One sign of growth in an industry is when acquisitions or investments are made by major corporations into companies. After a period of relative quiet, the flexible and printed electronics industry has seen quite a few moves in the last few months.  Here are three that caught my eye:
 
• Emerson Acquires PakSense: Cold chain management is an ideal opportunity for temperature sensors, and Emerson has a strong presence in the field. The addition of PakSense, a industry leader in the area of temperature monitoring solutions,  Locus Traxx, a specialist in real-time temperature loggers, adds to Emerson’s capabilities.
 
The acquisition is already paying dividends for Emerson, which launched its UltraNFC temperature monitoring label, developed by PakSense, which monitor time and temperature of perishable items and transfers the data wirelessly.
   
“This is a strong growth market for Emerson,” said Bob Sharp, EVP and commercial and residential solutions business leader, Emerson, after the acquisitions.  “Providing this more expansive solution that covers the whole fresh food process from grower to retailer is another example of how we are focusing the company to be stronger, faster and more nimble for our customers.”
 
• Sun Chemical, DIC Acquire Gwent Electronic Materials Ltd.: Conductive inks are an important element for printed electronics, and Sun Chemical and its parent company, DIC, are among the industry leaders in the conductive ink market, as well as the largest ink manufacturer globally. With the acquisition of UK-based Gwent Electronic Materials Ltd., a manufacturer of conductive inks, pastes and powders for printed electronics, Sun Chemical adds to its portfolio of products as well as its manufacturing capabilities. Gwent’s inks and pastes were being used for biosensors, sensors, circuit boards and other electronic components.
 
“Sun Chemical has experienced tremendous growth in the global printed electronics market and this acquisition will help us expand into this strategic market and enable us to better serve our customers,” Mehran Yazdani, president of Sun Chemical Advanced Materials, said in a statement after the acquisition was announced.
 
• Avery Dennison Invests in PragmatIC: PragmatIC has made headway in the field of intelligent packaging, and has now developed its FlexLogIC volume production equipment. The company just added £18 million ($22 million) in funds from previous investors Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC) and ARM as well as a new investor, Avery Dennison.
 
The addition of Avery Dennison is particularly noteworthy as the company has a strong position in RFID as well as being a leader in the label market. PragmatIC’s flexible integrated circuits could be a good fit for Avery Dennison’s inlays.
 
This investment in PragmatIC is expected to accelerate the mass deployment of intelligent packaging, with Avery Dennison leveraging the potential of PragmatIC’s flexible integrated circuits (flexICs) in its inlays portfolio.
 
These three moves indicate that interest in printed electronics technology is on the rise.