Inks: The Real Deal

There’s nothing easy about manufacturing—no matter what the product. It requires a finely tuned confluence of equipment, materials, and people, along with a host of additional factors that can make the difference between success and failure.

In package printing, inks play a key role in the manufacturing process—to say the least. There’s plenty of other peripheral processes required to get printed materials out the door, but inks and their “kissin’ cousins” such as coatings and adhesives, are what makes these materials a printed product.

Today there is a lot of activity within the ink world. As a material category, inks have been hit hard by price increases for many months now, and the growing emphasis on sustainability is starting to impact material selection alternatives, use and handling, and processing.

With these factors as a backdrop, packagePRINTING sought out a number of executives to get their perspectives on how ink issues are impacting the bottom line.

pP: In recent months, material prices have been on the rise, led, in many instances, by ink prices. How have these increases impacted your business?

Wade Bryant, technical services manager, Cadmus Whitehall Group—We have not seen a drastic impact.

Mike Nowak, president, Coating Excellence International—We have not been able to pass along ink increases and have had to offset these increases with efficiency gains in other areas.

Dave Rydell, VP corporate and global technical development, Diamond Packaging—We are members of the Independent Carton Group. We purchase our ink under a national contract. We will not be impacted until the contract expires and is renegotiated.

Jay A. Luft, VP of operations, McDowell Label and Screen Printing—The price increases have forced us to look into making sure that we are purchasing in a cost-effective way, along with reevaluating our current ink suppliers.

pP: Have you been able to offset ink price increases by pursuing alternate ink options or reducing ink usage?

Bryant—Yes. New press technology has allowed us to reduce our ink usage.

Rydell—We continually explore alternative options in an effort to reduce cost. With our inks, we use an automated ink feed system to reduce waste.

Luft—In anticipation of possible ink cost increases, we initiated efforts—with our ink suppliers—to investigate the opportunity for limiting the number of products [ink materials] we would need for all of our different print processes.

pP: Have your suppliers been receptive, or even proactive, in helping to mitigate the impact of ink price increases?

Bryant—Yes. Having an in-house ink room controlled by our ink supplier helps with cost-reduction ideas.

Nowak—Yes. Our ink suppliers have worked with us to try to reduce ink costs.

Rydell—I would not say the ink suppliers have taken a proactive approach to help mitigate ink price increases.

Luft—Yes. I believe that our ink suppliers are aware of the impact that any increase may have with regard to our overall pricing approach.

pP: Does the quality/variability of your ink supply impact the efficiency of your printing operations? How do you work with your ink suppliers to ensure consistent quality?

Bryant—Our ink company has a multi-step process for checking ink consistency and accuracy.

Nowak—We get very good, consistent quality in our inks.

Rydell—The quality of our ink has a direct impact of productivity and efficiency. We have an in-plant relationship with our primary ink supplier. We work with our on-site technician on a daily basis. We meet monthly with the regional tech services representative along with our on-site technician to review issues and improvement opportunities.

Luft—We are extremely cognizant of any change or variability that enters into our ink system. We monitor color ink density regularly and have matched our proofing process to our incoming ink standards.

pP: What have you done to efficiently manage ink supply logistics (e.g., ordering, storage, handling, waste, etc.)?

Bryant—The inks stored and controlled [at our facility] are owned by the ink company until we use them.

Nowak—We have ink mixing systems and try to reduce inventory on the floor. We also try to reuse surplus ink.

Rydell—Again, we have turned the management of our ink department over to our supplier, via the national contract and in-plant relationship. All inks and coatings are on consignment and billed on a monthly basis.

Luft—As indicated above, we have put a concentrated effort into limiting the number of different ink types we use on the manufacturing floor. We have been able to combine “like processes” into single formulas that are good across a broad spectrum of substrates.

pP: Sustainability’s influence on packaging, product design, and supply-chain endeavors is increasing. Do you see this having a direct impact on how you use your inks in the future?

Nowak—We utilize 100 percent water-based inks, so from this sustainability standpoint, we are a leader.

Rydell—Diamond’s practices are green by nature. We design and manufacture packaging with sustainability in mind. The core of Diamond’s greenbox initiative—designs, materials, and methods—represents a comprehensive approach to packaging that minimizes environmental impact throughout the supply chain. This includes evaluating all inks and coatings in an effort to make the best recommendation for our customers’ products.

Luft—Although we are very aware of these types of trends, it is important to realize the entire makeup of the whole packaging piece. Material substrate, as well as the container substrate, must be considered with the discussion of sustainability.

pP: How important is your relationship with your ink suppliers to the success of your business?

Bryant—We view the relationships with our ink suppliers as crucial to our business.

Nowak—Our ink supplier is a very key element in our ability to consistently make cost-effective, high-quality products.

Rydell—It is a key relationship. We rely on our on-site technician to participate in troubleshooting and problem solving. We also look to our supplier’s corporate support network to complete special creative projects and offer several potential solutions for each new project.

Luft—We place a high level of importance on our ink supplier relationships. As much as any of our other suppliers, the overall quality and look of the finished product is extremely important to our success at achieving the overall high-quality standards we have set in place. It is only with a successful partnership that we are able to achieve these results. pP