• Login
    • Join
  • FOLLOW:
  • Subscribe Free
    • Magazine
    • eNewsletter
    Checkout
    • Magazine
    • News
    • Exclusives
    • Top Companies
    • Printing Inks
    • Raw Materials
    • Equipment
    • Directories
    • Events
    • Jobs
    • More
  • Magazine
  • News
  • Exclusives
  • Top Companies
  • Printing Inks
  • Raw Materials
  • Equipment
  • Directories
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Current / Back Issues
    Features
    Columns
    Editorial
    Digital Edition
    eNewsletter Archive
    Our Team
    Editorial Guidelines
    Subscribe Now
    Advertise Now
    eBook
    Top Features
    The 2022 Packaging Ink Report

    The UV Ink Market Continues to Thrive

    The Conductive Ink Market is Showing Growth

    The 2022 Resin Report

    EU Chemicals Sector Embarks on Transition Pathway
    Breaking News
    Distributor News
    Financial News
    Industry News
    Ink Manufacturers News
    Market Research
    Mergers and Acquisitions
    New Products
    Personnel
    Price Increases
    Printers News
    Suppliers News
    Live From Shows
    Video Bites
    Top News
    Amcor Lift-Off Initiative Shortlists Start-ups for Seed Funding

    Barentz Highlights Lincoln MFG’s New ISO 9001:2015 Certification

    Ingevity Appoints Christine Stunyo as Chief Human Resources Officer

    Dr. Tammo Boinowitz to Join Management Board of ALTANA AG

    Flint Offset Packaging Solutions Announces Price Increases for Sheetfed Inks
    Whitepapers
    Top North American Companies
    Top International Companies
    Conductive Inks and Printed Electronics
    Graphic Arts Coatings
    Inkjet Inks and Toners
    Marking and Pad Printing Inks
    News Inks
    Packaging Flexo Inks
    Packaging Gravure Inks
    Publication Gravure Inks
    Publication Offset Inks
    Screen Inks
    Sheetfed Inks
    Specialty Inks
    UV and EB Inks

    Dr. Tammo Boinowitz to Join Management Board of ALTANA AG

    Flint Offset Packaging Solutions Announces Price Increases for Sheetfed Inks

    INX Troubleshooting Guide App Adds New Solutions

    Xeikon Set for Australian Premiere of Panther PX3300 UV Inkjet Label Press

    Hormel Foods Recognizes ProAmpac’s with Eighth Consecutive Spirit of Excellence Award
    Additives
    Energy-Curable Materials
    Flushed Colors and Pigments
    Metallics and Special Effects Pigments
    Resins
    Vehicles and Varnishes
    Waxes

    Ingevity Appoints Christine Stunyo as Chief Human Resources Officer

    Dr. Tammo Boinowitz to Join Management Board of ALTANA AG

    Orion Announces Price Increases, Reduced Payment Terms

    BASF Has Range of Chemical Intermediates with Low PCF

    Chemours Receives Gold Medal from EcoVadis for its Sustainability Program
    Energy-Curing Equipment
    Mills and Mixers
    Testing, Color and QC

    Dr. Tammo Boinowitz to Join Management Board of ALTANA AG

    Great Lakes Brewing Wins Consecutive INX Can Design Contest Titles

    Ross Offers Fully Enclosed Mixing/Melting System

    Paul N. Gardner USA Introduces New PosiTector GLS Gloss Meter

    Sun Chemical Expands SunColorBox with SunConnect
    Buyers Guide
    Distributor Guide
    European Ink Directory
    U.S. Ink Directory
    International Buyers Guide Companies
    Pan Technology, Inc.

    Specialty Polymers, Inc.

    ROSS Mixers

    Meteor Inkjet Ltd

    Keim-Additec Surface USA, LLC
    Industry Events
    Live from Show Event
    Webinars
    Top Events
    Labelexpo Americas 2022
    • Magazine
      • Current / Back Issues
      • Features
      • Editorial
      • Departments
      • Columns
      • Digital Edition
      • eNewsletter Archive
      • Editorial Guidelines
      • Subscribe Now
      • Advertise Now
    • Breaking News
    • Directory
      • Buyers Guide
      • Distributor Guide
      • European Ink Directory
      • U.S. Ink Directory
      • Trade Associations
    • Printing Inks
      • Conductive Inks and Printed Electronics
      • Graphic Arts Coatings
      • Inkjet Inks and Toners
      • Marking and Pad Printing Inks
      • News Inks
      • Packaging Flexo Inks
      • Packaging Gravure Inks
      • Publication Gravure Inks
      • Publication Offset Inks
      • Screen Inks
      • Sheetfed Inks
      • Specialty Inks
      • UV and EB Inks
    • Raw Materials
      • Additives
      • Energy-Curable Materials
      • Flushed Colors and Pigments
      • Metallics and Special Effects Pigments
      • Resins
      • Vehicles and Varnishes
      • Waxes
    • Equipment
      • Energy-Curing Equipment
      • Mills and Mixers
      • Testing, Color and QC
    • Top Companies
      • Top North American Companies
      • Top International Companies
    • Online Exclusives
    • Slideshows
    • Expert's Opinion
    • Videos
    • eBook
    • Podcasts
    • Blog
    • Infographics
    • Whitepapers
    • Jobs
    • Supplier Microsites
      • Companies
      • Literature / Brochures
      • Whitepapers
      • Product Spec Sheets
      • Videos
      • Jobs
    • Events
      • Industry Events
      • Live From Show Events
      • Webinars
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Use
    Features

    David Aynessazian – Kustom Group

    ...

    David Aynessazian – Kustom Group
    David Aynessazian, right, of Kustom Group, accepts NAPIM’s Pioneer Award from NAPIM president Pat Carlisle.
    Related CONTENT
    • NAPIM Provides Year-End Update on Regulatory Issues
    • Ink Industry Mourns Maurice Carruthers
    • NPIRI Summer Course Heads to Clemson University
    • The Waxes and Additives Report
    • Kevin Bergeson – Flint Group
    David Savastano, Editor05.15.17
    David Aynessazian joined the graphic arts field as a temporary move in order to apply to Kraft Foods. Thirty-two years later, Aynessazian, VP technical and marketing for Kustom Group, has made a huge mark in the graphic arts, and is a 2017 Pioneer Award recipient.
       
    “Due to all the labs you must take to get a chemistry degree at Northern Illinois University, I couldn’t quite complete all my classes in four years and so I needed to go one more summer to get the last classes done,” Aynessazian said. “As a result I was an August graduate. I mention this because my hope when getting a chemistry degree was to get a job at Kraft Foods. Their headquarters is in Glenview, IL, and this was the town I grew up in. But when I went there to apply after I received my degree, they said that they only hire new graduates in June and I would have to come back the following June to apply.
       
    “So I started looking for a job that I could do for eight to nine months until I could re-apply at Kraft,” he recalled. “I saw an ad for a job at Lawter in Northbrook looking for a chemist, and since it was not too far from my home I decided to apply. At the time, I knew nothing about the graphic arts industry but it didn’t matter because I was only going to be there for a short time and then ‘off to Kraft I would go.’”
       
    At Lawter, Aynessazian worked with Lud Horn, one of the legends of the industry, and there was no need to ever think about Kraft Foods again.
       
    “I am proud to have gotten hired at Lawter and was extremely lucky to have been placed in the same lab as Lud Horn,” Aynessazian said. “ Long story short, my time with Lud hooked me on this business and I never went back to Kraft to apply.”
    That collaboration led to new product development, including a new gelled vehicle that could be shipped in tanker trucks.
       
    “At Lawter in 1987, I was proud to have been principally involved with the development and manufacture of the first gelled vehicle called LV-4379 to have ever been shipped in a bulk truck,” he recalled. “This product was sent to Sun Chemical’s Frankfort, IN volume heatset ink facility.”
       
    Throughout his career at Lawter, Aynessazian held management positions in operations, total quality, environmental and technical development. In 1992, he left Lawter and became ink production manager for Roli Ink, a liquid ink specialist, and joined Kustom Group in 1993, where he has held positions in sales, marketing, product development and overall management.
       
    At Kustom, Aynessazian has been active in developing new vehicles. “At Kustom in 1994, I led the team that developed the first commercially available energy curable flushing vehicle and energy curable gelled letback vehicle,” he noted. “In 1998, I led the team that developed the first conventional/UV hybrid ink system. In 2003, I led the team that developed the first Strike Thru system, which has expanded in chemistry type and scope ever since. Strike Thru or ‘Drip Off’ as the Europeans now like to call it, has been a very popular way to achieve a visual contrast with a single pass through an offset press equipped with an anilox coating unit.”
       
    Aside from his work, Aynessazian has authored numerous technical articles, and has served as a long time instructor for the printing ink vehicles and formulations section of the NAPIM Introduction to Printing Inks, Summer Course. He has also served on various technical committees for NAPIM, and is a long-standing member of the Chicago Printing Ink Production Club. Most recently, he has served on several discussion panels for digital and energy cure application processes, regarding preprint and post print coatings and their effects.
       
    “I have taught at the NPIRI summer course for many years from Lehigh University to Fox Valley Technical College and now to Clemson University this coming summer,” he added. “I get great joy from chatting with former students who I see in my travels visiting customers and trade shows.”
       
    Not surprisingly, Horn is one of the many influences that Aynessazian credits with his success. However, his father comes first. “I must start with my father,” he said. “He came to the US from Iran in 1958 to go to college. He didn’t speak a word of English, yet he found a way to graduate with a mechanical engineering degree. He and my mother raised a family of four boys.

    “He spent his whole life going to work at 7 a.m. and getting home from work at 7 p.m.,” Aynessazian added. “My father taught me the value of hard work. He helped me get my first job at age 13 stocking shelves at a drug store and I have been working ever since. He always made sure I understood how lucky I was to have been born in the US, to have grown up with English as my first language and to have all the opportunities that an American citizen enjoys.
       
    “My next mentor was Lud Horn,” Aynessazian noted. “When I went to work for Lawter in 1985, Lud was already a legend of the graphic arts industry, yet he allow me to sit next to him in the lab every day and pick his brain. He had the patience to deal with a young kid like me and explain all that went into making ink raw materials and how they effected the inks.
       
    “In the late 1980s, Lawter’s library of technology in hydrocarbon, rosin, ketone and polyamid resin making along with ink vehicle, wax compound, fluorescent pigment manufacture was unparalleled and Lud Horn made sure that I learned how all of these products were developed, manufactured and used in the marketplace,” he added. “It was Lud Horn who turned my job at Lawter into a career in the graphic arts industry.”
       
    Aynessazian said that the other mentor of his in this industry is Mike Gerkin Sr., president and CEO of Kustom Group, which Aynessazian joined in 1993.
       
    “Mike gave me the freedom and opportunity to explore the industry, going ink company to ink company and printer to printer asking questions,” he said. “Mike gave me the time, space and financial backing to see what was needed in the market and then the lab space, time and guidance to develop those products that I found were needed by the various people that I met. Mike has always been an understanding person to bounce ideas off of and generous with his time, whether I needed to discuss issues that were related to the job or of a personal nature. Mike’s market knowledge seems to be limitless and I could never find a person in the industry who didn’t have a kind word and tell me how lucky I was to be working for such a man.”
       
    “My last key influence is my wife Debbie,” added Aynessazian. “Debbie is the kindest person that I have ever met. It is a cliché that your wife can make you into a better man, but I have dozens of people who have told me the difference in who I was before and who I am now. Spending time around a person who is kind to all she meets is a humbling experience. You can’t help but look yourself in the mirror and ask ‘why did you lose your patience,’ ‘why did you get angry over something so trivial,’ and all the other faults that I could find in myself. All who know me know that I am still a work in progress. But the fact that I am progressing in the right direction as a person is due to my wife Deb.”
       
    Gerkin said that Aynessazian has been an important part in the success of the Kustom Group.
       
    “He is brash, confident and always thoroughly prepared,” Gerkin noted. “He has spotted trends in our industry years ahead of the curve, allowing us to select alternate revenue streams to continue our growth. He is always teaching somebody in the lab or sales about our product lines or the processes being used in the market.”
       
    Outside of work, Aynessazian enjoys golf, cards and time with his family.
       
    “I love to play golf,” he said. “There have been times that I have been better at the game that I am now, but I just enjoy being on a golf course. The sights, sounds and smells that you will find on a golf course throughout the round you play are what always bring me back regardless of my score. I also like to play cards. I like spades, hearts, euchre, poker, you name it and I will play it, and if I don’t know the game then I will be happy to try to learn it. But my real focus now is my three granddaughters. I have had no better job title than grandpa. I never get tired of spending time with them and they bring great joy to my life.”
       
    Aynessazian said that he was shocked and deeply humbled when his name was announced for the Pioneer Award.
       
    “All I could think of is that I am an unbelievably lucky guy,” he added. “Receiving such an award was always a dream but as we often learn in life, dreams don’t always come true. In the years that I have left before I retire, I will do my best to show the NAPIM board that entrusting me with such an honor was a decision that they will not regret.”
     
    Related Searches
    • heatset
    • napim
    • digital
    • resin
    Related Knowledge Center
    • Vehicles and Varnishes
    • Additives
    • Resins
    Suggested For You
    NAPIM Provides Year-End Update on Regulatory Issues NAPIM Provides Year-End Update on Regulatory Issues
    Ink Industry Mourns Maurice Carruthers Ink Industry Mourns Maurice Carruthers
    NPIRI Summer Course Heads to Clemson University NPIRI Summer Course Heads to Clemson University
    The Waxes and Additives Report The Waxes and Additives Report
    Kevin Bergeson – Flint Group Kevin Bergeson – Flint Group
    Jim Garner – Flint Group Pigments Jim Garner – Flint Group Pigments
    Jack Powers - Sun Chemical Jack Powers - Sun Chemical
    Luigi Ribaudo – Sun Chemical Luigi Ribaudo – Sun Chemical
    Dave Waller - INX International Ink Co. Dave Waller - INX International Ink Co.
    Ami Youhana - Sun Chemical Ami Youhana - Sun Chemical
    NPIRI Summer Course Heads to Clemson NPIRI Summer Course Heads to Clemson
    NAPIM Honors 2017 Printing Ink Pioneers NAPIM Honors 2017 Printing Ink Pioneers
    Ink Industry Gathers for NAPIM’s 2017 Annual Convention Ink Industry Gathers for NAPIM’s 2017 Annual Convention
    James La Rocca Receives NAPIM’s Prestigious Ault Award James La Rocca Receives NAPIM’s Prestigious Ault Award
    NAPIM’s 2017 Annual Convention to Focus on Human Resources, Manufacturing NAPIM’s 2017 Annual Convention to Focus on Human Resources, Manufacturing

    Related Online Exclusives

    • Energy-Curable Materials | Flushed Colors and Pigments | Industry News | Ink Manufacturers News | Printers News | Suppliers News
      NAPIM Provides Year-End Update on Regulatory Issues

      NAPIM Provides Year-End Update on Regulatory Issues

      Regulation of key ingredients and material handling top the list of concerns facing the ink industry.
      David Savastano, Editor 01.28.21

    • Flushed Colors and Pigments | Ink Manufacturers News | Personnel | Suppliers News
      Ink Industry Mourns Maurice Carruthers

      Ink Industry Mourns Maurice Carruthers

      Long-time Sun Chemical Performance Pigments leader remembered by colleagues as a tremendous friend.
      David Savastano, Editor 12.22.20

    • Conductive Inks and Printed Electronics | Industry News | Ink Manufacturers News | Inkjet Inks and Toners | Printers News | Sheetfed Inks | Suppliers News | UV and EB Inks
      NPIRI Summer Course Heads to Clemson University

      NPIRI Summer Course Heads to Clemson University

      Move to Clemson opens up opportunities for hands-on printing experience, discussions on digital printing, printed electronics
      David Savastano, Editor 05.31.17


    • Additives | Suppliers News | Waxes

      The Waxes and Additives Report

      ...
      Catherine Diamond, Editor 05.15.17

    • Ink Manufacturers News | Personnel | Sheetfed Inks | UV and EB Inks
      Kevin Bergeson – Flint Group

      Kevin Bergeson – Flint Group

      ...
      David Savastano, Editor 05.15.17

    Loading, Please Wait..
    Trending
    • Flint Offset Packaging Solutions Announces Price Increases For Sheetfed Inks
    • Opportunities Ahead For Screen Printing
    • Xerox Reaches Agreement With Carl Icahn And Darwin Deason
    • Amcor Lift-Off Initiative Shortlists Start-ups For Seed Funding
    • Dr. Tammo Boinowitz To Join Management Board Of ALTANA AG
    Breaking News
    • Temporary Content Title
    • Amcor Lift-Off Initiative Shortlists Start-ups for Seed Funding
    • Ingevity Appoints Christine Stunyo as Chief Human Resources Officer
    • Barentz Highlights Lincoln MFG’s New ISO 9001:2015 Certification
    • Dr. Tammo Boinowitz to Join Management Board of ALTANA AG
    View Breaking News >
    CURRENT ISSUE

    April 2022

    • The 2022 Packaging Ink Report
    • The UV Ink Market Continues to Thrive
    • The Conductive Ink Market is Showing Growth
    • The 2022 Resin Report
    • EU Chemicals Sector Embarks on Transition Pathway
    • Overview of Ink Demand in Asian Ceramic Industry
    • Industry Gears Up for the 2022 American Coatings Show and Conference
    • Defining - Evaluating Impurities, IAS, NIAS, and NLS (Part 2)
    • Needham Group Embraces New Technologies
    • View More >

    Cookies help us to provide you with an excellent service. By using our website, you declare yourself in agreement with our use of cookies.
    You can obtain detailed information about the use of cookies on our website by clicking on "More information”.

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms And Conditions
    • Contact Us

    follow us

    Subscribe
    Nutraceuticals World

    Latest Breaking News From Nutraceuticals World

    Kensing Acquires Vitae Naturals
    CoQ10 and Royal Jelly Supplementation May Improve High Intensity Exercise
    Shiitake Mushroom Extract Appears Helpful in HPV Infections
    Coatings World

    Latest Breaking News From Coatings World

    Sheboygan Paint Company Adds Rosey Malchow as Customer Experience Manager
    PPG to Announce Second Quarter 2022 Results July 21
    Evonik Unveils Range of Sustainable Liquid Polybutadienes
    Medical Product Outsourcing

    Latest Breaking News From Medical Product Outsourcing

    Researchers Develop New Apparatus for the Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases
    NovaXS Unveils New Prototype of Needle-Free Injection Therapy Smart Medical Device
    Meddux Opens New Facility in Boulder, Colorado
    Contract Pharma

    Latest Breaking News From Contract Pharma

    Phastar Appoints Chris Schoonmaker as Chief Operations Officer
    Charles River Labs Opens Plasmid DNA CoE in Cheshire, UK
    EQT Private Equity Acquires SPT Labtech from Battery Ventures
    Beauty Packaging

    Latest Breaking News From Beauty Packaging

    Highlights from Paris Packaging Week
    Walgreens Boots Alliance Decides Not to Sell Boots and No7 Beauty Company Businesses
    WWP Beauty Unveils New Packaging Collections in Collaboration with Eastman
    Happi

    Latest Breaking News From Happi

    Evonik Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for Commercial Rhamnolipid Production Facility
    CHT USA Hosts Groundbreaking Ceremony for $20 Million US Headquarters Expansion
    Azelis Expands Global Flavors & Fragrances Platform with Acquisition in India
    Ink World

    Latest Breaking News From Ink World

    Temporary Content Title
    Amcor Lift-Off Initiative Shortlists Start-ups for Seed Funding
    Barentz Highlights Lincoln MFG’s New ISO 9001:2015 Certification
    Label & Narrow Web

    Latest Breaking News From Label & Narrow Web

    Sibress launches FADS3D flexo plate measuring device
    Mike Brown appointed VP for Davis-Standard’s Canadian operations
    Constantia Flexibles introduces chemical resistant recycle-ready laminate
    Nonwovens Industry

    Latest Breaking News From Nonwovens Industry

    Suominen Launches Hydraspun Reserve
    Richard Knowlson Receives Lifetime Technical Achievement Award
    Skylark Launches Thicker Label Closure Technology in North American
    Orthopedic Design & Technology

    Latest Breaking News From Orthopedic Design & Technology

    Tecomet Appoints Bill Dow as President & CEO
    Medacta, InSilicoTrials Partner on Orthopedic Device Development
    Researchers Develop Microfluidic Sensors to Improve Implant Survival Rates
    Printed Electronics Now

    Latest Breaking News From Printed Electronics Now

    Avery Dennison Launches New Dual-Frequency RFID Inlay
    Avery Dennison Highlights New Approach to Apparel with ADX Lab
    trinamiX Face Authentication Protects Users from Fraud Attacks During Mobile Payments

    Copyright © 2022 Rodman Media. All rights reserved. Use of this constitutes acceptance of our privacy policy The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Rodman Media.

    AD BLOCKER DETECTED

    Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
    Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.


    FREE SUBSCRIPTION Already a subscriber? Login