Copier maker Xerox Corp said it agreed to acquire marketing software developer XMPie for $54 million in cash. This marks Xerox's first acquisition in Israel. Xerox is buying the company after four years of collaboration.
XMPie produces variable information software, which combines communications outlets including direct mail, the Internet and e-mail to create marketing materials that can be specialized enough to bear an individual's name.
XMPie will maintain its brand name and operate as a stand alone unit. XMPie founder Jacob Aizikowitz will head the unit. The "vast majority" of the company's 60 staffers will remain, as will its headquarters in New York and its development facility in Israel.
Based in New York, XMPie was founded in 2000. The company's solution is mainly designed for digital printing, which has received an immense boost in recent years thanks to developments in software. XMPie's software is mostly relevant for marketing activity, making it possible to prepare documents with the addressee's name embossed. The printed advertising market in the US will triple to $16.6 billion by 2009.
Xerox plans for XMPie to function as its first R&D center in Israel, focusing on digital printing. XMPie will operate as an independent unit.
XMPie's 2006 sales are projected at $15 million, and it expects to be profitable.