CRON, China’s Largest CTP Manufacturer, Forms Joint Venture with ECRM in North American Market

HANGZHOU, CHINA—September 24, 2014—Hangzhou CRON Machinery & Electronics Co., Ltd, China’s largest CTP manufacturer, today announced its entry into the North American graphic communications market by forming a joint venture company with ECRM Imaging Systems, a global leader in imaging technologies for the graphic communications industry. The joint venture company, CRON-ECRM LLC, will be headquartered in Tewksbury, MA. Rick Black has been appointed president and CEO of the new company, and Mike Xiang will be chairman of the board.

CRON-ECRM will serve as the master distributor in North America for CRON CTP systems and Blackwood, a new line of offset printing plates manufactured in China. CRON-ECRM will also be a future center for the research and development of new, high-quality prepress equipment that will be distributed worldwide. CRON-ECRM will be responsible for sales and service of CRON solutions and will partner with CRON in CTP development. The new venture will be key to completing CRON’s global strategy for distribution of high quality CTP solutions offering unique value to printers and publishers throughout the world.

Expanding the Global Footprint
“Having achieved a successful launch in Asia and Europe, CRON is ready to serve the needs of the offset print industry in North America,” stated Mike Xiang, chairman of the board of both CRON and CRON-ECRM. “We opened a regional office in Dusseldorf, Germany, in 2013 to better serve our customers in the European market. Partnering with ECRM in this joint venture, combining its competencies in design and manufacturing with those of CRON, is critical to our plans for continued global expansion. Future plans include establishing an engineering operation in North America to better support what we expect to be a dynamic market opportunity.”

According to Rick Black, chairman of ECRM and president and CEO of the new company, “ECRM has always had the prime objective of providing outstanding products, sales, and service for our graphic arts partners, and we found a partner in CRON with the same objectives. The synergies inherent in this collaboration with CRON will be in the best interests of our combined customer base, distribution partners, and the industry at large. For more than four decades, ECRM has delivered some of the most reliable, cost-efficient, and quality-oriented solutions in the printing and publishing marketplace. This partnership provides a unique opportunity to take that reputation to the next level by establishing CRON-ECRM as the industry leader in the North American prepress marketplace.”

CRON-ECRM at Graph Expo 2014
CRON-ECRM will be exhibiting at GRAPH EXPO 2014 in Booth #4404 in partnership with Graphic Systems North America (GSNA), exclusive distributors for RYOBI MHI. “We are pleased to be exhibiting with GSNA at the nation’s largest print show,” said Don Langston, senior vice president, CRON-ECRM. “It is the ideal platform for the launch of this exciting new and totally unique joint venture.”

Printers may sign up now at www.ryobi-group.com/graph-expo.html to schedule a personal, in-depth VIP demo of the RYOBI MHI 925 LED-UV press and experience the versatility of CRON-ECRM solutions.

About Hangzhou CRON Machinery & Electronics Co., Ltd.
Based in Hangzhou, China, Hangzhou CRON Machinery & Electronics Co., Ltd. (CRON) is one of the world’s largest CTP manufacturers with 3,000 installations worldwide. With more than 20 patents in its portfolio, CRON is an international leader in developing technologies for the graphic communications industry.

About ECRM
ECRM Inc. is a global leader in imaging technologies for the graphic communications industry. For more than four decades, ECRM has successfully applied a broad range of optical, imaging, laser, and digital-electronics technologies to meeting the business needs of its customers. ECRM's Tewksbury, MA, facility is ISO 9001:2008 certified and is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards in research and development, design, manufacturing, service, and support. ECRM—Competing by Design.

Source: CRON and ECRM.