HONG KONG--()--SML group’s continuous expansion of its RFID ViziT programs reached another milestone with the announcement of its July acquisition of a controlling interest in Carolina Graphic Press (“CGP”) in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. The company has now become a part of the SML group.
Founded in 1988, CGP operated a comprehensive product innovation and production center, which produced a full line of both Flexo and Off-Set Brand Identification Labels, such as Pressure Sensitive Labels, Hangtags, Folding Cartons, Header cards, Booklet labels and Coupon labels. Since 2004, the company had recorded substantial growth in its RFID business with its full RFID label converting and EPC encoding operations.
“Being close to our customer base is important to us. As the new CGP company is still located in North Carolina, we are now ideally situated to support this region,” says Philip Calderbank, SML Group’s VP Global RFID. “The RFID part of this operation replicates the RFID Production and Innovation Design Center in our factory in Dongguan, South China. In addition, CGP’s substantial technical experience in RFID enables SML to offer a full range of ViziT RFID programs and solutions in both the western and eastern hemispheres.”
Tommy Dew, the founder of CGP, will now assume the role of President in the new CGP company, which will continue to trade under the CGP name. “As we continued to expand, our customers began to ask if we could print and RFID-encode finished labels in all parts of the world,” said Mr. Dew. “We knew that we could not continue to grow unless we merged with a global company. I am very pleased that we found SML and that we can now utilize the Group’s worldwide facilities in order to deliver product and support our customers, from China to Europe and the USA.”
Commenting on the acquisition, Simon Suen, SML Group Chairman, said: “As one of world’s pre-eminent Branded Label providers, SML has embarked on a substantial expansion of our RFID programs and production facilities under the brand name of ‘ViziT’. Our aim is to offer complete ‘Source to Store’ visibility to our Retail customers and their suppliers around the world. The acquisition of CGP marks another milestone in our growth.”
About SML Group
SML is a global total brand identification solutions provider serving an international clientele consisting of top fashion brands and some of the largest retailers in the world. Its wide range of high quality products includes woven labels, printed fabric labels, EAS, RFID, heat transfer, packaging, specialty trims, printed paper products, etc. With presence in over 30 countries and wholly-owned manufacturing facilities around the world, it is committed to effectively and efficiently serving the worldwide needs of clients and exceeding their expectations in quality, price, service and speed.
The SML ViziT brand provides for RFID item visibility with EAS-type loss prevention and includes RFID-enabled labels/tickets/hangtags, as well as EPC serial-number chip encoding which is provided through a network of globally located service bureaus. A cloud- based IT data management solution completes the ViziT package.