100 North St.
Teterboro, NJ 07608-1202
Phone: (201) 478-5600
Fax: (201) 478-5650
Sales: $60 million.
Major Products: Lithographic inks varnishes and coatings for conventional, waterlessand UV applications; flexographic inks for water-based and UV applications; inkjet inks; gravure inks.
Key Personnel: Jeffrey I. Simons, chairman, CEO and president; Stan Hittman, executive VP; Harold Rubin, chief financial officer; James La Rocca, chief operating officer; Peter Nunez, VP, finance & administration.
Number of Employees: 250.
Operating Facilities: Fifteen branches and more than 20 in-plant facilities. The company operates facilities through Gotham Ink and Color operations (New York and Massachusetts) and Spinks Ink (Chicago) subsidiaries.
Comments: Superior Printing Ink had a solid year in 2012, as the company looked to expand its portfolio, adding to its UV offset, water-based flexo and inkjet offerings as well as to its in-plant operations.
“Our initiatives for new and existing business development progressed,” said James La Rocca, chief operating officer for Superior Printing Ink. “The dedication of my co-workers and ourcustomers contributed to making 2012 a positive year.”
Mr. La Rocca noted that Superior Printing Ink continues to improve its productivity and customer service response, including commissioning its new automatic cartridge filling operations. The new system, which the company added in August, fills a 4.4 lb. plastic R1 cartridge in six seconds. It also accommodates 8 lb. R2 cartridges with minimal change-over time.
“Printers and ink makers who make it through these tough times maintain continual improvement programs in one form or another, and keeping pace with new technology is part of it,” Mr. La Rocca added.
The packaging market has been steady in recent years, and Superior Printing Ink has added to its capabilities with its new line of water-based and UV flexo inks targeted to the narrow web and label markets.
Mr. La Rocca noted that the raw material situation has stabilized for the time being.
“Raw material cost and availability have stabilized when compared to 2011,” he said. “We deal with it by maintaining our 95-year history of being a good partner with our vendors.”
Overall, Mr. La Rocca is optimistic about 2013.
“As our momentum continues to build with our newer product offerings, we expect animproved growth curve when compared to last year,” Mr. La Rocca concluded.