David Savastano, Editor07.29.16
The Chinese printing industry has enjoyed excellent growth in recent years, which has led, in turn, to a robust ink industry. New companies have sprung up to meet increasing demand.
Haiyan Huada Ink Chemical Co., Ltd. is one company that has emerged in the Chinese ink industry. Huada Ink was founded in 1996 by Zhang Yuecheng, who has been in the ink industry for 41 years.
Starting in a 20 square meter room with a single three-roll mill, he began Huada Ink as a color matching specialist, moving to its current factory three years later, manufacturing offset inks. By 2000, Wu Liangjiang joined the company, beginning its industry coating business, and in 2005, Xu Gong, a 21-year industry veteran, joined the company, starting its UV offset business.
Today, Huada Ink has grown to more than 100 employees, and has a successful export business in addition to its domestic sales. The company produces 3,000 tons of offset ink and 1,000 tons of UV ink annually.
Huada Ink’s Jason Zhang said that the Chinese ink industry has changed since Huada Ink’s early days.
“During our first few years, the Chinese ink business had three main advantages,” Zhang said. “Before 2000, China had been in a period that if you can produce ink then you can earn money. The Chinese market itself was growing fast and the ink maker had no need to export since the market is big enough that it could survive hundreds of small printing ink manufacture. Also, the environmental cost did not count, which is totally different from now, especially in 2016, as Chinese printers as well as the ink maker are spending both energy and money to make the printing more eco-friendly.”
R&D is a specialty of Huada Ink. Among Huada Ink’s most recent products is its Biolocity Process HD-VG Ink, an environmentally responsible sheetfed ink technology made of high percentage of bio-derived renewable materials, with low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Zhang noted in its early years, Huada Ink faced the same challenges that other smaller to middle-sized ink makers in China had, including the need for more capital and well trained workers, as well as improved equipment and raw materials. Zhang added that Huada Ink has overcome these problems.
“Thanks to the development of these industries within the last 20 years, we generally solved most of our challenges,” Zhang said. “I have to say that the Chinese ink industry is a flower on the tree of the Chinese chemistry industry, with the nutrition of foreign technology. With the help of the finest chemistry industry and machinery industry, we are in the right place and the right time to produce ink.
“The only thing that matters is to survive for the next 20 years,” Zhang added. “A 20-year-old ink company, from any angle, is a young company compared to the major players in this industry. We understand our position in the industry. We saw many ink makers fall down or even disappear in the last 20 years. None of them failed because of outside competition or pressure, but by poor management or that they didn’t enjoy the job of making ink. We have to avoid the mistakes our friends have made.”
Haiyan Huada Ink Chemical Co., Ltd. is one company that has emerged in the Chinese ink industry. Huada Ink was founded in 1996 by Zhang Yuecheng, who has been in the ink industry for 41 years.
Starting in a 20 square meter room with a single three-roll mill, he began Huada Ink as a color matching specialist, moving to its current factory three years later, manufacturing offset inks. By 2000, Wu Liangjiang joined the company, beginning its industry coating business, and in 2005, Xu Gong, a 21-year industry veteran, joined the company, starting its UV offset business.
Today, Huada Ink has grown to more than 100 employees, and has a successful export business in addition to its domestic sales. The company produces 3,000 tons of offset ink and 1,000 tons of UV ink annually.
Huada Ink’s Jason Zhang said that the Chinese ink industry has changed since Huada Ink’s early days.
“During our first few years, the Chinese ink business had three main advantages,” Zhang said. “Before 2000, China had been in a period that if you can produce ink then you can earn money. The Chinese market itself was growing fast and the ink maker had no need to export since the market is big enough that it could survive hundreds of small printing ink manufacture. Also, the environmental cost did not count, which is totally different from now, especially in 2016, as Chinese printers as well as the ink maker are spending both energy and money to make the printing more eco-friendly.”
R&D is a specialty of Huada Ink. Among Huada Ink’s most recent products is its Biolocity Process HD-VG Ink, an environmentally responsible sheetfed ink technology made of high percentage of bio-derived renewable materials, with low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Zhang noted in its early years, Huada Ink faced the same challenges that other smaller to middle-sized ink makers in China had, including the need for more capital and well trained workers, as well as improved equipment and raw materials. Zhang added that Huada Ink has overcome these problems.
“Thanks to the development of these industries within the last 20 years, we generally solved most of our challenges,” Zhang said. “I have to say that the Chinese ink industry is a flower on the tree of the Chinese chemistry industry, with the nutrition of foreign technology. With the help of the finest chemistry industry and machinery industry, we are in the right place and the right time to produce ink.
“The only thing that matters is to survive for the next 20 years,” Zhang added. “A 20-year-old ink company, from any angle, is a young company compared to the major players in this industry. We understand our position in the industry. We saw many ink makers fall down or even disappear in the last 20 years. None of them failed because of outside competition or pressure, but by poor management or that they didn’t enjoy the job of making ink. We have to avoid the mistakes our friends have made.”