DKSH : expands market for SOMA’s flexo printing presses in Japan

Media Release

DKSH expands market for SOMA's flexo printing presses in Japan

DKSH and SOMA Engineering have signed an exclusive distribution agreement to provide sales and technical services for its center impression flexographic (flexo) printing presses in Japan.

Tokyo, Japan, April 16, 2018 - DKSH Business Unit Technology, a leading Market Expansion Services provider for technology companies, and SOMA Engineering, a Czech manufacturer of printing presses, have signed an exclusive distribution contract to provide sales and technical services for its center impression (CI) flexographic printing presses.

DKSH has extensive experience in Japan for narrow-web, flexographic printing and related technical services. For SOMA, DKSH will now open the Japanese flexible packaging market with its wide-web flexographic printers. A special focus lies on the expansion into new segments, such as environmentally-friendly and water-based flexographic printing.

Founded more than 150 years ago in 1865 in Yokohama, DKSH today is a major contributor to businesses in Japan. The company is the country's leading Market Expansion Services provider with a focus on consumer and luxury goods, specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals and food ingredients as well as technology products.

Ladislav Verner, CEO and President of SOMA commented: "It is a great honor to work with a partner whom we can trust, while providing service support for our new and existing customers in the Japanese market, who are known for their strict requirements. We believe that DKSH Japan is an ideal partner for us as we launch our latest Optima Flexo Technology to provide unique and irreplaceable advantages to the printing companies and the wider market. We are also convinced that now is the best time for us to enter this partnership."

"We are very excited to have signed the agreement with SOMA for their business in Japan and we are honored to be able to introduce their flexographic presses to our customers. Furthermore, we believe that our partnership can contribute to the expansion of the flexographic printing market. With our experience and expertise in Market Expansion Services, we will help SOMA to build a successful business in Japan," added Michael Loefflad, Representative Director and President, DKSH Japan.

About SOMA

SOMA is a manufacturer of printing presses with its origins in a state-owned company founded in Czechoslovakia in 1890. The company, with approximately 300 employees, has manufactured various flexographic processing devices including slitter rewinders and laminators. In 1995, since launching its first CI flexographic printing press, the company has grown dramatically, acquiring a large share of the global market in certain printing products, particularly for flexible package printers, developing a strong reputation in Europe, Asia, and the United States of America.

About DKSH

DKSH is the leading Market Expansion Services provider with a focus on Asia. As the term "Market Expansion Services" suggests, DKSH helps other companies and brands to grow their business in new or existing markets. Publicly listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange since 2012, DKSH is a global company headquartered in Zurich. With 825 business locations in 37 countries - 800 of them in Asia - and 31,970 specialized staff, DKSH generated net sales of CHF 11.0 billion in 2017. DKSH was founded in 1865. With strong Swiss heritage, the company has a long tradition of doing business in and with Asia and is deeply rooted in communities and businesses across Asia Pacific.

DKSH Business Unit Technology is the leading provider of Market Expansion Services covering a broad range of capital investment goods and analytical instruments. The Business Unit offers total solutions in the areas of infrastructure, industrial materials and supplies, precision- and textile machinery, semiconductor, photovoltaic and electronics, agriculture, hospitality as well as specialized industrial applications. The service portfolio includes product sourcing, market entry consultancy, marketing, sales, application engineering and after-sales services like installations, maintenance and repairs. With 75 business locations in 18 countries and around 1,250 specialized staff, including 500 service engineers, Business Unit Technology generated net sales of CHF 404.2 million in 2017.

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