Editions   North America | Europe | Magazine

WhatTheyThink

Fiery to be Acquired by Epson

Press release from the issuing company

The wholesale purchase acquisition will preserve Fiery as an independent DFE provider and strengthen its industry leadership.

Fremont, California – Fiery, LLC (“Fiery”), the print industry’s leading innovator of digital front ends (DFEs) and workflow software, today announced that Fiery’s ownership has entered into an agreement with Seiko Epson Corporation (“Epson”) whereby Epson will acquire Fiery from Siris Capital Group, LLC (“Siris”, together with its affiliates, including Electronics for Imaging, Inc.) in a transaction valued at approximately $591 million.

Fiery’s industry-leading products have enabled the exceptional color, personalization, performance, and efficiency that print businesses have relied on for more than three decades. Fiery’s software, server, and workflow solutions will complement Epson’s strategic vision and hardware leadership to drive growth across a broad range of print devices and applications.

By joining Epson, a global leader in innovation, Fiery is better positioned to scale, drive innovation, and continue delivering cutting-edge solutions to its customers while maintaining its independence in areas where the company excels.

Following the consummation of the transaction, Fiery will continue to operate as an independent provider of DFEs and workflow solutions to empower OEM partners to deliver the best possible output from their devices and accelerate the development of digital printing around the world.

“Epson’s acquisition of Fiery showcases the uniquely important role we play in enabling success across the entire print industry,” said Toby Weiss, CEO of Fiery. “Fiery has a demonstrated track record of empowering OEM partners to deliver the best possible results for its customers, and we look forward to building upon this legacy with Epson and our valued partners. I’d also like to thank Frank and the entire Siris team for their invaluable guidance and expertise.”

“We are delighted to welcome Fiery into the Epson Group. We are confident that this agreement will not only drive further growth in our commercial and industrial printing businesses but also accelerate the digital transformation of the analog printing market in an innovative way,” said Yasunori Ogawa, President and Representative Director, Epson. “Together with Fiery, we remain committed to contributing to our customers’ success and enhancing corporate value as we pursue new opportunities in the evolving printing landscape.”

Siris acquired Fiery as part of Siris’s take-private acquisition of Electronics for Imaging, Inc. (“EFI”) in 2019. Under Siris’ ownership, Fiery separated from EFI in 2021 to become an independent company.

“Under our ownership, Toby and the Fiery team accelerated investments in innovative technologies and expanded the product portfolio for the benefit of their OEM partners,” said Frank Baker, a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Siris. “Epson is the ideal partner for Fiery’s next chapter, and we look forward to seeing how Fiery builds upon its leading position within the print industry moving forward.”

DC Advisory and UBS Investment Bank acted as exclusive financial advisors to EFI in connection with the sale of its interests in Fiery to Epson.

The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals and is expected to close within 2024.

Discussion

By Robert Godwin on Sep 19, 2024

I interviewed Toby at EFI Connect when the Fiery division became a seperate company. He had the vision then about the growth that was (and is) possible for the Fiery technology. I wonder if Epson can keep Fiery as a 'pure play' solution, or wil it (hopefully not) end up buried as an Epson printer add-on. Too many times a tech solution gets forgotten when it loses its unique identity. Challenges ahead.