Cary Sherburne will follow up next week with an in-depth interview

Acquisition Expands Capabilities and Brings Innovative Mass Customization Products to International Markets

SEATTLE – RPI (www.rpiprint.com), a leader in make-on-demand private label personalized photo books, greeting cards and stationery products for mass and specialty retailers, today announced the acquisition of Paro Group BV, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JP Media Group located in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

The acquisition, which includes the assets of Paro Printing and Paro Books, will benefit existing and potential customers by enabling them to expand their brand equity into new markets and geographies through a variety of quality, customized consumer products.

"Over the past 30 years, we have pioneered the mass customization industry by leveraging our consumer insight, creative product development expertise and developing the technology to manufacturer the highest quality personalized products for our customers," said Rick Bellamy, chief executive officer at RPI. "As mass customization continues to grow at an exponential rate, it requires state-of-the-art manufacturing technology and processes to remain agile as customers seek innovative, customizable and affordable products to meet consumer demand."

The acquisition brings together two leading innovators within the personalized consumer products industry. While both companies utilize lean manufacturing principles enabled by high-impact technologies, Paro Group brings a strong history in innovative manufacturing and process automation to RPI. Combining this expertise with RPI's superior product design capabilities will further enhance RPI's product offering and efficiencies, creating a stronger distribution mass customization platform to customers around the world.

As a recognized and respected name in the industry, RPI will transition the Paro Group brand, including Paro Printing and Paro Books. In addition, Paro's executive management team and more than 50 employees will now join RPI to become RPI-Paro, a wholly-owned subsidiary of RPI. Now, RPI-Paro will help eliminate economic and technology barriers, making it easier for brand owners to reach consumers in new markets and geographies using a single partner known for innovation, quality and efficiency.  

"We are very excited to join RPI," said Jan-Paul van den Hurk, owner and chief executive officer of Paro Printing. "RPI is committed to making strategic investments that spur continued innovation and provide long-term value for our customers while moving the industry forward. We are thrilled by the new possibilities and together we are poised to become one of the world's leaders in the mass customization industry."