Xaar
www.xaar.co.ukSymbol: XAR.L
Currently trading at: 153p UP 5.00
Xaar plc was formed in 1990 to acquire, develop and commercially exploit a new digital inkjet printing technology arising out of work done in Cambridge by Cambridge Consultants Ltd. Initial funding came from local and national venture capital funds.
At the time of the acquisition, the IPR consisted of 4 granted patents and 84 patent applications in various jurisdictions. Xaar's business concentrated on licensing these patents and know-how to printer manufacturers primarily for use in office applications. Typical Xaar licensees are multinational corporations who manufacture large volumes of inkjet printheads for use in their own products, or for sale to OEM customers. Xaar has nine printhead licensees including Brother, Konica, Sharp and Toshiba TEC, and two ink licensees, Avecia and Toyo Ink. As a result of further development of the technology by Xaar there are now over 700 patents and patent applications in the Xaar IPR portfolio and the company continues to improve and expand this portfolio.
In October 1997, Xaar completed a successful listing on the London Stock Exchange. In March 1999 the company acquired MIT, an existing licensee, from Pelikan Productktions AG. Xaar's product portfolio has expanded considerably since then and the company now offers a range of digital inkjet printheads and inks. In order to support this augmented product portfolio and the increased demand for its products, Xaar has expanded its sales operations beyond Europe into Asia and the US, setting up offices in Hong Kong and Chicago.
In 2002 the company increased its focus on manufacturing its own range of digital inkjet printheads and relocated all of its manufacturing capability to its Swedish facility, leaving its Cambridge location to concentrate on research and development.
In early 2003 Xaar acquired the US-company Vivid Print Innovations Inc. Vivid brings Xaar an established integration team with a strong reputation for designing digital inkjet printing solutions for a wide variety of packaging, speciality graphics and industrial uses. The investment now enables to offer a 'one-stop shop' where customers can work with the Vivid team to develop bespoke or prototype printing systems from scratch using Xaar printheads.
In June 2003 Xaar introduced its first full production printhead incorporating its patented greyscale technology. The OmniDot 318 is manufactured in Japan by Xaar licensee Toshiba TEC and offers near-photographic quality printing with no compromise in speed. This product marks the next significant step forward for the industry and confirms Xaar as a market-leader in the innovation of digital inkjet printing.
Staff
 Ian Dinwoodie, Chief ExecutiveJoined Xaar in September 2001 as Group Operations Director and was appointed Chief Executive in July 2003. With over 20 years experience in hi-tech operations, he has held a variety of roles in engineering, quality assurance and manufacturing within the semiconductor, electronics and electronic imaging industries. He most recently worked as Director of Manufacturing for Fujifilm Electronic Imaging Ltd. |  Ramon Borrell, Research & Development DirectorRamon joined Xaar in August 2007. He was previously Program Manager and Technology Strategy Director in the Large Format Printing Division of Hewlett-Packard, where he spent 13 years in Barcelona, Spain, all of them in R&D. He was trained as a Mechanical Engineer and has a Master on Automotive Industry. Ramon is also Vice-President and Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Imaging Science and Technology Society. |
 Phil Eaves, Sales & Marketing DirectorPhil joined Xaar from Dainippon Screen, a world leader in electronic equipment for the graphics arts, flat panel display, printed circuit board and semi-conductor markets, where he held the position of Marketing Manager, Europe. Phil brings over 20 years of sales and marketing expertise across many sectors of the imaging and printing industries, and has held senior management positions at Scitex, Crosfield, and Xeikon one of the pioneers of digital printing. |
Contact details
Cambridge
CB4 0XR
United Kingdom
Tel. +44 (0)1223 423663
Fax. +44 (0)1223 423590
