MacDermid Graphics Solutions

What MacDermid Graphics Solutions does

MacDermid Graphics Solutions manufactures flexographic printing plates, sleeves, and platemaking equipment for the global packaging and label printing industry. The product portfolio spans the nyloflex and nyloprint plate families, rotec sleeves and adapters, the Thermoflex Edge 80 thermal imager, Catena and LAVA processing systems, and nylosolv solvents, providing an integrated consumables-plus-hardware workflow for flexographic converters. The company operates five production sites across Germany, Belgium, and the United States, supported by three technical centers, twenty warehouses, and twenty-nine sales offices spanning more than eighteen countries, with 800+ employees. End customers are primarily flexible packaging converters and tag and label printers serving FMCG, corrugated, carton, and adjacent packaging segments, supplied through an enterprise B2B go-to-market with quote-based contracts and multi-year framework agreements.

The business was acquired by XSYS from Element Solutions in 2025 for approximately $325 million and is now privately held under a Lone Star affiliate, with Dr. Alexander Unterschütz serving as CEO. Under new ownership, the company has pursued a strategy of product renewal (Thermoflex Edge 80, rotec Core X, nyloprint DLE 60 S), sustainability positioning (CDP disclosure, Sustainable Solutionz plate recycling partnership), and workflow integration (Hybrid Software CLOUDFLOW), while introducing a dual-region manufacturing strategy to address tariff and supply-resilience requirements from converters. Revenue mechanics are anchored by recurring plate and sleeve consumables, with hardware (imagers, processors) providing upfront margin and embedding the consumable base.

Name

MacDermid Graphics Solutions

Legal name

MacDermid Graphics Solutions (operated by XSYS)

Website

https://macdermidgraphics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flexographic Printing Plates & Equipment

NAICS

Printing and Related Support Activities (3231), Support Activities for Printing (32312)

SIC

Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555)

akta.pro primary industry

Prepress, Plate-Making & Artwork Services (IMALAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Flexible Packaging Printing (Film/Poly/Paper Print) (IMALAKAG), Corrugated & Case Printing (Preprint/Postprint) (IMALAKAI), Folding Carton & Paperboard Packaging Printing (IMALAKAH)

Keywords

• Flexographic printing plates
• Photopolymer plates
• Letterpress printing plates
• Flexo plate equipment
• Printing plate sleeves

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Revenue model

1. Printing Plates: High-performance flexographic and letterpress photopolymer plates including nyloflex and nyloprint brands for packaging, labels, and specialty applications
2. Sleeves & Adapters: Precision-engineered rotec sleeves and adapters for plate mounting and flexographic press applications
3. Plate Processing Equipment: Imaging equipment (Thermoflex imagers), thermal processors (LAVA), Catena exposure systems for platemaking workflow automation
4. Washout Solvents & Consumables: nylosolv washout solvents for photopolymer plate processing. Optimized formulations for faster washout, minimal swelling, shorter drying times
5. Technical Services: Technical service, FlexoExpert support, rotec RUSH Program for expedited delivery, equipment service and maintenance

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MacDermid Graphics Solutions manufactures and supplies an integrated portfolio of flexographic and letterpress printing solutions, including nyloflex photopolymer plates, nyloprint letterpress plates, rotec precision-engineered sleeves and adapters, Thermoflex laser imaging systems, Catena automated plate processing lines, and LAVA thermal processors. The company sells to packaging printers and prepress providers globally through direct sales offices, distributors, and a web shop, supported by technical service teams and innovation centers.

Product overview

MacDermid Graphics Solutions, now part of XSYS, offers an integrated portfolio of flexographic printing solutions. The core offerings include nyloflex® and nyloprint® photopolymer printing plates for flexo and letterpress applications; rotec® precision-engineered sleeves and adapters for plate mounting; Thermoflex imagers (including the new Edge 80) for laser plate imaging; Catena automated exposure and processing equipment; LAVA thermal processors for solvent-free platemaking; and nylosolv® washout solvents. The company operates 5 production sites in Germany, Belgium, and the US, with 800+ employees serving customers across Europe, Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Africa. Recent additions include the Thermoflex Edge 80 (fastest flexo plate imager at up to 15 m²/h), rotec® Core X press-specific adapters, and the Woodpecker surface screening technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• nyloflex®: High-performance flexo and letterpress plates for outstanding print quality, consistent results and efficient production across packaging and label applications.
• nyloprint®
• rotec®
• Thermoflex
• Catena
• LAVA Thermal Processors
• nylosolv®
• Woodpecker
• rotec® Core X

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 15 m²/h imaging speed - up to twice as fast as any other imager on the market
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments9 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ScorpiocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 12 June 2026Appointed as preferred distributor for Poland effective immediately. Establishes clear and unified go-to-market structure in Poland, replacing previous distribution arrangements.
• Hybrid SoftwarecoreTechnology or Integration · 20 April 2026Strategic collaboration announced to integrate Hybrid Software's Tectonics solutions with XSYS prepress workflow. The collaboration aims to enhance the integration between XSYS prepress solutions and Hybrid Software's workflow technologies for improved digital integration and customer efficiency.
• Sustainable SolutionzcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2025Patent-pending partnership for plate recycling technology. This collaboration addresses sustainability demands in the flexographic printing industry by enabling recycling of printing plates, reducing environmental impact and supporting circular economy initiatives.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DuPont (Cyrel): DuPont's Cyrel Solutions is the global market leader in flexographic printing plates and platemaking equipment, directly competing with nyloflex/Thermoflex across flexible packaging, label and corrugated segments.
• Asahi Photoproducts: Asahi is a leading manufacturer of flexographic photopolymer plates and solvent-free processing equipment (AWP), directly comparable to XSYS/MacDermid's plate and platemaking portfolio.
• Esko (Danaher): Esko provides prepress workflow software (Automation Engine), CDI imaging and flexo platemaking solutions, directly overlapping with Thermoflex imagers and XSYS's prepress workflow offering.
• Fujifilm: Fujifilm offers flexographic printing plates and digital platemaking solutions for the packaging industry, competing with nyloflex and nyloprint plates across labels and flexible packaging.
• Toray Industries: Toray produces water-washable and solvent-based flexographic printing plates, with overlapping product positioning to nyloflex and direct competition in flexible packaging and label applications.
• Kodak: Kodak's Flexcel NX system offers thermal imaging and flexo plate solutions comparable to Thermoflex imagers, serving the same packaging printer and prepress provider customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Flint Group: Flint Group is a major supplier of inks, coatings and printing consumables with historical flexographic pressroom exposure; it is the company from which XSYS was carved out and remains an adjacent incumbent in the value chain.

Emerging players

• Miraclon (Kodak spin-out): Miraclon develops thermal imaging and flexo plate solutions (formerly Kodak's offset plate business), with technology that intersects XSYS/MacDermid's Thermoflex imaging stack.
• Hybrid Software: Hybrid Software provides prepress and workflow software (Tectonics), and is now a strategic integration partner of XSYS/MacDermid—adjacent competitor and collaborator in the digital flexo workflow.

Regional players

• Marabu: Marabu is a European specialist in screen, pad and digital printing inks with pad printing plate exposure (overlapping with nyloprint DLE 60 S), focused on industrial and specialty printing applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/macdermid-graphics-solutions
• Xx.com/me_industrial
• Facebookfacebook.com/MacDermidIndustrial

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MacDermid Graphics Solutions