Smag takes on Aquaflex agency
Smag has announced a new partnership with Aquaflex (F.L. Smithe), a manufacturer specialized in flexographic presses for labels and flexible packaging.
In 2004, Aquaflex was acquired by F.L.Smithe, a manufacturer of envelope-making machinery. Aquaflex today employs 250 people, split between its plant in Duncansville, Pennsylvania, and an engineering office in Montreal, Canada. The US plant is fully integrated with in-house metalworking, sheeting, electricals, paint shop and assembly.
Commenting on the new partnership, Stuart Roberts, VP of F.L.Smithe, said: ‘After acquiring Aquaflex we first concentrated our marketing on North and South America. We didn’t want to take on the European market without having a competent partner able to operate Europe-wide. When we learned that Smag was ending its agreement with Gidue, it was a golden opportunity. Smag has good European coverage but for a start we will be concentrating on France and Italy. We plan to launch this operation in a big way with a stock of parts and a demo press installed at Smag’s plant by September 2008. A wide product range plus a favorable dollar/euro exchange rate will mean we can move into this market quickly.’
Stphane Rateau, CEO of Smag, commented: ‘This is really an exceptional opportunity. With Aquaflex we have an experienced partner making fully servo-driven machinery for both label and flexible packaging sectors, with web widths from 250 to 1000 mm. Smag will concentrate its marketing on the ELS series, for flexo printing/converting labels and flexible packaging in web widths from 200 to 420 mm, and the FPC series for flexo printing/converting flexible packaging in widths from 500 to 1000 mm.
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