Though it's one 'family business' buying another, the acquisition of Australian icon Brissett Rollers is a landmark for the country's print industry.

Brissett - a major supplier to newspaper sites - is selling to Böttcher Australia in a deal which will broaden the German maker's global manufacturing base.

Key to the move is a new production site in the Sydney suburb of Smithfield, to which most staff are expected to relocate "within weeks" from the Brissett factory in Tempe.

It will also allow the merged business to look beyond the graphic arts industry to processing opportunities in packaging, steel, textiles and wood.

Until recently arch-rivals in Australia, Brissett and Böttcher currently service similar market sectors, Böttcher as OEM suppliers in many cases and Brissett as the local manufacturer with a long-standing reputation for service. Founder Terry Brissett has been making rollers since 1960, and remains the iconic head of the business despite the growing involvement of family members.

As in other countries, making rollers for printing presses has been a declining business with varying levels of competition. US-based Rotadyne bought into the Australian market five years ago with the acquisition of Ace Rollers and Rollmakers, and is understood to have approached Brissett at the time.