In 2025, Uteco is proudly marking its 40th anniversary. Since its founding, the company has been at the forefront of the printing and converting industry, pioneering technologies that not only meet but anticipate the evolving needs of customers.
From its early days as a small, ambitious company, Uteco has grown into a global leader, synonymous with innovation, quality and reliability. The journey has been defined by a relentless drive to push the boundaries of what’s possible – introducing groundbreaking solutions that enhance efficiency, improve sustainability and set new standards for the printing and converting industry.
Uteco Converting S.p.A. was inaugurated in 1985 in San Martino Buon Albergo, Verona, when an entrepreneur and four experts in flexographic printing set out to redefine the industry. Just a year later, Uteco made its mark with Bronze, its first two-colour flexographic machine. The momentum continued in 1992 with Jade, a groundbreaking press featuring robotic cylinder change – an industry first. By 2000, Uteco was ready to expand beyond Europe, opening its North American sales office in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 2004, Uteco raised the bar again, unveiling the next generation of gearless flexo presses, ONYX, at drupa. The following decade, from 2005 to 2017, was defined by relentless innovation – launching new product lines, establishing a cutting-edge R&D centre, and expanding into gravure, coating and laminating solutions.
The company’s 30th anniversary in 2015 marked another milestone with the debut of the compact Onyx XS and the advanced Next 450 gravure press. Growth accelerated in 2018 when NB Renaissance Partners acquired a majority stake, propelling Uteco’s market expansion. By 2022, a major rebranding and a new Strategic Plan reinforced the company’s leadership, introducing high-performance machines like OnyxGO, now its best-selling product and OnyxRACE.
In 2024, Uteco took centre stage at the industry’s biggest events, including drupa, where OnyxOMNIA – the world’s first FlexoDigital machine was introduced. The same year saw the launch of the Flex-Converting Alliance.
FlexCA, is an Alliance of Companies through binding Equity Agreements to offer best-in-class products to the converting industry: the widest, unique portfolio in the converting industry, covering extrusion, printing and slitting. Offerings include: extrusion with GAP and CMG; printing, coating and laminating with Uteco machines and Smartjet’s digital technologies; Vision Systems for quality control with Vision; slitter rewinders with Bimec.
Nowadays, with an installed base of more than 4,000 machines worldwide, Uteco has become one of the leaders in the printing and converting industry. From the USA to Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, its presence spans across the globe, delivering high-quality solutions for customers, wherever they are in the world.
However, success goes far beyond the machines designed. It lies in the relationships built – with customers who trust Uteco as partners, suppliers who help deliver on the company’s promises, and employees whose dedication and expertise drive everything. It’s these collaborations that have turned Uteco’s vision into reality and made the name recognised and respected worldwide.
With innovation as its compass, sustainability as its commitment, and partnership as its foundation, Uteco is poised to continue leading the industry for decades to come.
Find out more about Uteco HERE