Tokyo, Japan – Seiko Epson Corporation ("Epson") has announced that Group companies Fratelli Robustelli S.r.l. ("Robustelli") and For.Tex S.r.l. ("For.Tex") will merge.

Robustelli and For.Tex, located in the Como region of Italy, one of the world's great textile printing centers, are core Epson subsidiaries in the direct-to-fabric (DTF) textile printing sector. Robustelli develops and manufactures textile printers while For.Tex engages primarily in textile ink sales and support.

Epson sees textile printing as one of the most promising growth areas for its printing solutions business. Growth will be fueled by a shift from traditional plate-based analog printing to digital printing solutions. Epson sees substantial opportunity to leverage its inkjet technology to expand its business and is thus strengthening its textile printing product lineup and operations. The merger of Robustelli and For.Tex will integrate management and position them to provide even better need-based solutions for inkjet digital printers, consumables, and services. The merger is scheduled for completion by the end of 2020

The global textile printing industry is being challenged to accommodate consumer preferences for unique designs with short production runs, provide quick product delivery, and maintain traditional value while reducing its environmental impact. Epson's inkjet solutions can increase user productivity while shrinking their environmental footprint. These solutions enable short-run production, shorten lead-times, reduce environmental impacts and help to solve other issues faced by the textile printing industry.