Vinsak Group, a manufacturer and supplier of printing and packaging machines, has completed the acquisition of Rotatek, an European printing machinery manufacturer for labels, packaging, folding cartons, security printing, commercial printing, and pharmaceutical inserts headquartered in Barcelona, Spain.

The Vinsak group has been associated with Rotatek from 1996 to 2013 and then again from 2020 onward, having sold more than 100 Rotatek presses. In July 2023, the Vinsak Group acquired the productive unit, the patents, technical knowledge, and the team of Rotatek. In 2023, it was owned by a PE firm from Spain, which was able to run it commercially but could not invest in R&D, new software, and production methods.

The complete business transformation activity is being led by Gita Bajaj, group director of HR and business transformation, Vinsak. Post the acquisition, which was publicly announced at drupa, Rotatek is known as Rotatek Printing and Packaging Technologies SL.

Ranesh Bajaj, director, Vinsak, says, “We are proud that we absorbed all the employees and did not make even one person redundant. We are delighted that the core technical team of Rotatek is intact, offering their experience and technical knowledge to the world. They are successfully supporting more than 1,800 machines around the world, including some that are up to 30 years old.”

Speaking on sales, Bajaj said they have sold more than 100 Rotatek presses, including some with very complicated configurations. “For instance, we sold a machine with 17 units, which included offset, flexo, digital, screen printing, die cutting, and sheeting units all in one line to produce high-security products. This press was 120 feet long and improved productivity by five times. It reduced production costs of the end product by 40%.”

Vinsak has since been working on integrating Rotatek into the group’s business policies, ethics, and ethos. Vinsak upgraded Rotatek's systems and processes, both technical and commercial, and improved infrastructure both hardware and software. “We are strengthening our team and have added around 10 professionals to the company over the last eight months. This new and young talent will be mentored by the old team to take the company to the next level. We have added another 15,000 square feet of space to the existing 20,000 square feet to increase production capacity,” the company said.

Rotatek stand at drupa

Rotatek CEO Mario Gamez continues to lead the company by managing all the functions of the organization. He is also a shareholder in the new entity, thus confirming his confidence in the company as well as the future.

Vinsak's group CFO, who works out of the UK, is working on the financial aspects of the turnaround including European compliances.

“On the sales front, the global sales structure has been revived. Our close association with Rotatek Brazil will ensure a new thrust in the Brazilian markets. Our existing distributors in Germany, Italy, Portugal, France, and the UK have been retrained on the portfolio and they are generating new leads every week. We have new distributors in Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan to grow the market in the Far East. With the Vinsak group active in the Middle East, India, and Africa, we have the globe more or less covered. North America is the territory under development now and we are looking to appoint a distributor for the US and Canada,” Vinsak said.

On the technical front, Vinsak has a host of new developments planned. In 2024, the company will launch the Universal 850, claimed to be a game-changer in pharma and carton markets. The other universal models continue to offer excellent solutions for flexible packaging as well. In 2025 it plans to launch the new Brava Semi rotary press for labels, which will be fully revamped. Ths press will be displayed at LabelExpo Barcelona.”

The group will continue to listen to feedback from converters and label printers around the world and build bespoke solutions to enable converters to create the highest quality labels and packaging around the world. 

Two important focus areas for Rotatek are sustainability and security. The company is developing machines that produce excellent print quality while leaving behind minimal carbon footprint. Its security printing solutions provide governments and brand owners the ability to print sophisticated documents with security features. “Rotatek R&D is geared to enhance these printing features to address concerns of counterfeiting, imitation, and environmental degradation.”