Hovat looks for turnkey service with Wydata acquisition

In a deal, worth around 5M over five years, Hovat Ltd, the UK's second largest stationery label manufacturer, has acquired Wydata Ltd, a leading innovator in barcode stationery and digital printing.
The vertically integrated combined entity will be able to supply a total barcoding solution including labelling and point of sale material.
Hovat md Bill Habergham comments: ‘Wydata has joined the Hovat family of businesses that already includes Ascom Addressing Ltd., and which will continue to grow aggressively in the next few years. This acquisition opens up a whole new market. Barcoding is already worth around 10M euros each year and Wydata is not only the foremost supplier of barcoding technology, but also the knowledge leader.’
Fred de Wykerslooth, md of Wydata, played a major role in developing the technology in the 1980s when he worked alongside Tesco, which pioneered the use of point of sale barcoding. Later he assisted Safeway and BT, amongst others, in their successful barcoding developments.
Comments de Wykerslooth: ‘The acquisition comes at an exciting time in the barcoding industry. Wydata is one of a small number of companies that are pioneering revolutionary logistics tools based on PDF 417 computer files, known as 2D open standard barcode, already approved for use internationally.’
Two-dimensional barcodes are more robust and can store more data than traditional barcodes. ‘It is sure to be adopted by the whole retail industry in the near future,’ says de Wykerslooth, ‘and eventually by many other markets including the medical sector, because of the profound impact that this new technique will have on supply chain, distribution and logistics, with potential to improve accuracy, turnaround times and cash flow. On the horizon, there are many opportunities associated with new RF (radio frequency) labels and barcodes.’
Wydata recently secured a three-year contract with DIY giant B&Q to supply barcode and logistics solutions and digitally printed point-of-sale literature.
Hovat, based at an 85,000 sq ft site in Larkfield, Kent, is one of the UK's largest label converting, flexographic print specialists in the adhesive label sector.