David Savastano, Editor08.22.12
As a global leader in the fields of value-added consumables and specialty equipment, Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) reaches a worldwide audience in numerous markets. In 2011, ITW's revenues totaled $17.8 billion, with more than half of these revenues generated outside of the U.S.
The announcement that ITW is collaborating with PragmatIC Printing by licensing PragmatIC’s unique imprinted logic circuit technology, enabling ITW to develop and sell novel printed electronics (PE) solutions, shows the growing interest in the possibilities of PE in areas ranging from security applications and brand identity to smart cards.
“We have been developing the relationship with ITW over the past year, so have had plenty of opportunity for us to understand their business and for ITW to understand our technology and its potential in their target markets,” said Scott White, CEO of PragmatIC Printing. “We are extremely happy that our technical and commercial approach has been validated by a company with the market presence and diversity of ITW.”
The project with PragmatIC Printing falls into line with ITW’s increasing emphasis on the fields of security and brand identity. With an eye on the areas of security, brand identity, card products, medical and high-/special-performance products and businesses, ITW recently formed its ITW Security and Brand Identity Group, a new 32-company organization that is even more concentrated and focused to serve these more sophisticated and growing market segments.
"The strategic alignment of these business units in this new ITW platform creates a sustainable competitive advantage in moving our innovation efforts forward, and will lead to further enhanced security and brand identity offerings from these companies that are joined together," said Nick Martino, group president, ITW Security and Brand Identity Group.
ITW’s centralized Group Technology function is aligned with the new Security and Brand Identity Group. The remaining 30-plus businesses that were previously associated with the Films & Foils and Label groups have now been coalesced into a new business group called Graphics & Coding.
Among the Security and Brand Identity Group businesses are CFC International, COVID Security, ITW Graphics, ITW Imagedata and ITW United Silicone which manufacture secure, functional and decorative films, coatings and foils products for consumer, industrial and major governments, to protect, authenticate & secure documents, financial transaction cards and major consumer goods brands.
ITW will combine PragmatIC’s imprinted logic circuits with decorative and security features, such as holographic or metallic foils and laminates, to enable a range of fully converted functional solutions across form factors such as foils, labels, inlays and packaging.
“The initial focus is on security (e.g. interactive visual features for brand protection or identity documents) and consumer goods packaging (e.g. brand promotion or intelligent functions in labels or cartons),” White said. “ITW has a significant presence via its established channels in these markets, as well as complementary components such as holographic foils.”
In addition, ITW will also join the collaborative PragmatIC Pilot Production Program (P4) as an integrator, working with PragmatIC’s other partners to ensure a complete and scalable supply chain for these solutions.
“This relationship strongly complements our other P4 partnerships, and we look forward to working closely with them to establish and scale the entire value chain for complete printed electronics solutions,” White said.
Bill Herring, group director of technology, said that the new Security and Brand Identity Group management fully embraces ITW’s PragmatIC relationship and goals.
“Scott and I recently conducted a series of visits and meetings with key general managers and marketing folks with specific businesses within the new group to discuss the many new potential projects,” Herring said. “Our near-term focus is to further flesh out and prioritize the series of targeted initiatives already identified.”
Mr. Herring said that ITW’s customers see real potential opportunities for PragmatIC’s technologies.
“We have continued our meetings with key customers across a wide array of markets and found the level of excitement and interest in participating quite high,” Mr. Herring said.
“PragmatIC's imprinted logic circuits enable interactivity and intelligence to be easily incorporated into flexible form factors such as labels and packaging,” White concluded. “However, complete solutions require integration with other technologies (printed and/or electronic and/or otherwise), and ITW is well placed to deliver these solutions based on our core technology. So the ultimate benefit for consumers and brand owners will be to start making the promise of printed electronics a reality, with a viable and complete supply chain for commercial roll-out of such solutions.”
“We have been developing the relationship with ITW over the past year, so have had plenty of opportunity for us to understand their business and for ITW to understand our technology and its potential in their target markets,” said Scott White, CEO of PragmatIC Printing. “We are extremely happy that our technical and commercial approach has been validated by a company with the market presence and diversity of ITW.”
The project with PragmatIC Printing falls into line with ITW’s increasing emphasis on the fields of security and brand identity. With an eye on the areas of security, brand identity, card products, medical and high-/special-performance products and businesses, ITW recently formed its ITW Security and Brand Identity Group, a new 32-company organization that is even more concentrated and focused to serve these more sophisticated and growing market segments.
"The strategic alignment of these business units in this new ITW platform creates a sustainable competitive advantage in moving our innovation efforts forward, and will lead to further enhanced security and brand identity offerings from these companies that are joined together," said Nick Martino, group president, ITW Security and Brand Identity Group.
ITW’s centralized Group Technology function is aligned with the new Security and Brand Identity Group. The remaining 30-plus businesses that were previously associated with the Films & Foils and Label groups have now been coalesced into a new business group called Graphics & Coding.
Among the Security and Brand Identity Group businesses are CFC International, COVID Security, ITW Graphics, ITW Imagedata and ITW United Silicone which manufacture secure, functional and decorative films, coatings and foils products for consumer, industrial and major governments, to protect, authenticate & secure documents, financial transaction cards and major consumer goods brands.
“The initial focus is on security (e.g. interactive visual features for brand protection or identity documents) and consumer goods packaging (e.g. brand promotion or intelligent functions in labels or cartons),” White said. “ITW has a significant presence via its established channels in these markets, as well as complementary components such as holographic foils.”
In addition, ITW will also join the collaborative PragmatIC Pilot Production Program (P4) as an integrator, working with PragmatIC’s other partners to ensure a complete and scalable supply chain for these solutions.
“This relationship strongly complements our other P4 partnerships, and we look forward to working closely with them to establish and scale the entire value chain for complete printed electronics solutions,” White said.
Bill Herring, group director of technology, said that the new Security and Brand Identity Group management fully embraces ITW’s PragmatIC relationship and goals.
“Scott and I recently conducted a series of visits and meetings with key general managers and marketing folks with specific businesses within the new group to discuss the many new potential projects,” Herring said. “Our near-term focus is to further flesh out and prioritize the series of targeted initiatives already identified.”
Mr. Herring said that ITW’s customers see real potential opportunities for PragmatIC’s technologies.
“We have continued our meetings with key customers across a wide array of markets and found the level of excitement and interest in participating quite high,” Mr. Herring said.
“PragmatIC's imprinted logic circuits enable interactivity and intelligence to be easily incorporated into flexible form factors such as labels and packaging,” White concluded. “However, complete solutions require integration with other technologies (printed and/or electronic and/or otherwise), and ITW is well placed to deliver these solutions based on our core technology. So the ultimate benefit for consumers and brand owners will be to start making the promise of printed electronics a reality, with a viable and complete supply chain for commercial roll-out of such solutions.”