David Savastano, Editor07.23.20
For ink companies to continually thrive, they must be attentive to customers’ needs, whether it is providing excellent technical service or developing quality new products. Quantum Ink president Adam Bland said Quantum Ink puts tremendous emphasis on innovation and service.
“I think you could easily say 50% or more of what we are doing daily is dedicated to innovation and service, service being the larger portion of that,” he said. “Just in the last year, we’ve formulated at least eight very different and unique systems for the flexo market, some of which are for new markets, some to create a higher quality end product, some to improve efficiency.
“We have tech teams out into printing facilities nearly every day of the week either training, solving problems, helping our customers maintain or obtain new business, and sustaining a culture around ink that makes it the valuable tool it can be. Utilizing many years of lab and fieldwork, we’ve begun grinding some of our own pigments internally and plan to continue expanding that portion of our operation.”
The family-owned Quantum Ink is focused on the packaging market, including corrugated/folding carton, flexible packaging, pouch lamination, paper packaging, surface print film, envelopes, high-performance coatings and many specialty projects for unique applications. Dan Bland took full ownership of Quantum Ink in 2016.
“The vision of Quantum Ink, who it is and what we want to be to the flexo industry, is very clear and has come to top form/fruition specifically in the past four years as ownership was solidified. At that point in time, Quantum was able to positively make strides forward in a very defined direction,” Adam Bland noted. “Over the past four years, Quantum has aligned itself with several different organizations and universities, geared towards expanding our own growth and knowledge in the market as well as assisting others with our own long learned expertise.”
Currently, Quantum Ink owns and operates out of three buildings in Louisville, KY.
“We have technicians scattered throughout the Midwest who work ‘remotely’ as well as at headquarters to turn around projects for our customers and potential customers, as well as spend a lot of time on press hands-on servicing ink and printers,” Adam Bland said. “Our product lines have grown exponentially over the past four years, in where we are supplying inks to nearly every piece of the water-based flexographic market.
“Of our 20,000 plus formulations, many are made for specific customers, specific presses and whatever variables we need to work with from an ink perspective to make sure that ink works for exactly what it needs to be formulated for,” he added.
Adam Bland said Quantum Ink is striving to utilize ink as a tool to create consistent quality efficiently at printing operations through the “Exponential Theory of 98/2.”
“Through training, pinpoint ink quality and culture, we help to affect the 98% of a printed product’s cost (substrate, downtime, etc.) with the 2%-5% overall contribution ink typically contributes to that overall cost.”
Adam Bland said much has changed in recent years, but Quantum Ink continues to emphasize what brought it success over the years.
“Our overall culture, dedication and great leadership path will make us successful short term and long term, in part by not losing sight of what made us successful in our past or what has made us successful to this point by maintaining our integrity.”
As a result, Adam Bland sees opportunities for growth for Quantum Ink in the coming years.
“Our unified plan is to grow at a rate in where we maintain our root integrity,” he said. “Ideally, we predict to double in size by 2024. Our focus will be to continue finding and training new talent, especially for the technical service portion of our company, so that as we grow we don’t lose sight of the customer’s needs in all shapes and forms.
“As of now we are comfortable growing in the markets we currently supply,” Adam Bland added. “They’re strong markets with what we perceive to be strong growth patterns as well. As we have done for the past 20 years, we want to continue to internalize the manufacturing of raw materials that make sense and make us stronger, more sustainable and higher quality. The company will remain to be owned by its second-generation ownership core.”
Quantum Ink Co.
4651 Melton Avenue
Louisville, KY 40213
Tel: 502-364-8900
www.quantumink.com
E-Mail: customerservice@quantumink.com
Specialties: Flexo, gravure, offset, energy curable, digital, screen, metallic, security, conductive and specialty inks and coatings
“I think you could easily say 50% or more of what we are doing daily is dedicated to innovation and service, service being the larger portion of that,” he said. “Just in the last year, we’ve formulated at least eight very different and unique systems for the flexo market, some of which are for new markets, some to create a higher quality end product, some to improve efficiency.
“We have tech teams out into printing facilities nearly every day of the week either training, solving problems, helping our customers maintain or obtain new business, and sustaining a culture around ink that makes it the valuable tool it can be. Utilizing many years of lab and fieldwork, we’ve begun grinding some of our own pigments internally and plan to continue expanding that portion of our operation.”
The family-owned Quantum Ink is focused on the packaging market, including corrugated/folding carton, flexible packaging, pouch lamination, paper packaging, surface print film, envelopes, high-performance coatings and many specialty projects for unique applications. Dan Bland took full ownership of Quantum Ink in 2016.
“The vision of Quantum Ink, who it is and what we want to be to the flexo industry, is very clear and has come to top form/fruition specifically in the past four years as ownership was solidified. At that point in time, Quantum was able to positively make strides forward in a very defined direction,” Adam Bland noted. “Over the past four years, Quantum has aligned itself with several different organizations and universities, geared towards expanding our own growth and knowledge in the market as well as assisting others with our own long learned expertise.”
Currently, Quantum Ink owns and operates out of three buildings in Louisville, KY.
“We have technicians scattered throughout the Midwest who work ‘remotely’ as well as at headquarters to turn around projects for our customers and potential customers, as well as spend a lot of time on press hands-on servicing ink and printers,” Adam Bland said. “Our product lines have grown exponentially over the past four years, in where we are supplying inks to nearly every piece of the water-based flexographic market.
“Of our 20,000 plus formulations, many are made for specific customers, specific presses and whatever variables we need to work with from an ink perspective to make sure that ink works for exactly what it needs to be formulated for,” he added.
Adam Bland said Quantum Ink is striving to utilize ink as a tool to create consistent quality efficiently at printing operations through the “Exponential Theory of 98/2.”
“Through training, pinpoint ink quality and culture, we help to affect the 98% of a printed product’s cost (substrate, downtime, etc.) with the 2%-5% overall contribution ink typically contributes to that overall cost.”
Adam Bland said much has changed in recent years, but Quantum Ink continues to emphasize what brought it success over the years.
“Our overall culture, dedication and great leadership path will make us successful short term and long term, in part by not losing sight of what made us successful in our past or what has made us successful to this point by maintaining our integrity.”
As a result, Adam Bland sees opportunities for growth for Quantum Ink in the coming years.
“Our unified plan is to grow at a rate in where we maintain our root integrity,” he said. “Ideally, we predict to double in size by 2024. Our focus will be to continue finding and training new talent, especially for the technical service portion of our company, so that as we grow we don’t lose sight of the customer’s needs in all shapes and forms.
“As of now we are comfortable growing in the markets we currently supply,” Adam Bland added. “They’re strong markets with what we perceive to be strong growth patterns as well. As we have done for the past 20 years, we want to continue to internalize the manufacturing of raw materials that make sense and make us stronger, more sustainable and higher quality. The company will remain to be owned by its second-generation ownership core.”
Quantum Ink Co.
4651 Melton Avenue
Louisville, KY 40213
Tel: 502-364-8900
www.quantumink.com
E-Mail: customerservice@quantumink.com
Specialties: Flexo, gravure, offset, energy curable, digital, screen, metallic, security, conductive and specialty inks and coatings
