williamson, president of Brady Americas. ‘This acquisition expands our capabilities in Brazil and allows us to offer a broader range of label types to customers there, as well as to existing Brady customers throughout Latin America.’

‘We are very pleased to be joining the Brady team. They share our commitment to exceptional customer service and high quality products, and can provide the resources to further grow our business,’ said Etiquetas Asterisco president Jose Roberto Pinto Ribeiro.

Brady opened W.H.B. do Brasil Ltda as a sales and marketing office in 1996, and established manufacturing in the region in 1998 with the acquisition of VEB Sistemas de Etiquetas Ltda. in Sao Paulo. In 2002, it expanded its operations in Latin America with a second manufacturing facility in Manaus, Brazil.