Epson is boosting its fledgling textile printing business with the acquisition of Italy-based textile printer manufacturer Fratelli Robustelli, a company best known for its award-winning Monna Lisa digital inkjet textile printer.

Epson says its purchase of Robustelli will assist the group’s development of digital inkjet textile printers for the Australian and wider global market.

Craig Heckenberg, general manager business division at Epson Australia says the acquisition is part of Epson’s strategic foray into textile printing, a market the group says is expected to grow at an annual rate of 25 per cent.

“The market for high-quality digital textile printing is expanding, and acquiring Robustelli puts us in a great place to meet the technology needs of the growing numbers of customers who are seeking to leverage the advantages of advanced digital solutions that will help drive their businesses forward,” says Heckenberg.

The group’s existing partnership with Robustelli dates back some 13 years ago, when both businesses jointly developed the Monna Lisa printer.

[Related: Abel Labels invests in Epson]

Robustelli co-owner Valerio Robustelli says, “Our cooperation with Epson led to the development of Monna Lisa, an industrial digital textile printer that is today a market benchmark for high-quality textile printing.”

“The combination of our respective skills is the natural conclusion of a process of innovation to satisfy customers in Italy and the rest of the world.”

Robustelli is based in Como, Italy and has been in operation since the 1952. It designs and manufactures machines and systems for the photo-engraving and fabric printing industries. 

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