The ink industry has been facing numerous pressures this decade. First, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed how companies operated. After a short period of stability, albeit at higher costs, the return of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency brought with it a wide range of tariffs, with the possibility of more to come.
The past year has seen further challenges, as the 2026 war between the U.S., Israel and Iran led to the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. Estimates report that at least 20% of the world’s crude oil is shipped through the strait. As a result, the price of crude oil rose from approximately $70 per barrel to $120/barrel at its height. This, in turn, heavily impacts the cost and availability of petroleum-based chemicals, some of which are used for ink formulations.
While prices have come down after a memorandum of understanding was signed between the parties, prices at the pump have yet to return to pre-war levels.
Meanwhile, the changing printing industry, particularly on the publication/commercial side, has created a permanent shift on the ink side.
That shift is leading to changes among ink manufacturers. Interestingly, two of the top 12 largest international ink producers have rebranded their companies with an eye on the expanding packaging sector. Flint Group has rebranded its company as Flint Group Packaging Solutions, although it is continuing to maintain its publication ink side. Wikoff Color has rebranded itself as Wikoff, with an emphasis on advanced coatings and digital technologies.
Advanced inks and coatings, or functional inks and coatings, are a significant growth area in the industry. Printers and their customers are looking at ways to improve the circularity of their products, and inks and coatings have a role to play there.
In this year’s Top International Ink Companies Report, leading ink executives offer their insights into the market. Industry leaders report they are anticipating further growth this year, particularly on the packaging and digital portions of the market, but are closely monitoring the conflict in the Middle East. Hopefully, these concerns will be settled in the near future.
David Savastano
Ink World Contributing Editor
dsavastano@rodmanmedia.com
Top International Companies
| RANK | COMPANY | LOCATION | SALES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DIC Corporation (Including Sun Chemical Corporation) | 3 Chome-7 Nihonbashi, Chuo City, Tokyo 103-8233, Japan | $3.5 Billion |
| 2 | Sakata INX Corp. | Urbannet Midosuji Building 7F and 8F, 4-2-13 Awajimachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, Japan 550-0002 | $1.7 Billion |
| 3 | Flint Group Packaging Solutions | 26b, Boulevard Royal L-2449 Luxembourg Luxembourg | $1.6 Billion |
| 4 | Siegwerk | Alfred-Keller-Strasse 55 53721 Siegburg, Germany | $1.5 Billion |
| 5 | artience Co., Ltd | 2-1, Kyobashi 2-chome Chuo-Ku, Tokyo 104-8377 Japan | $1.1 Billion |
| 6 | hubergroup | Sonnenstraße 1 85551 Kirchheim-Heimstetten Germany | $873 Million |
| 7 | FUJIFILM | 850 Central Ave. Hanover Park, IL 60133 | $600 Million |
| 8 | SICPA Holding SA | Avenue de Florissant 41 1008 Prilly, Switzerland | $400 Million |
| 9 | ALTANA AG | Abelstraße 43 46483 Wesel, Germany | $400 Million |
| 10 | T&K TOKA Co. Ltd | 283-1, Chikumazawa, Miyoshi-Machi, Iruma-Gun Saitama, Japan, 354-8577 | $300 Million |
| 11 | Kao APS | 2-1-3 Bunka Sumida-ku, Tokyo 131-8501 Japan | $300 Million |
| 12 | Wikoff | 1886 Merritt Road Fort Mill, SC 29715 | $200 Million |
| 13 | Nazdar | 8501 Hedge Lane Terrace Shawnee, KS 66227-3290 | $200 Million |
| 14 | EFI | 6453 Kaiser Drive Fremont, CA 94555 | $200 Million |
| 15 | Dainichiseika Color & Chemicals | 7-6 Bakurocho 1-chome Nihonbashi, Chuo-Ku Tokyo 103-8383 Japan | $193 Million |
| 16 | Yip’s Chemical | 27/F., Fortis Tower, 77-79 Gloucester Road Wanchai, Hong Kong | $170 Million |
| 17 | DuPont | 4020 Stirrup Creek Drive, Suite 211 Durham, NC 27703 | $170 Million |
| 18 | Sanchez SA de CV | Talisman # 306 México City, Mexico | $153.7 Million |
| 19 | Marabu GmbH & Co. KG | Asperger Straße 4 71732 Tamm Germany | $150 Million |
| 20 | HP Inc | 1501 Page Mill Road Palo Alto, CA 94304 | $150 Million |
| 21 | UFlex | A – 107 - 108, Sector - IV, Noida 201301 (U.P.), India | $140 Million |
| 22 | INKBANK GROUP INC. | Room 101, Building C, Hejing Industrial Zone Hi-Tech Park, Zhancheng Community, Fuhai Street Bao'an District, Shenzhen, China | $115 Million |
| 23 | CRT, a Division of Quad Graphics | 1900 W Sumner St, Hartford, WI 53027, USA | $110 Million |
| 24 | Zeller+Gmelin GmbH | Schlossstrasse 20 73329 Eislingen, Germany | $100 Million |
| 25 | Tokyo Printing Ink Mfg. Co., Ltd | Oriente 171 #367 1-12-4 Oji, Kita-ku Tokyo 114-0002, Japan | $100 Million |
| 26 | DEERS i/(Daihan Ink Co., Ltd.) | 54-11 Dongpyeon-ro, Dongan-gu, Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea | $90 Million |
| 27 | Central Ink Corporation | 1100 N. Harvester Road West Chicago, IL 60185 | $85 Million |
| 28 | DONECK EUROFLEX S.A | 4 An de Längten, 6776 Potaschberg Grevenmacher, Luxembourg | $80 Million |
| 29 | International Paper | 6400 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38197 | $50 Million |
| 30 | Ink Systems | 2311 South Eastern Ave. Commerce, CA 90040 | $50 Million |