07.19.23
Schlossstrasse 20
73329 Eislingen, Germany
Phone: +49 7161 802-0; 1-800-848-8465 USA
Internet: ZG Europe: www.zeller-gmelin.de; ZG US: www.zeller-gmelin.com
E-mail: info@zeller-gmelin.de
Sales: $100 million (Ink World estimate); consolidated sales $330 million (€276 million).
Major Products: UV web, sheetfed, screen, letterpress and dry offset inks; water-based flexo inks; EB sheetfed and flexo inks; UV and EB coatings.
Key Personnel: Siegfried Müller, group GM, sales and marketing; Alexandra Scaglione, group GM, finance; Thomas Alpers, group GM, operations; Michael Podd, president, Zeller+Gmelin Corp. USA.; Bryan Felts national sales manager; John Vereen, operations director, Zeller+Gmelin Corp.; Andreas Koch, head of Ink Division Zeller+Gmelin GmbH & Co. KG (Germany); Marcus Ruckstädter, global sales director; Andreas Rascher, marketing director.
No. of Employees: 950 (consolidated).
Comments: A family-owned chemical specialist with headquarter in Germany, Zeller+Gmelin (Z+G) specializes in lubricants, chemicals and printing inks, where it is highly regarded for energy-curable inks. Z+G manufactures LED UV, EB, UV and H-UV ink systems for a number of markets, including narrow web, commercial printing, rigid plastic, and food packaging applications, and also recently added digital inks to its catalog.
“In summary, 2022 was a turbulent but successful year,” said Andreas Koch, head of Ink Division Zeller+Gmelin GmbH & Co. KG (Germany). “Sales increased significantly, and we were able to introduce further innovative printing ink products to the market. Zeller+Gmelin completed its portfolio in the field of LED-curable low-migration inks, both for the narrow-web segment and for sheetfed offset commercial and packaging printing.”
The year 2022 was marked by challenging raw material procurement and unpredictable raw material price development.
“This situation posed a significant challenge to the entire organization in ensuring maximum agility to guarantee supply security,” said Koch. “Looking back, we are very pleased to have successfully overcome this crisis and to have remained capable of delivering at all times. On the other hand, the scarcity showed us that we need to avoid excessive dependence on individual raw material suppliers. The shortage of raw materials, coupled with a dynamically increased demand for our radiation-curing printing inks, further exacerbated the situation. Today, we know that part of the increased demand was due to stock building throughout the packaging production chain.”
Koch pointed out that the pressure on customers to save both VOCs and energy in their production can be alleviated through the use of LED-curable ink systems.
“Curing the ink film requires minimal energy input, and no VOCs are released in the process,” said Koch. “Therefore, LED-curable inks make a significant contribution to reducing the carbon footprint. Additionally, Zeller+Gmelin has significantly increased the proportion of renewable raw materials in its printing inks. This is another important step towards improving the biocompatibility of our inks.”
Last year, Z+G successfully introduced a UV inkjet ink into the market for its digital printing ink segment, which solves the adhesion problem on many challenging substrates, such
as polypropylene.
“Users can print directly on the surface without the need for an adhesion promoter, saving time and materials,” said Koch. “An innovative adhesion promoter integrated into the inkjet ink enables excellent adhesion properties on various surfaces.”
In the past year, Zeller+Gmelin invested in state-of-the-art machine technology to continue meeting its highest standards of quality and efficiency. Investments were made in both three-roll mills and bead mill technology. The new machinery allows for precise monitoring and regulation of all key production parameters.
One of the significant highlights was the integration of Z+G’s new subsidiary, Zeller+Gmelin Industries, in the United Arab Emirates, which was completed last year.
“With ZG Industries, the ZG Group gains not only a strong distribution channel in the Middle East, India, and Africa markets but also an additional production site that will supply innovative radiation-curable printing inks to both our own markets and the global ZG Group,” Koch noted. “Furthermore, ZG Industries offers excellent technical service that will sustainably support our growth in the mentioned regions.”
While 2023 has started slowly, Koch sees plenty of reason for optimism for Z+G.
“The first quarter of 2023 showed restrained demand in the global market for printing inks,” said Koch. “The reasons for this are multifaceted, with one contributing factor still appearing to be high inventory levels. Another reason is undoubtedly the cautious consumer behavior due to the current political and economic situation in many regions of the world. However, ZG is confident that with the innovative power of our new products, we will gain new markets and customers, thereby compensating for the weak demand in the existing business.”
73329 Eislingen, Germany
Phone: +49 7161 802-0; 1-800-848-8465 USA
Internet: ZG Europe: www.zeller-gmelin.de; ZG US: www.zeller-gmelin.com
E-mail: info@zeller-gmelin.de
Sales: $100 million (Ink World estimate); consolidated sales $330 million (€276 million).
Major Products: UV web, sheetfed, screen, letterpress and dry offset inks; water-based flexo inks; EB sheetfed and flexo inks; UV and EB coatings.
Key Personnel: Siegfried Müller, group GM, sales and marketing; Alexandra Scaglione, group GM, finance; Thomas Alpers, group GM, operations; Michael Podd, president, Zeller+Gmelin Corp. USA.; Bryan Felts national sales manager; John Vereen, operations director, Zeller+Gmelin Corp.; Andreas Koch, head of Ink Division Zeller+Gmelin GmbH & Co. KG (Germany); Marcus Ruckstädter, global sales director; Andreas Rascher, marketing director.
No. of Employees: 950 (consolidated).
Comments: A family-owned chemical specialist with headquarter in Germany, Zeller+Gmelin (Z+G) specializes in lubricants, chemicals and printing inks, where it is highly regarded for energy-curable inks. Z+G manufactures LED UV, EB, UV and H-UV ink systems for a number of markets, including narrow web, commercial printing, rigid plastic, and food packaging applications, and also recently added digital inks to its catalog.
“In summary, 2022 was a turbulent but successful year,” said Andreas Koch, head of Ink Division Zeller+Gmelin GmbH & Co. KG (Germany). “Sales increased significantly, and we were able to introduce further innovative printing ink products to the market. Zeller+Gmelin completed its portfolio in the field of LED-curable low-migration inks, both for the narrow-web segment and for sheetfed offset commercial and packaging printing.”
The year 2022 was marked by challenging raw material procurement and unpredictable raw material price development.
“This situation posed a significant challenge to the entire organization in ensuring maximum agility to guarantee supply security,” said Koch. “Looking back, we are very pleased to have successfully overcome this crisis and to have remained capable of delivering at all times. On the other hand, the scarcity showed us that we need to avoid excessive dependence on individual raw material suppliers. The shortage of raw materials, coupled with a dynamically increased demand for our radiation-curing printing inks, further exacerbated the situation. Today, we know that part of the increased demand was due to stock building throughout the packaging production chain.”
Koch pointed out that the pressure on customers to save both VOCs and energy in their production can be alleviated through the use of LED-curable ink systems.
“Curing the ink film requires minimal energy input, and no VOCs are released in the process,” said Koch. “Therefore, LED-curable inks make a significant contribution to reducing the carbon footprint. Additionally, Zeller+Gmelin has significantly increased the proportion of renewable raw materials in its printing inks. This is another important step towards improving the biocompatibility of our inks.”
Last year, Z+G successfully introduced a UV inkjet ink into the market for its digital printing ink segment, which solves the adhesion problem on many challenging substrates, such
as polypropylene.
“Users can print directly on the surface without the need for an adhesion promoter, saving time and materials,” said Koch. “An innovative adhesion promoter integrated into the inkjet ink enables excellent adhesion properties on various surfaces.”
In the past year, Zeller+Gmelin invested in state-of-the-art machine technology to continue meeting its highest standards of quality and efficiency. Investments were made in both three-roll mills and bead mill technology. The new machinery allows for precise monitoring and regulation of all key production parameters.
One of the significant highlights was the integration of Z+G’s new subsidiary, Zeller+Gmelin Industries, in the United Arab Emirates, which was completed last year.
“With ZG Industries, the ZG Group gains not only a strong distribution channel in the Middle East, India, and Africa markets but also an additional production site that will supply innovative radiation-curable printing inks to both our own markets and the global ZG Group,” Koch noted. “Furthermore, ZG Industries offers excellent technical service that will sustainably support our growth in the mentioned regions.”
While 2023 has started slowly, Koch sees plenty of reason for optimism for Z+G.
“The first quarter of 2023 showed restrained demand in the global market for printing inks,” said Koch. “The reasons for this are multifaceted, with one contributing factor still appearing to be high inventory levels. Another reason is undoubtedly the cautious consumer behavior due to the current political and economic situation in many regions of the world. However, ZG is confident that with the innovative power of our new products, we will gain new markets and customers, thereby compensating for the weak demand in the existing business.”
