SYRACUSE - Therinopatch Corp., a Syracuse-based company that produces textile-labeling and marking systems with locations around the world, recently bought a screen-printing business in Florida.

Thermopatch closed on the acquisition of Clearwater, Fla.-based Mid State Screen Graphics, LLC, in November and announced the deal this month.

Mid State produces and designs posters, bumper stickers, and window decals. The purchase will allow Thermopatch to expand its own products and also develop new products for new markets, says Tom DePuit, Thermopatch president and chief executive officer. DePuit declined to discuss details of those products or the expansion.
Thermopatch already owns two screen-printing companies in Europe, but wanted to purchase one in this country to aid in plans for the new products, DePuit says. The company wanted to avoid using its European companies for this expansion because the dollar is currently weak against the euro, he explains.

DePuit says Thermopatch looked at about 10 companies in this country before settling on Mid State. Mid State’s previous owner was looking to get out of the business because of health issues.

A representative from Mid State could not be reached for comment.

Thermopatch’s purchase included all of Mid State’s assets. Its 20 employees remained on board and Thermopatch took over the lease on Mid State’s 10,000-square-foot facility.

Thermopatch has about 70 employees in Syracuse and a total of 150 worldwide. Its Syracuse headquarters, which includes office, manufacturing, and warehouse, space, has about 50,000 square feet.
DePuit declined to discuss financial details of the transaction. Thermopatch has annual sales of between $25 million and $50 million.

Mid State will continue to operate under its own name as a subsidiary of Thermopatch, DePuit says.

“There’s definitely value to the name,” he says. “There’s existing clients we want to maintain.”

Some of Mid State’s clients include Fortune 500 companies, according to Mid State’s Web site.

Thermopatch provides textile-labeling systems for a variety of applications. The company sells the labeling equipment and supplies to clients who then produce and apply the actual labels themselves.

The labels can be used for everything from identification and corporate emblems to garment tracking.

For example, a business with. hundreds or thousands of employee unifornis to launder needs’ to keep track of what clothes come in and go out. Thermopatch’s systems can produce and apply bar-code labels to the uniforms.

Once attached, the labels are there for the life of the garment and a business can make sure that when employees turn in their uniforms to be laundered, they get the same uniform back.

Thermopatch has sales offices in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.