Four years of intense cooperation on digital converting result in the full integration of development and distribution activities

At the closing of its very successful participation to drupa 2008, EskoArtwork today announced the signing of a Letter of Intent regarding the acquisition of Mikkelsen Graphic Engineering, Inc. (MGE), the industry reference in vision controlled finishing solutions for cutting tables in the sign-making, screen-printing and digital printing marketplaces. The transaction, for which no financial details will be disclosed, is expected to close by end of July 2008.

MGE is the developer of the patented i-cut® vision system. Its i-script™ workflow has become the de-facto international standard through its integration into the RIPs of all major digital flatbed presses. MGE also is EskoArtwork’s distributor for the Kongsberg i-XL and i-XE digital converting tables into the US sign & display markets since 2004.

“EskoArtwork and MGE started their close cooperation in 2004 with the integration of MGE’s i-cut vision system onto our Kongsberg digital converting tables”, comments Carsten Knudsen, President and CEO of EskoArtwork. “The resulting i-XL and & i-XE digital finishing systems have seen great success in the market, with today over 350 such systems installed and operating worldwide. The rapid adoption of digital printing devices by the producers of signs and displays is accelerating the demand for our products, as we could very well witness during this drupa. I am extremely pleased to extend our partnership with MGE, now working as one team to deliver even stronger solutions to our customers.”

“It's not just accurate cutting anymore that drives profitability, it's the addition of workflow capabilities that increases the competitiveness of our user base”, observes Steen Mikkelsen, Owner and President of MGE. “Mikkelsen Graphic Engineering prides itself on excellent customer service, technical support, and in providing the best possible solutions for its customers and partners alike. By fully aligning our development and distribution efforts with EskoArtwork’s hardware and software technologies and global sales and support channels we will be able to bring even more attractive and performant converting systems to the digital printing and sign & display markets.”

MGE’s operations will be organized as a strategic business unit within the EskoArtwork structure under the leadership of Steen Mikkelsen.

About Mikkelsen Graphic Engineering

MGE began in the mid-eighties as Sign-Tronic USA and changed its name to Mikkelsen Graphic Engineering in 1996. In the past, MGE was a distributor of Zund cutting machines. In late 2004, MGE partnered with EskoArtwork to bring about a more rugged and powerful multi-purpose digital cutting system for the Kongsberg product line.

As a software developer, as well as a distributor, MGE is constantly trying to integrate the best digital cutting systems into solutions for all of its varied customers' needs.

MGE has grown from a 6 person company in 1996 to a 38 person company today. It has corporate office in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and sales offices located in California, Arizona and Germany. The company has also successfully established a network of international OEM, distribution and marketing partnerships with more than 25 leading RIP and printer developers, creating a strong and growing distribution channel as well as complete workflow solutions from design through most wide format RIPs to the printers and over a dozen different manufacturer’s cutters.