Sonoco acquisition will drive ‘aggressive growth’
Speaking to FoodProductionDaily.com, James Cutting, sales director, Trident UK, confirmed the company had bought Imagelinx UK and Imagelinx Scotland for approximately $3.27m.
“Trident's intention is to grow the business,” he said.
“Imagelinx has cultivated fantastic clients and we feel the potential is enormous. Now that we are one business we are starting to get to know each other and to define our long-term growth plans.”
One-stop-shop
Imagelinx was founded in the 90s focusing on brand consistency and, later was one of the first companies to use internet based workflow tools to manage client packaging graphic workflows.
The two companies will act as a one-stop-shop for brand design, artwork and reprographics, production of mock ups, 3-D images and final print tools.
In addition, the firms will provide technical and process support on cost savings and improvements to brand innovation within their packaging chain.
David Keel, MD, Trident UK, confirmed Imagelinx services will in future be sold under the Sonoco Trident brand.
Similar brands
“This acquisition benefits clients of both businesses because it expands the breadth of our offering, the history and the cultures of the business are very alike and we are confident we will forge great relationships across all of the new sites,” he added.
Sonoco Trident’s clients include many recognized brands, such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Boots, Coca-Cola, The Body Shop, SC Johnson, McDonald's, Reckitt Benckiser and Philips, and in recent years has expanded its presence from its origins in the UK with sites in the US, Canada, Mexico, Singapore and China.
$50m revenue
It employs about 400 people globally and anticipates revenues greater than $50m annually.
“We want to keep growing as a business. With the acquisition of Imagelinx there is always potential for centralisation but this is not something we want,” said Cutting.
“The challenge for us is the industry is growing quickly and we want to grow aggressively. It is an exciting time because we are looking at global opportunities and managing brands on a worldwide basis. We have a global network and can leverage these relationships to take the accounts we have even further.”
