Raw Materials in 2022

Without a doubt, the situation with raw materials keeps purchasing executives at ink manufacturers, their suppliers and their customers up at night. There have been a host of issues in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated supply chain problems, but titanium dioxide, photoinitiators and pigment intermediates, to name but three, were concerns long before COVID-19. Trucking has been a serious problem for years. What COVID-19 did to the supply chain was basically accelerate many of these trends. Lockdowns, deteriorating ports, a shortage of truck drivers – it hit industry on virtually every level. As a result, costs went up dramatically and supply became challenged. Has the situation improved? Not necessarily. The war in the Ukraine has destabilized supply chains even more, as oil from Russia becomes uncertain. Speaking with leading ink industry purchasing executives, uncertainty is about the only thing that is sure. “This depends on the material and region