The new year began with two significant supplier mergers reflecting both ends of the converting-equipment spectrum: heavy iron machinery and high-tech digital printing.

On Jan. 1., Hamburg, Germany-based machinery maker Maschinenfabrik Max Kroenert GmbH & Co. officially acquired Bachofen+Meier AG of Bülach, Switzerland. The Swiss company, specializing in systems for film/foil, paper and paperboard manufacturing, coating, laminating and processing, will continue as a business in its own right within the group parented by Kroenert.

Along with newcomer BMB, the Kroenert group now includes Kroenert Corp. in Cedar Rapids, IA, and Drytec, an industrial dryer manufacturer based in Hamburg-Norderstedt, Germany.

In the future, the core business of Kroenert and BMB will comprise paper, plastics and foil upgrading and lamination, as well as a finishing division for paper and paperboard coating.

On Jan. 2, Netanya, Israel-based Scitex Vision Ltd. closed a deal uniting its business with Aprion Digital Ltd. The two companies are market leaders in hardware and software for industrial digital printing.

The combined business will operate as Scitex Vision, while the name Aprion will be used for its piezo drop-on-demand technology (formerly called MAGIC). Products using the technology will carry a "Powered by Aprion" logo.

The company benefits from Aprion Digital's core technology, R&D capabilities and Scitex Vision's global distribution, service and support networks. It will be headquartered at the former Aprion premises in Netanya and occupy more than 107,000 sq ft.

Scitex Vision plans to expand its line of inkjet-based products to strengthen its pioneering position in the packaging digital-printing market. Aprion products are represented in the US by Belcom North America Group LLC, Bellwood, IL, which specializes in digital printing and finishing equipment for the corrugated packaging and display markets.