The Japan-based Epson Group announces that it has forged an agreement with the Robustelli family in Italy to acquire 100 percent of the capital of Fratelli Robus Robustelli S.r.l., which does business as Robustelli, a textile printer manufacturer. The agreement will expand the scope of the two companies' longstanding collaboration in digital inkjet textile printing.

The entry of Como, Italy-based Robustelli into the Epson Group will allow it to leverage Epson's manufacturing capability to bring the advantages of its digital inkjet textile printers to more customers around the world. The move will assist Epson in using Robustelli's expertise to accelerate the development of digital inkjet textile printers that further enhance the companies' abilities to meet customer needs with a wider lineup of products. The companies say they will combine their R&D efforts in order to achieve this goal.

The digital textile printing market worldwide is expected to grow at an annual rate of approximately 25 at least through 2019, according to one organization's analysis. In addition to using its manufacturing network to meet this growing demand, Epson will deploy its worldwide sales and service network to bring Robustelli's printer line, the Monna Lisa, to more countries and regions around the world.

The Monna Lisa series is an industrial digital textile printer which Robustelli began developing with Epson in 2003.

Sunao Murata, COO of Epson's Professional Printing Operations Division, is scheduled to be appointed as president of Robustelli.