2025
Prime Label acquires Arti-Bau, strengthening its position in digital label printing
Prime Label Group, a leading label manufacturer in Central and Eastern Europe, has finalized the acquisition of shares in Arti-Bau, a Polish digital label printing company based in Lower Silesia. The Group is controlled by the Innova/6 SCA SICAV private equity fund, part of the Innova Capital group, and this transaction marks the eighth acquisition completed with Innova's participation. In recent years, Prime Label has focused on growth through M&A, widening its reach not only by diversifying service portfolio but also through geographical expansion. As a result, the Group has strengthened its position as a leader in label production in Central and Eastern Europe, securing the opportunity to acquire new customers from the DACH region and Scandinavia.
Arti-Bau, a digital label printing company founded in 2012, quickly evolved from a local manufacturer into a recognized partner for the packaging industry throughout Poland. From the very beginning, Arti-Bau has prioritized innovation, responding to growing market needs for personalization and flexible customer service by offering high-quality, self-adhesive labels using inkjet technology. A breakthrough moment for Arti-Bau came with the implementation of Europe's first hybrid label printing machine with the ability to refine low-volume print runs. This gave the company a competitive advantage in the premium label segment. Today, Arti-Bau is expanding its operations in Poland and German-speaking markets, leveraging its experience and know-how.
“Since 2019, we have been consistently building our position as the leading manufacturer of a wide range of labels in Central and Eastern Europe, using various printing technologies, including digital, offset, and flexo. 2024 was a breakthrough year for us – our sales exceeded EUR 100 million, placing us among the largest label manufacturers in Europe. It is also worth mentioning that since the first acquisition of the Lublin-based company Embepress, the Group has grown more than sevenfold thanks to our consistent buy-and-build strategy, which we intend to pursue,” said Arkadiusz Sapiecha, Prime Label Group CEO. “I am convinced that adding Arti-Bau to Prime Label will result in even faster growth for our digital printing division (DigiPrime). Our focus on the highest quality customer service – from label design to rapid delivery – gives us a decisive advantage over the competition. In addition, thanks to two dedicated digital printing locations, we ensure a secure supply for our clients. I believe that the exchange of experience and best practices, combined with the shared values that guide us in doing business, will translate into both the success of the company and the satisfaction of our employees,” he added.
The new acquisition strengthens Prime Label's position in the field of digital label production, a segment that is rapidly growing in popularity. This is largely due to the advantages of this solution, including the ability to print short runs cost-effectively, respond quickly to customer needs, and personalize labels. Market data also shows that demand for digitally printed labels is growing faster than for those produced using conventional techniques such as flexography or offset.
“We have always sought to strengthen our position in the Polish and European packaging markets by boldly investing in innovative solutions. However, facing the demands of the market on a daily basis naturally led us to seek new directions for development. We want our clients to feel the real benefits of this change, and the entire team to receive a boost of new energy, ideas, and technology. Joining a dynamic, European-scale Group like Prime Label opens new perspectives for us. Prime Label, like us, focuses on people and their advancement as they are the reason we are growing faster than our competitors. We believe that combining our experiences will enable us to build a global brand, allowing the entire Group to achieve its common business goal. Joining Prime Label is a milestone in the history of Arti-Bau, opening a new, exciting chapter and providing a much greater sense of security,” said Monika Stefańska, Arti-Bau's president of the management board.
“The inclusion of Arti-Bau into Prime Label is a strategic step that strengthens the Group's expertise in digital printing and premium solutions. We see tremendous potential in combining the teams’ experience and technologies, increasing operational efficiency and accelerating expansion in German-speaking markets. This acquisition will enable the Group to offer clients a complementary product portfolio – from short label runs to comprehensive packaging solutions, such as ready-made stand-up pouches printed using digital technology – even better tailored to their specific needs and expectations,” said Michał Wojdyła, Partner at Innova Capital.
About Prime Label
Prime Label has seven label printing companies in its portfolio: Chemes from Poznan (Poland) and EmbePress from Lublin (Poland) – specializing in flexo printing, LabelProfi – a Slovenian digital printing house, LabelPrint – an Estonian entity dedicated to the Baltic markets and Scandinavian clients, and the Polish printing company PEGWAN. In 2024, two Romanian printing houses joined Prime Label, marking the group's initial expansion into this promising market.
www.embepress.pl, www.chemes.eu, www.labelprofi.com, www.labelprint.ee, www.pegwan.com
About Arti-Bau
Arti-Bau, was established in 2012 and is the first digital roll label printing company in Lower Silesia. It began its operations in response to the growing demands of the printing market, related to the need for print personalization and production cost optimization. From a company with no customer base operating in a small industrial premises, it quickly became a brand recognized throughout Poland, offering customers the highest quality self-adhesive labels using inkjet and narrow web technology. After changing its headquarters in 2016, Arti-Bau became the first roll label manufacturer in Europe to purchase an innovative hybrid machine for printing industrial labels with the possibility of finishing in low volumes, without additional preparation costs, which made the company a pioneer in this segment of the packaging market. The know-how gained in this way has enabled the company to grow very dynamically in Poland as well as in the DACH markets.
