850 Central Ave.
Hanover Park, IL 60133
Phone: (800) 621-1049; (630) 259-7200
www.fujifilmgraphics.com
Email: contact@fujifilmgs.com

FUJIFILM Imaging Colorants, Inc.
233 Cherry Lane
New Castle, DE 19720
(800) 552-1609
www.fujifilmimagingcolorants.com

Sales: $400 million (Ink World estimate)

Major Products: UV screen, UV flexo, UV digital (piezo inkjet), solvent-based digital and solvent-based screen inks. FUJIFILM Imaging Colorants, Inc. (FFIC) develops and supplies novel, high performance inkjet colorants – including dyes and pigment dispersions - and inkjet inks for the digital print market. FFIC also offers contract/toll manufacturing of aqueous inkjet inks.

Key Personnel: Todd Zimmerman, division president, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division, and corporate VP, FUJIFILM Global Graphic Systems; Pete Kenehan, managing director, Graphic Systems Division, Fujifilm Specialty Ink Systems; Jerry Avis, chief commercial officer, FUJIFILM Europe Graphic Systems Division; Terry Mitchell, VP marketing, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division. FUJIFILM Imaging Colorants, Inc. (FFIC): Brian J. Meldrum, president; Kevin Myers, commercial GM, new business; John Spych, North American sales manager.

Number of Employees: 1,250 (Ink World estimate).

Comments: FUJIFILM is a leader in inkjet printing, having developed cutting-edge presses and workflow solutions, as well as inks for inkjet, screen and UV flexo. It has two divisions, FUJIFILM Imaging Colorants (FFIC) and FUJIFILM North America, Graphics Systems Division. As digital printing grows, Fujifilm is growing with it.

“We see a tremendous appetite for digital adoption across many different industries,” said Kevin Myers, commercial GM, new business, FUJIFILM Imaging Colorants. “Textiles and commercial paper printing are bouyant right now, with packaging application to become a huge market over next three to five years.”

Paul Ewing, director, new business and technology, FUJIFILM Imaging Colorants, Inc., said that 2015 was a major year for FFIC as it addressed the opportunities for inkjet printing both on the desktop and beyond the desktop.

“We announced our entry into the textile printing market at the ITMA trade show, offering dye and pigment-based inks,” Ewing said. “We also made good progress in several OEM programs on the back of our Reactive Dispersant (RxD) technology, and novel aqueous ink formulations.”

Terry Mitchell, director of marketing communications, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division, noted that Fujifilm’s inkjet business experienced significant growth in 2015, fueled by the introduction of new wide format equipment models.

“Commercial printers adopting these new technologies, and diversifying into new markets are experiencing growth,” Mitchell added. “The packaging segment, including tag and label, folding carton, and corrugated applications are also growing at a fast pace. Wide format also continues to grow as newer models increase production capabilities and expand print applications.”

In particular, Mitchell is seeing strong growth in UV inkjet ink in wide format printing.

“In the wide format market, UV-based inkjet inks are replacing older solvent systems due to many advantages including elimination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), faster drying, improved finishing and lower cost,” Mitchell said. “Lower odor UV inks and low migration UV inks are also paving the path for growth in packaging markets for food applications, and improved performance of aqueous inks on a wide range of substrates, due in some cases to the use of pre-coat primers, is driving growth for general commercial and packaging applications.”

During the past year, Fujifilm introduced Uvijet KV inks for thermoforming applications, and Uvijet low odor OL inks for corrugated applications. New Uvijet inks providing a broader adhesion profile and new orange ink to expand color gamut were also introduced in the wide format market.

Myers noted that FFIC had success with its RxD Aqueous pigment dispersion technology.

“The dispersion range available in CMYK, Red & Blue is used in Fujifilm inks and offered as an intermediate to third party ink formulators,” Myers said. “Markets adopting the technology are textiles, commercial paper print, direct mail, packaging and flooring.”

Mitchell sees further growth ahead for digital printing.

“Digital printing will continue to grow in both the near and long term as print buyer demand for versioned, variable and short run work increases,” Mitchell said. “Increasing digital inkjet print speeds and improved print quality at these higher speeds will transition more work from traditional print methods to digital inkjet printing, and as previously mentioned, the packaging market, including tag and label, folding carton and corrugated applications will adopt digital print technologies and continue to grow at a fast pace.”

“There is clearly an evolution occurring in the printing industry, with inkjet doing particularly well,” Ewing concluded. “In the aqueous inkjet market, we see two major trends: continued strong growth in the office, commercial print, textile and other industrial inkjet markets; and declining demand in the consumer space. With all the technologies we have within Fujifilm, there is no shortage of opportunity: the challenge is in selecting the best growth opportunities and then delivering on these.”