For the most part, 2010 was a sizable improvement for the pigment industry, as leading manufacturers reported that sales rebounded as the economy improved.
However, raw material prices and supply remain serious concerns.
Don McBride, COO, Heucotech Ltd., a Heubach Company, noted that Heucotech Ltd. achieved significant growth in 2010 to recover much of what was lost due to the recent recession.
“But this occurred with new products, new technologies and new customers, as the only industry that showed a bounce back to traditional levels was the automotive segment,” Mr. McBride added. “Heucotech sales and technical teams worked to develop new solutions for our customers in ink, coatings and plastics applications. We experienced raw material availability issues and cost increases in many cases. A partial explanation for the shortages would be related to supplier inventory levels down through the supply chain due to drastic reduction in sales the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009 worldwide.”
Photo courtesy of Sincol USA |
“Due to a relatively strong bounce back year in the economy, especially in the housing and auto markets in 2010, the pigments market rebounded in 2010 from 2009 levels, but not to pre-recession levels,” said Mr. Yazdani. “In the graphic arts market, there continues to be a decline in publication inks, but there is an increased demand for effect and high performance pigments for differentiation and appearance in the packaging ink sector.”
“Although the economy continues to present challenges and uncertainties, we have seen noticeable improvement as it pertains to overall demand for pigments in 2010 versus the same time last year,” added David Hughes, business director, pigments for the printing and ink industries, BASF Corporation in North America.
Rick Campbell, president, Trust Chem USA, said that sales of organic pigment from China continued to grow in 2010, especially to the printing ink industry, “Trust Chem USA had a strong year, and Trust Chem worldwide fully recovered from the economic downturn in 2009 with more than 20% sales growth in 2010,” Mr. Campbell said.
Andy Grabacki, vice president of sales and marketing at General Press Colors, Ltd., noted that the fourth quarter of 2010 was strong for his company.
“After a shaky start to the year, we had a strong fourth quarter,” said Mr. Grabacki. “I don’t think the industry has come out of the recession, and our business has been so spotty over the past 18 months we can’t find any indicators that it is coming out. What we are hearing from our customers and seeing the digitalization of our society, maybe this is as far as we are going to come out of the recession.”
“The pigment industry has been largely supported by a general demand recovery in most printing ink market segments,” said Martin P. J. John, vice president global marketing and sales, printing business, Clariant International Ltd. “I would expect that any pigment supplier had a much stronger year compared to 2009. However, it will still take some time until sustainable demand is reaching pre-crisis levels. The strong position of Clariant in the printing ink and non-impact-printing markets in combination with increasing demand helped to achieve an excellent performance in 2010.
“Industry players remain very cautious and cash oriented (i.e. in building inventories) as the effects of high volatility in demand is still fresh in most memories,” Mr. John noted. “This is valid along the entire value chain going back to the feedstocks. However, it seems that the ink industry has found a new starting ground for future growth which will be different by end-use segments. I consider the challenges in publication inks more to be a structural issue which has been accelerated by the recession, hitting the advertising sector quickly and hard. Packaging inks proved to be the most stable segment even in the recession. Further growth will be here in particular in high growth economies like India or China. An economy cannot grow without packaging and the potential i.e. for food packaging is enormous. But the future potential of so called ‘mature’ economies like Western Europe, Japan or North America is as important as the growth takes place on a much higher basis.”
“Union Colours grew market share significantly in 2010, mainly driven by the success of our product development programme but also by a widening of our sales network,” said Phillip Myles, operations director, Union Colours. “The pigment industry reflected the recovery seen in the ink industry with sales rates not as high as 2008 but much better than 2009.”
Steve Smith, president of EC Pigments USA Inc., said that 2010 was an improvement over 2009, but the trend was uncertain and uneven.“We see customers acting very cautiously,” Mr. Smith said. “The industry was further weakened in Europe and the U.S. as there were further plant closures and consolidations. There are a few bright spots, but in general any signs of recovery are tentative and fragile.”
Joseph Perdue, head of marketing graphic arts USA, Eckart America Corporation, said that 2010 was much better than 2009 in general.
“However, cost increases, supply issues and concerns over the economy in general continue to apply added pressure on the pigment industry,” Mr. Perdue noted. “As a result, most companies are learning to behave differently. Inward focus on things like working capital, efficiency and headcount seem to be taking priority in lieu of positive gains in product quality and customer service.”
“It is obvious that there is a great deal of uncertainty in the coating markets, and the economic uncertainty in Europe and North America is really affecting the consumers’ spending habits, but 2010 turned out well, and we returned to pre-recession sales volumes,,” Dr. Andrew Edwards, Silberline’s global marketing director – inks, said. “Speaking to many of our customers, I know that not everyone in the ink market fared so well. There were clearly huge declines in some sectors such as newspaper print and offset; however, packaging proved to be most resilient to the turmoil. Things are now changing and there are signs that the ink market is coming out of recession, certainly the requirements on metallic pigment are growing well.”
“Schlenk succeeded with strong efforts to recover 2010 business to pre-recession level,” said Dr. Michael Bartelt, business manager inks and graphic arts, Schlenk Metallic Pigments GmbH. “The use of metallic inks was reduced during and after the recession, most likely due to cost saving measures. As the global economy continues to recover, we would expect this to reverse as the demand for shelf appeal that metallic colors offers increases.”
William Gray, business manager for Sincol USA Inc., said that 2010 will be viewed as a year of consolidation and realignment.
“China is moving forward with their enforcement of environmental standards,” Mr. Gray said. “This will affect several medium-size pigment manufacturers in 2011, and we expect this consolidation of manufactures to continue.”
“In general the pigment industry had strong demand, but due to large mergers or pollution controls overseas, the industry saw many shortages, lack of supply and inconsistent offerings” said Badal Shah, director, Aakash Chemicals & Dye-Stuffs, Inc.
“EMD Chemicals enjoyed a strong rebound from the economic downtown of the previous year, capitalizing on key sales and marketing oppportunities as they were presented,” John DeBlasi, regional key account marketing manager - PPS, pigments. “Successful introductions of key pigment products also opened up the doors to new customers and markets. New colored pigments that offer vibrant, stunning effects generated increased interest among end users and converters. Targeted launches of key functional products and security pigments also generated interest during 2010.”
“Lansco Colors had a record year in 2010 while many pigment suppliers stumbled as they seemed unprepared for the economic recovery,” said Frank Lavieri, executive vice president and general manager for Lansco Colors. “2010 may be remembered as a year which challenged supply chains, and Lansco Colors demonstrated the superiority of ours by not only supplying our customers’ requirements but having material to fill in the holes caused by competitors’ stock outs.”
Luis Marrero, president of Spectra Colors, said his company continued to thrive in the dye market, with their growth driven by Spectra Colors’ dedication to providing top-flight service.
“We have been growing as a company and have thrived in a not so good market,” Mr. Marrero said. “We pride ourselves on service, and our customers have come back to receive excellent service.”
Photo courtesy of Sincol USA |
Pigment manufacturers noted that while the economy has improved, new technologies are proving to be an important driver for growth.
“Many of our ink customers have told us that they have developed new business through technology and new opportunities,” Mr. McBride said. “We believe the same holds true for the pigment industry as our growth in organic, inorganic pigments and preparations has resulted from new products with existing customers as well as with approvals for new customers. There also appears to be an increase in demand in Asian domestic markets for pigments.”
Mr. Perdue said that Eckart America remains cautiously optimistic about the market for metallics, as metallic pigments remain an important option when brand owners look to increase their products’ shelf appeal.
“The market seems to be doing better but there are some areas like commercial printing that will not come back fully,” Mr. Perdue said. “The advantage for metallic pigments is that brands have an even greater need to be recognized on the shelf, and therefore special effects such as metallic pigments see even greater utility.”
While there has been improvement in the U.S. and European markets, Mr. Campbell noted that there is stronger growth in China and India.
“The ink industry in the U.S. and Europe has not fully recovered. However, growth continues at a rapid pace in China and India,” Mr. Campbell reported.
Mr. Hughes noted that packaging has fared relatively well, but the publication market is still struggling.
“Certain printing ink segments such flexible packaging and labels were not as heavily impacted by the recession as the publication sector, and have rebounded much more quickly,” Mr. Hughes said. “The industry as a whole is placing higher emphasis on productivity improvements and portfolio expansion in non-traditional printing technologies such as digital printing.”
“Both of these industries are linked to the global recession and to technological and life style changes,” Mr. Gray said of pigments and ink. “As the global economy recovers, people buy more products requiring packaging. The developing countries of China and India have a growing middle class, which will require more western-style packaging with color being supreme. There continues to be pressure on the PG business due to a change in the way information is disseminated. However, packaging will save the day – someday soon.”
Photo courtesy of Sincol USA |
For pigment manufacturers, the recession’s impact was significant, whether it was due to reduction of capacity, taking cost out of the product or tightened supply.
“Some production capacity has been closed and there is reluctance everywhere in the world to bring on new capacity, especially for high volume, low margin pigments,” Mr. Campbell said. “If there is a recovery in western countries, some believe there may not be enough capacity for selected raw materials and pigments to support this growth plus the continued growth in Asian countries.”
“The global recession led to many pigment and ink companies taking a serious look at inventory reduction so as to maintain a solid financial position,” Mr. McBride noted. “Another factor that would be important is to take as much cost out of the product - raw material, production, etc. The rationalization or relocation of manufacturing sites is also a possible outcome.”
“The global recession caused several of the traditional pigment suppliers to rethink their future,” Mr. Gray said. “Decisions were made not to put scarce resources into a mature industry with environmental issues and low margins. This allows both China and India to step in to fill the perceived gap in traditional high performance pigments, both in inks and coatings. The global recession has simply sped up the evolution of the pigment industry relocating to countries which have the space, raw materials and government initiatives to accommodate its needs.”
“The impact of the recession on the pigment industry resulted in tight supply throughout 2010, as producers along the supply chain struggled to match the increasing demand compared to the recession levels of 2009,” Mr. Hughes noted. “Demand eased towards the end of 2010 as stock levels were replenished and the initial surge of the recovery period subsided.”
“Customers were forced to find cheaper alternatives even if they had to sacrifice some quality or performance,” Mr. Perdue noted. “This has forced companies to focus on efficiency gains and cheaper alternatives rather than new innovations.”
Mr. Marrero said that dye manufacturers have also been impacted by the recession.
“As we have seen it, the dye industry as a whole has had some successes and some not so successful people,” Mr. Marrero said. “We are lucky to be one of the successful companies out there.”
Raw Materials and the Pigment Industry
Ink manufacturers have been under tremendous pressure due to the supply and increased cost of raw materials. It is a familiar story for pigment manufacturers as well, as essential ingredients ranging from phtahlocyanine and carbazole violet to copper are in short supply due to reduced production capacity as well as these materials being routed away from the ink industry to larger segments.
“Carbazole violet pigment producers have had to increase pricing on an ongoing basis,” Mr. McBride said. “This results in higher costs associated with use of that pigment, and due to the level of the increases, leads to higher costs for our customers. This, coupled with delays in supply of the pigment and precursor, makes the situation very frustrating. There have been increases with respect to phthalocyanine, titanium dioxide, carbon black, azo and specialty pigments during 2010 and 2011. Copper and liquid bromine cost escalation have applied upward pressure to phthalo blue and green. Increasing regulatory and environmental matters will continue to play a role in portions of Asia for organic pigment production.”
“Raw materials come largely from Asia,” Mr. Campbell said. “Prices can move quickly and significantly when raw materials are in short supply. In addition, currency re-valuation and inflation in developing countries may have an effect on selling prices. We believe key raw materials will continue to increase in price in 2011.”
“Raw material costs are traditionally an issue,” Mr. Hughes said. “BASF continuously evaluates processes to identify opportunities to improve upon our existing technologies and bring better value to our customers.”
Mr. Gray said that Sincol USA benefited from this volatility. “Because of its size, our plant can purchase with long term price guarantees,” Mr. Gray said. “This tends to delay or soften the impact of both the real and manufactured volatility of key raw materials.”
Metallic pigment manufacturers are seeing many of the same trends with their raw materials.
“The cost of copper is again on the rise,” Mr. Perdue said. “Continued global demand for such resources, increased mining cost and the threat of inflation all make the metals market very volatile.”
“With relatively low inventories throughout the whole printing ink value chain combined with still fluctuating demands, shortages of key raw materials and their related pigments remain an issue in 2011,” Mr. John said. “Cost increases are not only a scenario, they are reality and expected to continue throughout the next quarters. Not only specific raw materials but also overall inflation is adding to production costs in a way that even intense cost cutting programs will not be enough to compensate. Obviously, this situation is not exclusive to pigments. Basically, all major raw material categories of an ink manufacturer are affected.”
“Due to the supply rationalization that occurred during the economic downturn and the increased costs of environmental and regulatory compliance, we have seen significant cost increases of the raw materials that we use to manufacture our pigments,” Mr. Yazdani said. “In 2011, we expect that the magnitude of supply issues will decline, but not go away. Capacities for some raw materials should increase as incremental new capacity is restarted. However, where there are still fundamental imbalances in supply and demand, we would expect to see continued tightness and potential shortages again this year.”
Mr. Yazdani noted that price increases of key ingredients are a trend that is likely to continue, driven by the increase in demand.
“A key trend and challenge we saw in 2010 was the substantial increase of raw materials costs,” Mr. Yazdani said. “After two years of rapid decline in demand, we saw a significant increase in demand in 2010. Unfortunately due to raw material shortages and increased environmental and regulatory compliance costs, we saw a significant amount of cost increases in raw materials. We expect this trend to continue in 2011. There also continues to be strong positive trends toward the usage of high performance and effects pigments. At Sun Chemical Performance Pigments, we continue to work on controlling our own costs closely with our supply chain partners, to improve our internal operations and to develop new value-oriented products that can help customers grow their business. We will continue to invest in those areas that provide our customers with innovative products and services, allowing them to be more competitive and present the best value propositions in the market.”
Other Concerns for Pigment Manufacturers
Aside from the economy and raw materials, the pigment industry has plenty more on its plate, including the European REACH regulations, environmental issues and consolidation, to name a few concerns.
Mr. Campbell noted that REACH has the potential to impact the global pigment industry, with some suppliers possibly withdrawing from the market rather than go through the registration process.
“Trust Chem believes REACH is a major issue in 2011 and beyond, not just for Europe but potentially affecting the pigment business worldwide,” Mr. Campbell said. “We have already completed full registration for 11 high volume color index numbers, mainly for the ink industry, and are moving forward to fully register more organic pigment than any other supplier from Asia. Several suppliers who have actively supplied organic pigment in the past in Europe are not participating in the program, and some others will discontinue products rather than go through REACH registration.”
Mr. Gray noted that tighter environmental regulations in China are leading to changes, including some pigment plants being shut down.
“The Chinese government is quite sensitive to not close down manufacturing of pigments until and unless there is sufficient capacity to absorb this volume at other manufacturers inside China,” Mr. Gray said. “They do not want to drive business offshore. Sincol USA’s principal plant is the largest independent pigment plant in China.”
Consolidation of pigment and ink manufacturers is continuing, which, as Mr. Hughes noted, does have a major impact on business.
“Consolidation of the pigment and ink industries continued in 2010 as companies looked to increase market share through acquisition of strategically aligned businesses,” Mr. Hughes said. “BASF is focusing on leveraging competencies such as innovation, technical expertise, global footprint and the broadest product portfolio in the industry to offer complete solutions at the most competitive price.”
Mr. Perdue said that for Eckart, the need to develop new technologies remains essential.
“Even without economic challenges, the metallic market is continuously pressured to create more advanced effects and be more cost effective against alternative decorating choices,” Mr. Perdue said. “New manufacturing capabilities in manufacturing metallic flake are just beginning to deliver the next generation to the market, so we expect a great future with these technologies.”
Expectations for 2011 and Beyond
All in all, pigment industry leaders are fairly optimistic going forward.
Mr. McBride said that 2011 is expected to surpass the sales level of the recession and then some due to the technologies developed during the last two years after an intensive research and development program.
“All the Heubach companies are genuinely excited about 2011 based on technologies developed during the economic downturn,” Mr. McBride said.
Mr. Campbell said that he anticipates a strong year in 2011, and believes that more consolidation will be seen.
“We are very optimistic about our sales,” Mr. Campbell noted. “Trust Chem worldwide and especially Trust Chem USA are expecting continued growth in 2011. Our U.S. sales in January far exceeded our best month in 2010 and we are expecting significant additional new business in 2011. As far as the pigment industry, we are expecting further consolidation of the product line from traditional suppliers and maybe even further consolidation in suppliers.”
“Sincol USA expect to grow significantly in 2011, primarily through market penetration,” Mr. Gray said. “This is only our third year of existence in the U.S. market. There are many opportunities which still have not been explored.”
“The future for our industry is increasingly more difficult to predict,” Mr. Myles said. “Manufacturing consolidation in China and India will continue, so we expect supply issues to increase but the rate of increase will depend upon on how aggressive the environmental targets are. The Chinese yuan is likely to go on appreciating with current forecasts at +5% in 2011 against the USD, so prices will have to reflect this increase.”
Mr. Yazdani noted that there are opportunities in emerging markets, as well as in high performance and effect pigments.
“From a geographical viewpoint, the emerging industrial giants, China, India, Brazil and Eastern Europe, are seen as the markets where per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow most rapidly,” Mr. Yazdani said. “Related to the GDP growth of these emerging markets will be the growth in the demand for high performance pigments for the coatings of durable goods, buildings and the automotive sector.
“In the graphic arts market, the increasing use of non-impact printing methods such as inkjet means increased demand for high performance pigments at the expense of those conventional pigments used in traditional printing inks,” Mr. Yazdani added. “From the graphic art market segment viewpoint, we expect continued growth in packaging, specialties and niche markets. We also expect flat to declining market in publication. The trend in the electronic media market will see a reduction in ink consumption; however, it will also increase the demand for color and differentiation. This trend will help to fuel the continued growth in high performance and effect pigments.”
The instability of the market remains a concern to pigment executives.
“We don’t know what to expect for the next week, let alone the year,” Mr. Grabacki said. “Some stability would be nice.”
“It is expected that some instability will continue through most of the year,” Mr. Perdue said. “Some market areas will grow while others will strive to recreate themselves.We will place our resources in the appropriate areas that make us the most effective to grow.”
Mr. Hughes said that the return to pre-recession sales levels is cause for some optimism, but raw materials will be a concern going forward.
“We think the industry is approaching 2011 with cautious optimism after returning to pre-recession levels in 2010,” Mr. Hughes concluded. “Close monitoring of the supply and cost of raw materials, as well as productivity improvements to drive down costs, will be a central theme this year. Improved communication and further strengthening the customer/supplier relationship will also be paramount to developing sustainable solutions and contributing to further growth.”
New Products
The following products have been released during the past year.
Eckart America Corporation
Web: www.altana.com
Email: joseph.perdue@altana.com
New Products:
• MirrorGold
Comments: MirrorGold is a true bronze based mirror effect metallic inks, a complement to the well known UltraStar, VMP based metallic effects
• PlatinStar
Comments: PlatinStar is a cost effective, premium metallic effects for flexible packaging and shrink sleeve applications,
• MetalStar 06-7500 Pantone Premium Silver
Comments: MetalStar 06-7500 Pantone Premium Silver is ideal for the Pantone premium plus metallics guide.
General Press Colors, Ltd.
120 Fairbanks St.
Addison, IL 60101
Tel: (800) 252-4725
Fax: (630) 543-4657
Web:www.generalpresscolors.com
Email: andyg@gpclflush.com
New Products:
• UV Black Flush
• Economical UV Series
• High Performance UV Series
Heucotech Ltd. A Heubach company
99 Newbold Road
Fairless Hills, PA 19030
Tel: +1 215 736-0712 ext. 117
Fax +1 215 736-2249
Web: www.heubachcolor.com
Email: donmcbride@heubachcolor.com
New Products:
• Monolite Red 312202
Comments: Monolite Red 312202 is a high performance addition of PR122 organic pigment for coatings and inks.
• Aquis Plus YWP1401 PY 14 dispersion
Comments: Aquis Plus YWP1401 PY 14 dispersion is ideal for coatings and specialty ink applications. This highly pigmented preparation is VOC/APEO free
• Heucosperse RS9170 PR48:2
Comments: Heucosperse RS9170 PR48:2 preparation was introduced in 2010 for flexographic ink.
Lansco Colors
One Blue Hill Plaza, 11th Floor
PO Box 1685
Pearl River, NY 10965
Tel: : +1 845 507-5950
Fax: +1 845 735-2787
Web: www.pigments.com
Email: Frank@Pigments.com
New Products:
• 1166 Disazo Scarlet Red 166
Comments: 1166 Disazo Scarlet Red 166 is a “warm red” shade pigment with outstanding fastness properties. Used in outdoor printing applications as well as plastics and coatings.
• 2155 Azo Yellow 155
Comments: 2155 Azo Yellow 155 is a high performance yellow pigment with excellent value in use. This product is used in digital printing applications as well as applications requiring excellent bleed fastness Outside of the Ink industry this product is valued in plastics application due to its high color strength and good heat stability.
• PR-299 Napthol Red 2
Comments: PR-299 Napthol Red 2 is a transparent Red 2 with excellent viscosity and PCB levels controlled below all regulatory limits.
• 2111 Isoindolinone Yellow 110
Comments: 2111 Isoindolinone Yellow 110 is a high performance red shade yellow with outstanding fastness properties. Used in outdoor printing applications as well as coatings and plastics.
Sincol USA Inc.
167 N. 3rd Ave.
Upland, CA 91786
Tel: +1 909 931-9954
Fax: +1 909 931-9465
Web: www.sincol.com.cn
Email: frontdesk@sincolusa.com
New Products:
• Yellow 83 1160-D92 for solvent ink
• Yellow 83 1160-D80 for plastic
• Yellow 174 1128-004D for pub gravure
• Orange 34 1156-D13
• Red 149 2521-001 perylene for plastics/fiber
• Red 210 3210-D84 water/solvent.
Comments: Yellow 83 1160-D92 for solvent ink offers excellent flow. Yellow 83 1160-D80 for plastic offers no migration. Yellow 174 1128-004D is ideal for publication gravure. Orange 34 1156-D13 provides excellent flow in solvent inks. Red 149 2521-001 is a perylene for plastics/fiber. Red 210 3210-D84 is ideal for water and solvent inks, and provides excellent gloss.
Spectra Colors Corp.
25 Rizzolo Road
Kearny, NJ 07032
Tel: +1 201 997-0606
Fax: +1 201 997-0504
Email: dyes@spectracolors.com
New Products:
• SpectraRinse Dye Products
Comments: Staining is no longer a limiting factor, when trying to obtain bold colors. SpectraRinse dyes are brilliant concentrated liquid dye prodcuts. They are safe, environmentally friendly and highly rinsablewashable from skin and most fabrics, and will offer you the deeper saturated shades of color you’ve been looking for.
Sun Chemical Performance Pigment Group
5020 Spring Grove Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45232
Tel: +1 513 681-5950
Fax: +1 513 632-1316
Web: www.sunchemical.com/performancepigments/
E-mail: lynn.campbell@sunchemical.com
New Products:
• SunMetallics Aluminum Preparations for Liquid Inks
Comments: SunMetallics aluminum preparations offer a variety of non-leafing aluminum pastes and pellet preparations for printing ink applications that provide metallic brilliance with exceptional coverage and adhesion. True product differentiation can be created with the wide range of brilliant optical effects that can be achieved with SunMetallics lenticular and cornflake aluminum pigments.
• Quindo Red 122 and Violet 19 High Performance Pigments for UV and Non-Aqueous Systems
Comments: The new line of Quindo pigments for UV and non-aqueous systems amplify the properties that are critical to quality. Leveraging Sun Chemical's treatment technology, these pigments improve rheological behavior, colloidal stability, ink filtration rates, dispersability, optical density with the color consistency and purity for UV and non-aqueous ink applications.
• SpectraRay Dispersions for Energy Curable Inkjet Inks
Comments: SpectraRay dispersions are process color pigment dispersions specifically for energy curable inkjet inks with high chroma, low rheology and good stability. The dispersions are easily incorporated into the ink formulation with only mixing and yield inks that filter well. The pigment types presently available in the SpectraRay product line are pigment black 7, yellow 150, red 122 and violet 19 (quinacridone red).
Trust Chem USA
1050 Main Street, Suite 22
East Greenwich, RI 02818
Tel: +1 401 398-7301
Web: www.trustchemusa.com or www.trustchem.cn
E-mail: rick@trustchemusa.com
New Products:
• Pigment Red 57:1 low calcium content pigment
• Pigment Yellow 12 low abrasion pigment
• Pigment Red 166 (alterantive to Ciba RN)
• Pigment Yellow 194 (alternative to Clariant F2G)
• Pigment Red 185 (alternative to Clariant HF4C)
Comments: In late 2010, Trust Chem begain production of azo condensation pigment at its JV factory. During 2011, Trust Chem will be gradually expanding its product line with the plan to eventually offer a wide range of azo condensation reds and yellows. Trust Chem also expanded its capacity for quinacridones in 2010.
Union Colours
Union House, Hempshaw Lane, Stockport
Cheshire, SK1 4LG, UK
Tel: +44 (0)161 475 7200
Fax: +44 (0)161 475 7219
Web: www.unioncolours.com
Email: enquiries@unioncolours.com
New Products:
• R266, Sinfast Red 3132-D66
Comments: R266, Sinfast Red 3132-D66 is a mid-shade, good strength and stability in aqueous inks and dispersions.
• Y74, Sincol Yellow 1136-D25
Comments: Y74, Sincol Yellow 1136-D25 is a mid-shade, strong highly transparent with excellent stability, recommended for high pigmentation aqueous dispersions.
• R147, Sinfast Carmine 3147-D89
Comments: R147, Sinfast Carmine 3147-D89 is a very blue-shade maphthol AS II, usable in water, PVB and UV.
• O34, Sincol Orange 1156-D13
Comments: O34, Sincol Orange 1156-D13 is a glossy and transparent diarylide orange with excellent flow in NC inks and concentrates.
• R210, Sinfast Red 3210-D84
Comments: R210, Sinfast Red 3210-D84 M is a mid-shade naphthol ASII with good strength, gloss and transparency for NC inks.