Japanese chemical and cosmetics company Kao Corporation has concluded a deal to acquire Spanish inks company Chimigraf Holding for an undisclosed sum. Located in Barcelona with around 180 employees, Chimigraf develops, manufactures and sells flexographic and rotogravure inks for package printing.

Kao said Chimigraf has a wide range of products and versatile ink designing technologies. Having developed a business centered in Europe, the company was now looking to expand its sales worldwide. In particular, it is currently focused on developing inkjet ink that is able to respond effectively to various printing applications, Kao said.

This work complements Kao’s work in developing what it claimed was the world’s first water-based pigment inkjet ink for printing on film materials used in flexible packaging. The newly developed ink is based on Kao’s pigment nano dispersion technology and is free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The acquisition, which will be executed through one of Kao’s European subsidiaries, is scheduled to complete in April 2017.