Flint Group Announces Price Increases in U.S. and Canada.

PLYMOUTH, Mich.—Flint Group North America has announced price increases on certain printing inks and pressroom chemistry sold in the United States and Canada. This is in addition to the news ink price increase implemented January 1 and previously announced increases for blankets and sleeves.

Prices will increase on inks, overprint varnishes and pressroom chemistry as follows, effective February 1, 2011 and subject to existing contracts:

Liquid Packaging & Narrow Web Inks:
- All Whites up to 10 percent, depending on technology
- Solvent Colors up to 8 percent
- Specific increases for the above products, as well as for nitrocellulose-based clears, other solvent-based clear formulations, and all violet colors will be communicated individually to customers depending on formula make-up and technology.

Print Media Inks:
- Sheetfed Conventional 8 percent
- Heatset
Process 10 percent
Blends, metallics, fluorescents and OPVs 12 percent
- Directory 9 percent
- Publication Gravure 9 percent

Print Media Chemicals:
- Spray Powders 8 – 15 percent
- Press Washes 8 – 12 percent
- Web Conditioners 6 – 10 percent
- Fountain Solutions 5 – 8 percent
- Aerosols 8 – 15 percent

As Diane Parisi, Vice President Supply Chain, Flint Group, explains, “We’re facing challenges on a multitude of fronts: Capacity constraints, government policies around the world, environmental concerns, decreased production of feedstocks, and more.”

Michael Impastato, Vice President Strategic Marketing Flint Group Packaging & Narrow Web, gives an example of the unprecedented impact these forces have on the cost of raw materials: “Within the last few months alone, nitrocellulose, titanium dioxide and violet pigment have experienced double digit cost increases.”