LONDON--UK manufacturer DEK has shifted global PR duties to APCO after previously working with Grayling.

APCO is charged with overseeing DEK's global corporate profile, focusing on specific markets in the UK and Asia. These include London, Berlin, Shanghai, Beijing and Singapore.

An industry leader in mass imaging equipment, DEK previously called in Grayling to handle its global PR account in mid-2011.

DEK’s 40-year heritage includes several pioneering print solutions that focus on the area of electronics assembly, across such industries as automotive, computer, medical and consumer markets. The company also operates an alternative energy division that manufacturers solar and fuel cells, and a semiconductor business.

"From the outset it was clear that they are a firm capable of challenging convention and they will bring a new and exciting creative edge to our global communication programme," said DEK global marketing director Karen Moore-Watts. "DEK is entering a new phase in the company’s 40-year history and we are looking forward to upholding our reputation as the go-to printing experts across the world.”

The account will be led by APCO UK managing director James Acheson-Gray, who departed Grayling at the start of 2012.

“DEK is a highly regarded manufacturer with an exciting story to tell. It plays an integral role in the manufacture of electronic and alternative energy technologies that are a part of everyday life," said Acheson-Gray. "As with many manufacturers in these markets, the technology is highly complex and part of the challenge for us will be to communicate this in simple terms."