Ergo Asia, the $100m print management company based in Australia, has been bought by Konica Minolta.

Konica Minolta says it is taking on Ergo to help it take the global lead in marketing print management services, and to complement its 2012 purchase of similar provider Charterhouse, which operates in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The deal has been driven by Konica Minolta in Japan. Eugene Cora, the Australian-based founder and CEO of Ergo Asia, says, “This is tremendously exciting news for us as we continue the geographic and service capability expansion.

“We are keeping our name and the senior management team are all staying. Our valued clients should not notice any changes to the day to day running of Ergo Asia.

“We are thrilled to join the Konica Minolta Group. They are well known in the industry for their integrity, commitment to clients and innovation.”

In 2012 the company’s sales grew by 29.8 per cent to $100.3m, with about 60 per cent of that from Australia, though most of its current growth is offshore. Ergo has a $25m a year contract with Coles, its biggest customer. In 2013 Ergo managed more than 1000 suppliers.

Ergo will continue running in its existing locations as a largely independent operation under Konica Minolta ownership; current management and the 180 staff will continue business as usual.

From its Australian headquarters Ergo has more rapidly growing concerns across the region in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and New Zealand.

Print management is a diversification away from technology for Konica. The company says it is looking to add value for print customers by offering new approaches and services to a mix of production (print, digital, displays, artwork) for marketing and sales.

It says demand for digital printing systems for production print is on the rise, and the company will benefit from strengthening its ties with production printers as a result of acquiring Ergo.

Ergo and Charterhouse have a history of collaboration, working on projects in the last two years. Gary Mahoney, CEO of Charterhouse, says, “Ergo and Charterhouse have similar cultures marked by a client-first mindset.

“This is a great opportunity for both organisations to leverage synergies from this acquisition and address client needs across the global market.”