Agree on Exclusive Patent Partnership for Advanced Digital Printing Technologies

I4F, a group of companies providing patents and technologies to the flooring industry, announced today that it has entered into a patent partnership with Hymmen GmbH Maschinen- und Anlagenbau, a leading international supplier of digital printing systems specializing in flooring. This new strategic partnership gives I4F exclusive licensing rights to all of Hymmen's digital printing patents and technologies for flooring production. It includes Hymmen's award-winning "Digital Lacquer Embossing" (DLE) technology. This is an important addition to I4F's comprehensive digital printing portfolio, which already includes technologies from market leaders such as Classen, Kronospan and Benchwick.

Hymmen has established itself as a global leader in offering industrial digital printing technologies for flooring and won an "Interzum Red Dot Award in 2019 for its patented "DLE" technology. Hymmen claims to have supplied most of its digital printing lines to the flooring industry worldwide. More than 80 percent of digitally printed floors throughout the world are produced on Hymmen equipment, according to the company.

In addition to exclusive licensing rights, I4F intends to work closely with Hymmen to advance digital printing technology in the flooring industry and represent the Bielefeld-based machine builder in future patent protection matters. In the past, Hymmen has already protected its own strong position with regard to its patent rights (IP); as an example, the recent patent infringement proceedings against Barbaran SA at the Regional Court in Düsseldorf.

Digital printing will play an increasingly important role in the future of flooring manufacturing, as it allows unlimited flexibility in decor design and can be applied to a large number of different materials. It enables faster response to market needs and trends while reducing waste.

Commenting on the partnership, Dr. René Pankoke, Managing Partner & CEO of Hymmen, emphasizes, "I4F is the perfect fit for Hymmen as we share the same passion for innovation and continuous development within the global flooring industry. I4F is known as a technology leader in the flooring industry and will help us develop and further expand the digital printing market."

John Riedfeld, CEO of I4F adds, "The ability to produce high quality digitally printed flooring has become strategically important in securing the future of our industry. We believe that Hymmen not only develops the most innovative technologies at the highest quality levels, but also holds an extremely strong position in terms of IP rights. The addition now to our patent cluster concept further strengthens our promise to our licensees to obtain the best and most innovative technologies in the world. They are backed by a robust patent protection infrastructure."