Fort Dearborn Co., Elk Grove, Ill., USA, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire NCL Graphic Specialties, Inc. The transaction is subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions and is expected to close by the end of the year.

"As the largest cut and stack label supplier in North America, the acquisition of NCL would provide us additional capacity and would expand our footprint in the Midwest. The proposed acquisition would also enhance our product offering with promotional printing capabilities and enter us into the flexible packaging market," said Fort Dearborn CEO Kevin Kwilinski. "With the anticipated addition of NCL, we'll have an expanded breadth of products and services to better serve all of our customers."

Richard Mueller, founder of NCL, had a vision for his company to be a "printer's printer." The company began with a tradition of innovation and with the help of CEO Steve Klopp and a talented team grew to become a recognized leader in the printing industry decades later.

Fort Dearborn supplies a complete range of label solutions including cut and stack, pressure sensitive, roll-fed, shrink and stretch sleeve labels, and equipment across multiple printing technologies, including digital, lithographic, flexographic, and rotogravure. The company will now have additional facilities in Waukesha, Wis., and Menomonee Falls, Wis., for a total of 17 production locations across North America. The company's product offering will be expanded to include additional cut and stack label capacity, promotional printing and packaging services, and flexible packaging.

"On behalf of all our associates we look forward to working with the NCL team," said Kwilinski. "As a leader in a very fragmented industry, we are poised for significant growth and will continue to pursue opportunities for consolidation that will deliver value to our customers."