Wise Sgr, a private equity fund management firm, has created a new holding company, Imprima SpA, dedicated to development and innovation in the textile printing and finishing sector.
In its first action, Imprima has acquired 100 percent of the German finishing and textile printing company KBC and Italian printed-fabric firm Guarisco, and said it is preparing for acquisitions in Italy and abroad.
Imprima, based in Milan, is funded by a pool of financial investors led by Italian private equity fund Wisequity IV, managed by Wise Sgr, a company that has already supported the development of other successful companies in the textile supply chain.
Imprima aims to establish itself as a preferred partner for brands and retailers with a business model centered on the concepts of financial, industrial, social and environmental sustainability.
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The textile printing industry today is worth about 20 billion linear meters and is growing at a compound annual rate of 2.5 percent, according to Imprima. The digital component of this sector, which today represents only 3 to 4 percent, continues to grow at an annual rate of 20 percent and is expected to reach two billion meters by 2020.
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Thanks to the acquisition of KBC and Guarisco, Imprima starts out with an international outlook that makes it competitive in the market, which will be reinforced in the coming months with additional acquisitions in Italy and abroad, taking care to maintain best practices in terms of quality and service and the business identity of each company, Imprima said.
Leading the new company will be Paolo Gramaglia and Chiaretto Calò, who share the role of co-chief executive officers, assisted by vice president Gianluca Boni and chief financial officer Giovanni Lorato.
“We started with two milestones in the industry — KBC, a company with more than two and a half centuries of history that is characterized by a refined and distinctive design and creative heritage and positioning, and Guarisco, an Italian family company, dynamic, young, known for design that rapidly transposes the fashion factor to bring it to the world of fast fashion,” Gramaglia said.
More than 30 million euros, or $32.5 million at current exchange, are planned for investments in technology and an acquisitions program.
“There are industrial solutions, but their adoption on a global scale requires volumes, capital, human resources and management that is in an advanced stage of the necessary learning curve, all elements that we have collected at Imprima and its subsidiaries,” Calò added.
The management will act in coordination with Valentina Franceschini, partner of Wise Sgr and president of Imprima, and Gianluca Boni, a director of Wise Sgr.
Marco Guarisco and associate Andrea Moretti will remain in all operational effects in their current positions at Guarisco. The ceo of KBC, Henri Rowienski, will also continue to lead the German company.
Calò has more than 20 years of experience working in various positions of responsibility with a particular focus on strategic marketing, product innovation and global commercial operations. His industry experience included European marketing manager for Unilever, global business development director for Invista, and managing director of Miroglio Textile.
With a special focus on corporate strategy, industrial operations and finance, Gramaglia has experience in the textile industry, working for multinationals in the sector. This includes several executive posts at Miroglio Group and chief operating officer for French clothing brand Sinequanone.