Corey Soeldner,
Sun Chemical North American Inks |
For Patrick Carlisle, president of Joules Angstrom U.V. Printing Inks, the most important aspect in purchasing pigments are the properties of the pigments, followed by quality and consistency.
“First and foremost, we have to achieve the properties that we want,” said Mr. Carlisle. “Pigments play a crucial role in imparting the key properties to inks, and the properties that the pigments exhibit have to be what we need. Second, we want consistent, quality products. You can see the extra time it takes if the pigments are off spec, and when you add all the extra time that is wasted when you could be producing other products, it becomes a double whammy. After those considerations are met, then price and relationships play a role in our decisions.”
Rick Westrom,
INX International |
“We’re looking for easy dispersability and color strength,” said Brian Templeman, president of Kolorcure. “We also require lightfastness. After that, price always follows.”
“Price is certainly important, as are the properties the pigments provide,” said Gene Mitchell, president of Spectrum Inks & Coatings. “Our usage is strictly for gravure solvent, and we are looking for pigments that are easily dispersed, which helps impart gloss and transparency.”
Jack Benson,
Flint Ink |
“If the price is not in an acceptable range, then valuable technical resources will not be used for qualifying the pigment,” said Rick Westrom, INX International Ink Company’s vice president, strategic sourcing. “Anyone can produce an expensive product, but in today’s market the key is to produce a high quality inexpensive product.”
Mr. Westrom said that quality, performance, availability and relationships are all examined when purchasing pigments.
“Every pigment must show equal or improved quality to be qualified for use,” Mr. Westrom said. “Strength, gloss, transparency, rheology and color shade are some of the important attributes that are evaluated. Each pigment selection must demonstrate equal or improved performance to the standard such as faster processing times, ease of handling, improved packaging etc., and no matter the product, the supplier must have ample supply that can be delivered when required.”
Mr. Westrom said that supplier relationships are factored into purchasing pigment.
“Supplier relationships are important, as having sound partnerships allow for collaboration on meeting market requirements,” he said.
Knowing the true price of the pigment after factoring in the cost of running it is essential to the bottom line.
Patrick Carlisle,
Joules Angstrom U.V. Printing Inks |
“The most important aspects for a pigment manufacturer are quality and consistency,” said Barney Lenhart, president of JKM Ink. “I also look for price in terms of value. You can pay less for pigments, but what is it going to do to your runnability? Will it decrease mileage or wettability? What does it do in terms of the integrity of your finished product? The truth is you get what you pay for. I also value relationships. If the supplier has been loyal to me, I’ll be loyal to them.”