PCI Magazine Chief Editor, Kristin Johansson, interviewed Silvio Cimenti, Global Director of Branding and Marcom, on the recent launch of IM GROUP North America. Formed in Italy in 2021, IM GROUP is the holding brand of: Inkmaker, Rexson, Vale-tech, Swesa, Teko, Tecnopails and IEC+. With its combined strength the group offers integrated solutions across two business disciplines: dispensing and tinting and filling, mixing, and grinding for the industries of paint, coatings, ink, specialty-chemicals, adhesives, corrugated packaging, pharma, food, cosmetic, textiles, and more. 

PCI: Can you give a brief background of IM GROUP’s history? 

Cimenti: IM GROUP’s story begins in 1987 with the formation of Inkmaker srl, in San Gillio near the industrial city of Turin in Italy, to manufacture ink-mixing-and-dispensing machines.

By 2019, after several years of worldwide expansion, Inkmaker began acquiring brands that could complement its business; in October 2019 it acquired the businesses of Rexson Systems and Vale-Tech in the UK, followed by those of Tecnopails in Italy and then of SWESA in Germany by 2021, and within the same year, Teko Tinting and Engineering joined, as did the mechanical engineering firm, IEC+.

It was during this process that Inkmaker evolved into “Inkmaker Group”. In 2021 Inkmaker Group, rebranded as IM GROUP and is today a global technology leader and the parent of seven brands; Inkmaker, Rexson, Vale-tech, Swesa and Teko — specialize in various types of Dispensing and Tinting, whilst Tecnopails and IEC+ specialise in Filling, Mixing and Grinding. Below is a diagram of how the group’s business units align.

With the combined strength of its brands, and using industrial-automation (IIot) and its market-leading proprietary software, IMAESTRO, IM GROUP offers total process-engineering solutions that focus on its core-business; mixing and dispensing, predominantly, of color. 

The group manufactures a wide range of on-demand fully-automated dispensing systems and filling-lines, as well as process-engineering equipment through to complete turn-key plant projects for the industries of; paint, coatings, ink, specialty-chemicals, adhesives, corrugated packaging, food packaging, flexography, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, textiles and much more. 

In 2021, IM GROUP was recognized as one of the “Top 10 Chemical-tech solution providers in Europe” by Manufacturing Technology Insights, which was reported in over 30 of the world’s most prominent industry media.

Today, IM GROUP, with its brands, operates with its own staff and offices in over 15 countries across 5 continents and works with a list of Fortune 500 companies including Boeing, Sherwin Williams, PPG, Akzo Nobel, Avery Denison, International Paper, and Tetra Pak amongst others.

Most recently IM GROUP worked closely with the Business Development Board of Martin County (BDBMC), to select the ideal location, to relocate from its previous premises in Flemington, New Jersey. This new facility in Martin County, will now house IM GROUP’s sales, customer service support and assembly lines for the Americas.

PCI: What ws the driver behind opening this new North American headquarters in Martin County, Florida?

Cimenti: IM GROUP has been present in the United States, as Inkmaker, since 2013. However, the branch, based in New Jersey, had limited capabilities, and was functioning predominantly as a service canter and representative office. At the time all the manufacturing was being carried out at IM GROUP’s global headquarters in Italy and being shipped to the US, which was time consuming. As IM GROUP’s US client database grew there became an increasing need for larger premises, which could store more machines, to satisfy market demand quicker. Accordingly, the group restructured its existing companies and brands to accommodate for this expansion and the decision to expand in the US was reached.
 
As Christophe Rizzo, CEO of EMEA and Americas, IM GROUP explains, “Our new facility here in Martin County, marks a significant juncture for our group. The 2,500 sq.ft of factory space is now not only large enough to store more systems but to also manufacture machinery, which for our group, qualifies it for “regional headquarters status”; to cover North America, Canada, and Latin America.”

IM GROUP currently has three other such regional headquarters; Turin in Italy (the global headquarters), Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia for the Asia Pacific region, and Shanghai in China to cover Greater China.

PCI: Why did IM GROUP choose this particular location for its North American headquarters? What are some of the benefits of this area?

Cimenti: This site in Jensen Beach in Martin County, Florida is a strategic market position, between North America and Latin America, both important markets where IM GROUP is aggressively expanding its business. 

IM GROUP reviewed several locations; Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach counties, Charleston, S.C., and Charlotte, N.C., before settling on the location in Martin County. The site boasts a well-connected transport infrastructure. Seven deep water seaports, three international airports—Miami, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale—and an additional 12 commercial airports, which were amongst the winning criteria that distinguished it over its competitors. As Joan Goodrich, Executive Director of the Business Development Board of Martin County put it “…we are pleased to see that Martin County had that little extra “something” to beat them all, and that BDBMC’s commercial and geographical benefits outweighed the others.” 

Additionally, the location is in an industrial state boasting a workforce of over 380,000 employed in manufacturing industries, within Florida, and especially within Martin County. There is also a local pool of talent; local training schools, community colleges, and the universities are among the US’s top producers of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates, of which we at IM GROUP will be sponsoring internship programs for young STEM graduates at the Indian River State College (IRSC).

PCI: What are the objectives of the North American headquarters? In other words, what will it focus on?

Cimenti: Rizzo outlines, “IM GROUP’s North American HQ will focus on manufacturing the group’s latest systems and technology in the US, in accordance with US standards, aimed specifically at IM GROUP’s clients based in the Americas.” 

The new premises will house the group’s sales, customer service, and assembly lines for the Americas.
 
 “We have the facilities, the space, and a local team that is supported by IM GROUP’s global network of engineers, technicians and software designers and specialists, which have been visiting regularly in our setting up process here.” says IM GROUP’s new General Manager for the Americas, Enrico Mattiazzi, who’s responsibility it will be to lead the team in the US.

Our objectives here will be to:

• Increase our reach across North America, Canada and Latin America.
• Build our machines in the US, following US standards, for the US Market and to…
• Create awareness of the extent of IM GROUP’s portfolio of individual specialisations and global strength.