Dave Savastano, Editor11.30.15
Ink manufacturers and their suppliers are facing plenty of regulatory issues, ranging from migration in food packaging, dust collection, HazCom labels and more. During the National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers’ (NAPIM) National Printing Ink Research Institute’s (NPIRI) 2015 Technical Conference, the focus was on “Trends and Directions in Graphic Arts,” with a long look at these topics.
NPIRI president Jerry Napiecek of Colorcon chaired the Technical Conference, which was held at the Oak Brook Hills Resort and Conference Center in Oak Brook, IL. The conference opened with a short course, GHS Implementation – First Wave After the Tsunami, presented by Denese Deeds, Industrial Health & Safety Consultants, Inc., and Jonathan Hellerstein of WestRock.
Al Marquardt of Kimberly-Clark formally opened the conference with his keynote talk, “Addressing Color in a CPC’s World,” a look at the importance of color to brand owners.
“CPCs use brand color to attract customers, sell products and help customers navigate products on the shelf,” Marquardt said.
“For example, we can identify brands by colors – Starbucks is green, Pepsi is blue, 3M is red, UPS is brown and our Huggies are red. You have to understand how to treat your customer’s brand colors.”
Marquardt said that Kimberly-Clark predominantly uses CMYK, with some products utilizing extended gamut (OGB).
“There are times when we ask if using a spot color vs. process colors matters, like Scott Blue 2935 vs. 100-61-0-0,” Marquardt noted. “Huggies is CMYK, while Kleenex uses extended gamut. We don’t use inks with rhodamine or rubine pigments due to fading. We do color signatures electronically as color books fade. If the marketing department says it doesn’t matter, it saves costs. That’s what goes through a CPC’s mind.”
Vitaly Rogachevsky of Argus DeWitt provided “Petroleum Hydrocarbons Market Update,” a discussion of trends and forecasts in the petroleum hydrocarbons market. “The oil industry is a big puzzle with pieces moving all the time,” said Rogachevsky. “The Western world is increasingly dependent on monomers from Asia, and eventually polymers and resins as well in five to 10 years.”
“Inks - Managing the Safety of Printed Food Packaging” was the topic of BCF’s Chris Whitehead.
“We all have to work together in the packaging chain,” Whitehead concluded. “One problem is that member states can do their own thing – France banned BPA and is questioning the use of titanium dioxide. Ink makers have been proactive, and will obey rules which should be harmonized across Europe and workable based on scientific evidence.”
Whitehead then joined the Packaging Safety Panel Discussion, joined by Hellerstein, Marquardt and Jim Bishop of Sun Chemical. Each brought their expertise to the lively discussion.
“If you produce packages that go to Europe, it has to meet that standard,” Bishop said. “The trend is moving toward whether a package is safe or not. Conversations on food migration have increased exponentially.”
“If you have any concerns about a raw material, simply don’t use it,” Whitehead recommended. “Primary and secondary packaging are considered the same.”
“We don’t want to be on the front page of bad news,” Marquadt said. Marquardt noted that one of its printers produced displays with barium pigments, which are prohibited. “They even had a certificate of compliance,” he added.
“The golden sample is fool’s gold; the first sample is always great. It’s the best sample they can make. You need to make random samples,” Hellerstein noted.
The first day closed with Technical Spotlights and the Exhibitor Reception.
The Wednesday, Sept. 30 morning Technical Session began with “Water-Based Binders for Flexible Packaging Inks” by Dave Tappa of BASF. 3M’s Robin Wright focused on “UV LED – The Power of One.”
“Color A-B,” by BASF’s Jim Rediske, then covered the physical transfer of color from substrate to the surrounding environment. Les Borodinsky of Keller and Heckman focused on “Assessing the Potential for Ink to Migrate from Multi-Layer Packaging to Food.” “Investigation of Recycled Paper Deinking Methods” by Veronika Husovska, Western Michigan University closed the morning session.
The afternoon Regulatory Session began with “Dust Explosions - The Nature Of The Problem And Practical Measures For Its Control,” by Vahid Ebadat of Chilworth Cons.
“Dust must be explosible (flammable, combustible), it must be airborne and concentration must be within the explosible range,’ he said. “Dust from sugar, metal and coal can explode.”
Deeds returned to give a talk on her short course topic, “GHS/HazCom 1 year After – Learnings,” a look at the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) into the Hazard Communication Standard. “Overview and Update on California’s Prop 65” was presented by Pamela Langhorn of Keller and Heckman.
George Fuchs, NAPIM’s director, regulatory affairs and technology, followed with his talk on “Current Regulatory Issues – Printing Ink.”
“Brand owners are looking for Proposition 65-free inks,” he said. “That’s going to be a big problem for us, as there are some ink companies that do sell Prop 65-free inks, but many others do not.”
Brad Bergey, NAPIM’s executive director, closed Day 2’s talks with an overview of NAPIM’s annual State of the Industry report.
“We went through a rather tumultuous time, with the recession in 2008-09, and we continue to bounce around in terms of the economy,” Bergey said.
Day 2 closed with the Awards Dinner, with the prestigious Technical Achievement Award going to Borpit Intawiwat of INX International Ink Co. and Technical Associate Member Service
The Technical Conference turned its attention to new technologies in the closing session, led by moderator Diane Parisi of Flint Group. The session opened with Randy Vandagriff of Kodak, who discusses trends for the inkjet market in his talk on the “Digital Inkjet Market.” Vandagriff compared the present offset printing market to digital, adding that digital is making headway against offset.
Offset printing sales were $29.8 trillion in 2011, and will decline slightly to $29 trillion in 2016, Vandagriff noted, while digital will grow from $393 billion to $548 billion in the same period. Not including the SOHO and digital textile markets, digital printing should reach $81 billion by 2018.
“Offset printing moving to digital is beginning,” Vandagriff said, adding that the book market is a good example of where the shift to inkjet printing is working well.
Barbara Fisher of the OEA followed with her talk on the field of organic and printed electronics, a look at current and future applications in areas such as OLED displays, transistors and functional sensors. Fisher also discussed the role that printing is playing.
“Companies can do printing with gravure, offset, flexo, screen and inkjet,” she noted. “There is no single process today.”
Doreen Monteleone, board member, Sustainable Green Printing (SGP) Partnership presented “Sustainable Green Printers Partnership Update 2015.” Buzz Apostol of Pantone/X-Rite discussed extended color gamut, and Jim Niemec of Verso closed the conference with his talk, “Paper Substrate and Digital Printing Technology Update.”
NAPIM’s leaders were pleased with the overall conferece.
“I think the conference went great,” said NAPIM executive director Brad Bergey. “Our turnout was a little higher that last year. We had some great presentations that covered recent regulatory concerns, plus highlights in growing areas such as lamination inks and UV LED.”
“I think this conference has been outstanding,” added Fuchs. “We had an excellent blend of market, technical and regulatory information.”
“I’m very happy with the conference,” added Napicek. “The sessions were well attended with a lot of questions. No longer do you need to bounce around between sessions, as now you can attend every meeting.”
The National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM) honored two industry leaders with prestigious awards during the 2015 NPIRI Technical Conference. Below are brief features on each of the award recipients:
• Borpit Intawiwat, corporate manager for 2-piece metal technology and processes at INX International Ink.
• Rick Grandke, who recently retired as flexible packaging market segment manager marketing for BASF.
Borpit Intawiwat – INX International Ink Co.
For Borpit Intawiwat, corporate manager for 2-piece metal technology and processes at INX International Ink, receiving the prestigious Technical Achievement Award from NAPIM during the NPIRI Technical Conference was “definitely a surprise.”
“It’s very humbling,” Intawiwat said. “Never would I have imagined that I would get such an honorable award. It just doesn’t feel real. Everyone whom I have influenced and who have influenced me is part of this award too.”
A 25-year industry veteran, Intawiwat said his joining the ink industry was “sort of by accident.”
“There was a job fair one day at my school, the University of Illinois - Chicago, and the director of INX’s R&D department came to recruit potential applicants,” said Intawiwat. “I knew that I didn’t want to go into QC or work second or third shifts for a large chemical company, so I thought why not, it might be a worth a chance. I came to the booth not knowing anything about INX, what they did, or what they made but with just my resume.
“I guess I made a good impression and got the job,” he added. “I started at INX in September 1991 in the offset department, making ink and overprint varnishes, and soon headed out into metal decorating for 2- and 3-piece inks. I think the best part of my career is working together with customers and suppliers to come up with solutions to problems.”
Intawiwat credits many of his colleagues with the successes he has had at INX.
“A lot of people certainly have helped to shape and influence me,” he noted. “They have all contributed no matter how small or how big. I think some of the more notable ones are Bill Tasker, Yassan Hashimoto and Rick Clendenning: Bill for his early influence on understanding the chemistry of materials – why things work; Yassan for thinking ‘outside’ the box – there’s more than one way to solve problems; andnd Rick, for bringing me to Charlotte, NC from Chicago in late 1995.”
Outside of work, Intawiwat enjoys his family and other hobbies. “My kids, I have two girls – 10 and 5. I enjoy running, gardening, and hitting the gym a few days a week,” he added.
All in all, joining the ink industry proved to be the ideal choice for Intawiwat.
“I had intended that the job be a stopgap for a better job, but you know, it became more than a job or position - I came, fell in love and stayed. I guess you could say that the ink bug bit me,” he concluded.
Rick Grandke – BASF
Rick Grandke’s start with the printing ink industry began behind the wheel of a truck when he was 16.
“I got involved with the printing ink industry through my dad, who had a trucking contract with Interchemical Ink (IPI) to handle local deliveries of ink to the printers in the Detroit area,” Grandke said. “I started delivering ink after school when I got my driver’s license at 16 years old. Then when I graduated from Wayne State University with my BS degree in the mid 1970s, I was offered a job as a color matcher at IPI’s Detroit branch.”
Grandke’s career recently culminated with his receiving the prestigious NAPIM Technical Associate Member Service Award. Grandke, who recently retired as flexible packaging market segment manager marketing for BASF, has more than 35 years in the ink and related fields, beginning his career at Inmont and heading to BASF Printing Inks and Johnson Polymer before moving to BASF.
“I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work my entire career in the printing industry, first in printing ink manufacturing with Inmont and Sun Chemical, then as an ink resin supplier with Johnson Polymer and BASF,” said Grandke. “The highlight in my career was to be in a position at BASF to influence and help develop ink resins that enabled ink manufacturers to develop inks and coatings that helped converters produce better products for brand owners.”
Grandke has had many influences throughout his career, with two people in particular standing out. In particular
“There were two people who had a major influence in my career,” he noted. “Karl Weisshaar was a pioneer in the ink industry and ran the ink formulation training program at IPI. He coordinated and shared his extensive knowledge of ink formulations and applications with many of us who were privileged to be a part of his training programs. The other was Don Lawn, the northeast regional manager at INMONT. Don was a very experienced branch sales manager who developed great relationships with his printer/converter customers and taught me the customer relationship and business side of the industry.”
Having been part of the printing and ink industries for more than 35 years, Grandke has seen many changes in the field.
“The largest change that I witnessed during my career is the growth and technical developments in water-based flexographic printing,” he noted. “In the early 1970s, the technology was relegated to ‘rubber stamp printing’ on brown box corrugated. Today it is rivaling offset print quality on not only paper and board but film and foil substrates as well. I was fortunate to be involved with ink and polymer development that contributed to the technology evolution.”
Grandke is a strong supporter of trade associations, and believes that NAPIM plays a key role for the industry.
“The NAPIM organization provides an opportunity for ink manufacturers and suppliers to the industry to network and share developments that will help move the industry forward,” he said. “Through involvement in the NPIRI technical conference and summer ink course, NAPIM continues to provide a needed service through regulatory and safety guidance as well as technical training of new ink and associate members. As trade organizations typically reflect the industries they represent, it is refreshing to see the growth in attendance and continued evolution of the NAPIM and NPIRI organizations.”
Now that Grandke is heading into retirement, he will be able to enjoy his hobbies, including cars. “My lifelong hobby has been working on automobiles. My plan is to continue to build hot rods and muscle cars in retirement. I also enjoy golf and travel,” Grandke noted.
Grandke said that receiving the TAM Service Award is a wonderful way to end his career.
“It was an honor to receive the NAPIM TAM award and to be recognized for my contribution to the industry,” Grandke concluded. “I was humbled by the many well wishes and positive comments I received from my many friends in the industry. As I transition into retirement, I will cherish this award as a highlight of my career.”
NPIRI president Jerry Napiecek of Colorcon chaired the Technical Conference, which was held at the Oak Brook Hills Resort and Conference Center in Oak Brook, IL. The conference opened with a short course, GHS Implementation – First Wave After the Tsunami, presented by Denese Deeds, Industrial Health & Safety Consultants, Inc., and Jonathan Hellerstein of WestRock.
Al Marquardt of Kimberly-Clark formally opened the conference with his keynote talk, “Addressing Color in a CPC’s World,” a look at the importance of color to brand owners.
“CPCs use brand color to attract customers, sell products and help customers navigate products on the shelf,” Marquardt said.
“For example, we can identify brands by colors – Starbucks is green, Pepsi is blue, 3M is red, UPS is brown and our Huggies are red. You have to understand how to treat your customer’s brand colors.”
Marquardt said that Kimberly-Clark predominantly uses CMYK, with some products utilizing extended gamut (OGB).
“There are times when we ask if using a spot color vs. process colors matters, like Scott Blue 2935 vs. 100-61-0-0,” Marquardt noted. “Huggies is CMYK, while Kleenex uses extended gamut. We don’t use inks with rhodamine or rubine pigments due to fading. We do color signatures electronically as color books fade. If the marketing department says it doesn’t matter, it saves costs. That’s what goes through a CPC’s mind.”
Vitaly Rogachevsky of Argus DeWitt provided “Petroleum Hydrocarbons Market Update,” a discussion of trends and forecasts in the petroleum hydrocarbons market. “The oil industry is a big puzzle with pieces moving all the time,” said Rogachevsky. “The Western world is increasingly dependent on monomers from Asia, and eventually polymers and resins as well in five to 10 years.”
“Inks - Managing the Safety of Printed Food Packaging” was the topic of BCF’s Chris Whitehead.
“We all have to work together in the packaging chain,” Whitehead concluded. “One problem is that member states can do their own thing – France banned BPA and is questioning the use of titanium dioxide. Ink makers have been proactive, and will obey rules which should be harmonized across Europe and workable based on scientific evidence.”
Whitehead then joined the Packaging Safety Panel Discussion, joined by Hellerstein, Marquardt and Jim Bishop of Sun Chemical. Each brought their expertise to the lively discussion.
“If you produce packages that go to Europe, it has to meet that standard,” Bishop said. “The trend is moving toward whether a package is safe or not. Conversations on food migration have increased exponentially.”
“If you have any concerns about a raw material, simply don’t use it,” Whitehead recommended. “Primary and secondary packaging are considered the same.”
“We don’t want to be on the front page of bad news,” Marquadt said. Marquardt noted that one of its printers produced displays with barium pigments, which are prohibited. “They even had a certificate of compliance,” he added.
“The golden sample is fool’s gold; the first sample is always great. It’s the best sample they can make. You need to make random samples,” Hellerstein noted.
The first day closed with Technical Spotlights and the Exhibitor Reception.
The Wednesday, Sept. 30 morning Technical Session began with “Water-Based Binders for Flexible Packaging Inks” by Dave Tappa of BASF. 3M’s Robin Wright focused on “UV LED – The Power of One.”
“Color A-B,” by BASF’s Jim Rediske, then covered the physical transfer of color from substrate to the surrounding environment. Les Borodinsky of Keller and Heckman focused on “Assessing the Potential for Ink to Migrate from Multi-Layer Packaging to Food.” “Investigation of Recycled Paper Deinking Methods” by Veronika Husovska, Western Michigan University closed the morning session.
The afternoon Regulatory Session began with “Dust Explosions - The Nature Of The Problem And Practical Measures For Its Control,” by Vahid Ebadat of Chilworth Cons.
“Dust must be explosible (flammable, combustible), it must be airborne and concentration must be within the explosible range,’ he said. “Dust from sugar, metal and coal can explode.”
Deeds returned to give a talk on her short course topic, “GHS/HazCom 1 year After – Learnings,” a look at the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) into the Hazard Communication Standard. “Overview and Update on California’s Prop 65” was presented by Pamela Langhorn of Keller and Heckman.
George Fuchs, NAPIM’s director, regulatory affairs and technology, followed with his talk on “Current Regulatory Issues – Printing Ink.”
“Brand owners are looking for Proposition 65-free inks,” he said. “That’s going to be a big problem for us, as there are some ink companies that do sell Prop 65-free inks, but many others do not.”
Brad Bergey, NAPIM’s executive director, closed Day 2’s talks with an overview of NAPIM’s annual State of the Industry report.
“We went through a rather tumultuous time, with the recession in 2008-09, and we continue to bounce around in terms of the economy,” Bergey said.
Day 2 closed with the Awards Dinner, with the prestigious Technical Achievement Award going to Borpit Intawiwat of INX International Ink Co. and Technical Associate Member Service
The Technical Conference turned its attention to new technologies in the closing session, led by moderator Diane Parisi of Flint Group. The session opened with Randy Vandagriff of Kodak, who discusses trends for the inkjet market in his talk on the “Digital Inkjet Market.” Vandagriff compared the present offset printing market to digital, adding that digital is making headway against offset.
Offset printing sales were $29.8 trillion in 2011, and will decline slightly to $29 trillion in 2016, Vandagriff noted, while digital will grow from $393 billion to $548 billion in the same period. Not including the SOHO and digital textile markets, digital printing should reach $81 billion by 2018.
“Offset printing moving to digital is beginning,” Vandagriff said, adding that the book market is a good example of where the shift to inkjet printing is working well.
Barbara Fisher of the OEA followed with her talk on the field of organic and printed electronics, a look at current and future applications in areas such as OLED displays, transistors and functional sensors. Fisher also discussed the role that printing is playing.
“Companies can do printing with gravure, offset, flexo, screen and inkjet,” she noted. “There is no single process today.”
Doreen Monteleone, board member, Sustainable Green Printing (SGP) Partnership presented “Sustainable Green Printers Partnership Update 2015.” Buzz Apostol of Pantone/X-Rite discussed extended color gamut, and Jim Niemec of Verso closed the conference with his talk, “Paper Substrate and Digital Printing Technology Update.”
NAPIM’s leaders were pleased with the overall conferece.
“I think the conference went great,” said NAPIM executive director Brad Bergey. “Our turnout was a little higher that last year. We had some great presentations that covered recent regulatory concerns, plus highlights in growing areas such as lamination inks and UV LED.”
“I think this conference has been outstanding,” added Fuchs. “We had an excellent blend of market, technical and regulatory information.”
“I’m very happy with the conference,” added Napicek. “The sessions were well attended with a lot of questions. No longer do you need to bounce around between sessions, as now you can attend every meeting.”
The National Association of Printing Ink Manufacturers (NAPIM) honored two industry leaders with prestigious awards during the 2015 NPIRI Technical Conference. Below are brief features on each of the award recipients:
• Borpit Intawiwat, corporate manager for 2-piece metal technology and processes at INX International Ink.
• Rick Grandke, who recently retired as flexible packaging market segment manager marketing for BASF.
Borpit Intawiwat – INX International Ink Co.
For Borpit Intawiwat, corporate manager for 2-piece metal technology and processes at INX International Ink, receiving the prestigious Technical Achievement Award from NAPIM during the NPIRI Technical Conference was “definitely a surprise.”
“It’s very humbling,” Intawiwat said. “Never would I have imagined that I would get such an honorable award. It just doesn’t feel real. Everyone whom I have influenced and who have influenced me is part of this award too.”
A 25-year industry veteran, Intawiwat said his joining the ink industry was “sort of by accident.”
“There was a job fair one day at my school, the University of Illinois - Chicago, and the director of INX’s R&D department came to recruit potential applicants,” said Intawiwat. “I knew that I didn’t want to go into QC or work second or third shifts for a large chemical company, so I thought why not, it might be a worth a chance. I came to the booth not knowing anything about INX, what they did, or what they made but with just my resume.
“I guess I made a good impression and got the job,” he added. “I started at INX in September 1991 in the offset department, making ink and overprint varnishes, and soon headed out into metal decorating for 2- and 3-piece inks. I think the best part of my career is working together with customers and suppliers to come up with solutions to problems.”
Intawiwat credits many of his colleagues with the successes he has had at INX.
“A lot of people certainly have helped to shape and influence me,” he noted. “They have all contributed no matter how small or how big. I think some of the more notable ones are Bill Tasker, Yassan Hashimoto and Rick Clendenning: Bill for his early influence on understanding the chemistry of materials – why things work; Yassan for thinking ‘outside’ the box – there’s more than one way to solve problems; andnd Rick, for bringing me to Charlotte, NC from Chicago in late 1995.”
Outside of work, Intawiwat enjoys his family and other hobbies. “My kids, I have two girls – 10 and 5. I enjoy running, gardening, and hitting the gym a few days a week,” he added.
All in all, joining the ink industry proved to be the ideal choice for Intawiwat.
“I had intended that the job be a stopgap for a better job, but you know, it became more than a job or position - I came, fell in love and stayed. I guess you could say that the ink bug bit me,” he concluded.
Rick Grandke – BASF
Rick Grandke’s start with the printing ink industry began behind the wheel of a truck when he was 16.
“I got involved with the printing ink industry through my dad, who had a trucking contract with Interchemical Ink (IPI) to handle local deliveries of ink to the printers in the Detroit area,” Grandke said. “I started delivering ink after school when I got my driver’s license at 16 years old. Then when I graduated from Wayne State University with my BS degree in the mid 1970s, I was offered a job as a color matcher at IPI’s Detroit branch.”
Grandke’s career recently culminated with his receiving the prestigious NAPIM Technical Associate Member Service Award. Grandke, who recently retired as flexible packaging market segment manager marketing for BASF, has more than 35 years in the ink and related fields, beginning his career at Inmont and heading to BASF Printing Inks and Johnson Polymer before moving to BASF.
“I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work my entire career in the printing industry, first in printing ink manufacturing with Inmont and Sun Chemical, then as an ink resin supplier with Johnson Polymer and BASF,” said Grandke. “The highlight in my career was to be in a position at BASF to influence and help develop ink resins that enabled ink manufacturers to develop inks and coatings that helped converters produce better products for brand owners.”
Grandke has had many influences throughout his career, with two people in particular standing out. In particular
“There were two people who had a major influence in my career,” he noted. “Karl Weisshaar was a pioneer in the ink industry and ran the ink formulation training program at IPI. He coordinated and shared his extensive knowledge of ink formulations and applications with many of us who were privileged to be a part of his training programs. The other was Don Lawn, the northeast regional manager at INMONT. Don was a very experienced branch sales manager who developed great relationships with his printer/converter customers and taught me the customer relationship and business side of the industry.”
Having been part of the printing and ink industries for more than 35 years, Grandke has seen many changes in the field.
“The largest change that I witnessed during my career is the growth and technical developments in water-based flexographic printing,” he noted. “In the early 1970s, the technology was relegated to ‘rubber stamp printing’ on brown box corrugated. Today it is rivaling offset print quality on not only paper and board but film and foil substrates as well. I was fortunate to be involved with ink and polymer development that contributed to the technology evolution.”
Grandke is a strong supporter of trade associations, and believes that NAPIM plays a key role for the industry.
“The NAPIM organization provides an opportunity for ink manufacturers and suppliers to the industry to network and share developments that will help move the industry forward,” he said. “Through involvement in the NPIRI technical conference and summer ink course, NAPIM continues to provide a needed service through regulatory and safety guidance as well as technical training of new ink and associate members. As trade organizations typically reflect the industries they represent, it is refreshing to see the growth in attendance and continued evolution of the NAPIM and NPIRI organizations.”
Now that Grandke is heading into retirement, he will be able to enjoy his hobbies, including cars. “My lifelong hobby has been working on automobiles. My plan is to continue to build hot rods and muscle cars in retirement. I also enjoy golf and travel,” Grandke noted.
Grandke said that receiving the TAM Service Award is a wonderful way to end his career.
“It was an honor to receive the NAPIM TAM award and to be recognized for my contribution to the industry,” Grandke concluded. “I was humbled by the many well wishes and positive comments I received from my many friends in the industry. As I transition into retirement, I will cherish this award as a highlight of my career.”