This story is about two companies with so many advantages to working together that it was only a matter of time before this happened—and it was announced on Tuesday, February 18th, at 17:30 CET. CERM acquired the Swedish company Omikai.

By Morten B. Reitoft

CERM is one of the MIS/ERP suppliers that has won the hearts of label printers worldwide. We made a film for CERM with an American printer that explained how CERM won them as a client. The company needed something new and invited a few potential suppliers to present. One supplier needed days to decide what to offer. CERM set up a demo solution that convincingly ticked almost all the boxes, so the converter chose CERM immediately and never looked back.

After a life as part of Heidelberg, CERM became independent after a management buyout, and at every tradeshow, their booths are jam-packed. People want to see ‘the white elephant,’ and as CERM keeps educating potential users and experienced users about the advantages, the company continues to grow,

But, Houston, we’ve got a problem. CERM needs a technical overhaul, and because everybody has been extremely focused on customers, support, development, finding its own feats after the Heidelberg ride - and they now need new technology!

A few hour's drive from Stockholm, you find the Swedish city of Västerås. This is also the city where you find the company OMIKAI. At a Swedish event, I first met OMIKAI and the company’s great founder, Mathias Erlandsson. The cloud-based MIS system looked super nice, and when I realized there was proper thinking behind the interface, I immediately saw opportunities. A few years later, OMIKAI got venture capital - but also an active investor who knew the market and the opportunities of having some of the smartest technology, born and developed online and produced for a specific niche - print.

The two companies are notable separately, but earlier this afternoon, we got the message that OMIKAI had been acquired by CERM, which made me super happy for a couple of reasons.

We often talk about how difficult it is to find qualified labor, so with the acquisition of a much smaller entity than CERM, CERM leadership probably looked at a combination of technology and manpower - and WHAU - this will be great for customers and both companies.

For years, CERM has been seen as the smart choice in the Label/Flexible segment—now, they are even smarter. With the acquisition, I believe CERM will continue delivering the OMIKAI platform to commercial printers, packaging companies, binderies, etc., and yes, it will be exciting to follow!

Over the years, we have filmed both companies on many different occasions—and have below collected a few so you can stay updated. Though neither has said it, maybe they met at the NON-EVENT, as both have been there for years now.