Xaar Regulatory News (XAR)

13 May 2005 07:01

Xaar PLC13 May 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 13 May 2005 Xaar plc IMPIKA APPOINTED AS SYSTEMS INTEGRATION PARTNER Xaar plc ("Xaar"), the inkjet printing technology group headquartered inCambridge, and IMPIKA SA ("IMPIKA") of Aubagne, France are pleased to announce ajoint agreement for the provision of integration services for Xaar printheadsand other products. Under the agreement both parties will co-operate to provide complete turnkeysolutions for clients wishing to use Xaar technology for their productionprocesses, to open up new applications and create bespoke solutions. IMPIKA haslong experience with inkjet, including its application to the printing ofplastic and smart cards, packaging, labelling as well as special applicationsfor printing on CDs, glass and metal. Impika is also developing solutions basedon its material jetting technology for microelectronics and biomedicalapplications. Nigel Berry, Deputy CEO of Xaar commented: "I am very pleased to announce thisrelationship with IMPIKA. We previously stated our intention to partner with asmall number of high quality integrators which can offer existing and potentialusers of our technology a complete package of integration skills and bespokeequipment. We have known the team at IMPIKA for some time now and have beenimpressed by their standards and innovation. I look forward to working withthem on future projects." Paul Morgavi, IMPIKA'S CEO said: "Xaar is a great partner for us and we arealready forming strong links with their technical and marketing teams. There isa clear synergy between Xaar and Impika with both parties introducing newmarkets into the joint relationship. Last year we introduced our C9000 productbased on Xaar's Leopard printhead and we are working on various projects foradapting our IPS print engine to the next generation of Xaar printheads, likethe Omnidot and HSS. Full commercial release of these products is anticipatedlater this year or early next year." About Xaar Xaar plc is a market-leading inkjet technology company. It targets the world'sindustrial, commercial and office printing markets. The industrial andcommercial printing markets are targeted by Xaar's own range of inkjet productsin conjunction with partners and other key players in those markets; the officeprinting market is approached through Xaar's strong list of licensees.Additional information about Xaar is available at www.xaar.co.uk. About IMPIKA: Created in March 2003 as a spin-out from Gemplus, IMPIKA is headquartered atAubagne in the south of France. IMPIKA offers high-performance industrialprinting and material jetting solutions using inkjet technology; it currentlyhas 37 employees. IMPIKA designs, develops, implements and markets hardware and softwaresolutions, as well as the required engineering as regards ink and materialjetting, for industrial applications including digital printing,microelectronics and biotechnologies. Additional information about IMPIKA isavailable at www.impika.com. Contacts Xaar plc: 01223-423663Ian Dinwoodie, Chief Executive www.xaar.co.ukNigel Berry, Group Finance Director & Deputy Chief Executive IMPIKA: +33 (0)4 42 62 43 00Paul Morgavi, CEO www.impika.com Bankside Consultants:Steve Liebmann 020-7444-4163 /07802-888159 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange