The new pattern of China's ink industry after the storm

With the turmoil in the global ink industry, the domestic ink industry has also undergone profound changes. On the one hand, it has gradually formed ink manufacturing companies of different systems: state-owned enterprises, joint ventures, wholly-owned enterprises, joint-stock enterprises, and private enterprises, with their own advantages. , In the fierce competition in the market tenacious to survive and continue to grow; the other hand, a small number of ink factory due to various factors in the competitive tide was eliminated, but also led to a number of new ink factory such as mushrooming. When this transformation gradually precipitated and the new industrial structure gradually stabilized, what challenges will Chinese ink companies face?

Product structure initial setting

The current types of inks mainly include offset inks, gravure inks, flexo inks, and a wide range of specialty inks. After accepting the test of accession to the WTO and turbulent changes in the ink market, ink manufacturers are in full swing in adjusting their businesses based on their core competencies. The variety of inks and product structures are aimed at those with environmental protection concepts. To meet the new printing needs of the ink varieties, and timely identification of short-term and long-term flagship product.

Flexo ink locks environmental protection
Flexo printing ink has become a leading product in the packaging and printing market, especially in the food, medicine, fast food, cosmetics and other packaging areas. From the domestic point of view, water-based inks and UV-curable inks currently used for flexographic printing are becoming more and more popular, and ink products have been expanded from paper inks to aluminized papers and thin film printing inks. Although UV inks have good fixing fastness and dryness, they are subject to high cost constraints and are currently mainly used in some small packaging fields and label fields. However, because some manufacturers and consumers are not very sensitive to scented inks, the demand for low-odor inks in the food and packaging fields is not yet obvious. The cost of low-odor or odorless UV inks is 10% higher than that of ordinary inks. ~15%, so the market development of such ink will take some time.

Plastic gravure ink continues to grow
Plastic gravure printing ink is mainly used in the soft packaging printing of food and daily necessities. In recent years, the expansion of packaging printing has been the main reason for the increase of plastic gravure printing ink. Plastic gravure inks are mainly based on solvent-based inks, including surface-printed plastic inks and in-print (composite) plastic inks. New water-based inks are also being put into use. In China, the plastic gravure ink market is still in a period of steady growth. In plastic film printing, the uniqueness of gravure printing is unmatched by flexo printing. Therefore, many ink manufacturers are optimistic about the prospects for the development of plastic gravure printing inks. Everyone hopes that they can be assigned to a “cake”.

With the intensification of domestic environmental safety awareness, the improvement of government safety and environmental protection regulations, and the development of gravure ink in the direction of environmental protection, the absence of benzene in solvents is an inevitable trend. Zhejiang New Oriental Group timely introduced environmentally friendly inks such as 303LV alcohol-soluble compound inks, 313A alcohol-soluble surface printing inks, and 400 water-based compound inks. This is also the structure of the latest adjustments to the requirements of the international ink market after joining the WTO. The company will later reflect one aspect of its distinctive advantages in market competition.

Industry experts generally believe that plastic gravure inks will still be dominated by benzene-solvent-based and benzene-alcohol mixed-solvent-type plastic gravure inks in the next few years, and many new types of inks will be derived on this basis, such as very low. Solvent residual amount of plastic gravure ink and special color plastic gravure ink. It can be seen that, in the eyes of ink manufacturers, plastic gravure ink is the trump card of enterprises. Since the use of benzene solvent inks will be subject to more and more restrictions, the development of solvent-based gravure inks and water-based gravure inks will be some gravure inks. Ink manufacturer product development direction.

Market pattern is not the same

The Chinese ink market in the past was represented by two schools of the North and the South and four major families. The two major schools of the South and the North differentiated by the north and south of the Yangtze River. This layout was a product of the establishment of New China and the planning system of the 1980s. After entering the 1980s, this pattern was gradually broken down. Talent flow and technological exchange completely broke the North-South system of ink. There are four companies in the ink industry of Shanghai Ink Factory, Tianjin Ink Factory, Hangzhou Ink Factory and Gangu Ink Factory, and they have taken the road of Sino-foreign joint ventures. In the ink industry, the market patterns of the four major families have disappeared. The ink companies of various types, such as joint ventures, stocks, private companies, etc., are contending with each other and a new situation of hegemony is emerging.
In recent years, with the continuous progress and adjustment of the ink industry, the market structure of ink has undergone great changes. Flint of the United States entered China and placed its position under the Yellow City. It can be seen that strength and courage are not unusual. Japan's DIC and Japan's Toyo Ink also accelerated the pace of investment in China; Taiyuan Gao set up its own branch in Shenzhen, and many emerging forces and new products have come out; some state-owned ink companies have successively joint ventures and restructuring, all of which are It shows that the ink market is filled with smoke.

In general, most of China's current ink companies are still small, and the annual output of large-scale ink companies has not exceeded 10% of the total domestic production. Moreover, the production enterprises are numerous and many new enterprises have developed rapidly and their profits are relatively high. Well, but in view of the current development environment, no one can form a monopoly. Therefore, in the face of fierce competition and the survival of the fittest, ink companies are advancing in their exploration, and they are each a "camp" and present a new atmosphere full of vigor and vitality.

Akzo Nobel is prescient in seizing the market. Since 1995, the company has set up an office in Shanghai, and established the first packaging plant in Guangzhou in 1997. In 2003, with the expansion of business, it set up a packaging plant in Shanghai. Guangzhou and Shanghai have established independent ink production bases and customer training bases. The Guangzhou factory has an annual output of 500 tons of various inks, of which narrow flexo inks account for 20% of the national market share. The Shanghai factory has gradually established a wide range of customer networks in East China by means of import and distribution, and has built the nation's largest ink training class. Recently, it also installed a 3-unit printing press with nine kinds of Danish NILPETER printing machines, including nine color flexo, intaglio and silk screens, to introduce customers to AkzoNobel's latest products and provide comprehensive ink application guidance. At the same time for the domestic printing and packaging industry to develop more tuner.

Mr. Xin of Zhejiang New Oriental made a three-pointer analysis of the current ink market structure. He said that the current ink market has not yet formed a clear strength group and school. From the standpoint of gravure ink alone, there is no ink brand with a market share of more than 10%. The domestic gravure ink market is still in a situation of hegemony and hegemony, which has a great relationship with the end customers of ink use. The end users of domestic food manufacturers or daily necessities manufacturers have different scales, and their grades are obviously different. Similarly, consumer groups have great differences. This has become the basis for hundreds of manufacturers of gravure ink. In the next five years, the impact of foreign investment and the guidance of policies will really change this situation.

Certification System Green Pass

ISO9001 International Quality Management System Certification
As export trade and domestic market demand for packaging continues to expand, Chinese ink companies are beginning to realize that companies must gradually internationalize and integrate with the international ink industry. With the increased attention paid by the printing manufacturers to quality issues, more and more ink companies have applied for and obtained ISO9001 international quality management system certification.

Through the ISO9001 international quality management system certification, you can fully enhance the company's management standards and in line with international standards to enhance the overall quality of the company's products, and reduce corporate waste to reduce the company's production costs and enhance the market competitiveness of enterprise products; for the enterprise to create More business opportunities and development opportunities increase the overall customer trust and satisfaction of the company.

ISO14001 Environmental Management System
The ISO14000 series of environmental management system standards, with its broad connotation and universal applicability, have caused great repercussions internationally. ISO14001, as the main standard in the ISO14000 series of standards, stipulates the basic mode and basic requirements for the establishment, implementation, and maintenance of an environmental management system for organizations (including government agencies, enterprises, institutions, government agencies, and enterprises or institutions). The standard applies to any type and size of organization.

With the promotion of ISO14001 environmental management system standards, ink manufacturers have become more aware of the significance of establishing and implementing an environmental management system, and more and more manufacturers have already obtained ISO14001 certification, which has enhanced the company's international presence. And the image and influence of the domestic industry.
GB/T28001 Occupational Safety and Health Management System
The GB/T28001 Occupational Safety and Health Management System raises the requirements for an occupational health and safety management system. It aims to enable an organization to control occupational health and safety risks and improve its performance. This standard can establish an occupational health and safety management system to eliminate or reduce occupational health and safety risks that employees and other related parties may face due to organizational activities; implement, maintain, and continuously improve occupational health and safety management systems; seek external organizations to Occupational health and safety management system certification.

All the requirements in this standard are intended to be incorporated into any occupational health and safety management system. The degree of application depends on the organization's occupational health and safety policy, the nature of the activity, the risks and complexity of the operation, and other factors. This standard addresses occupational health and safety, not product and service safety.

US PANTONE Ink Color Standard Certification System
Printing inks With the development of the packaging industry, the color standardization is becoming increasingly important, especially after the accession to the WTO and the success of the “Olympic Olympics”, the demand for various printing media in commercial and public service publicity is increasing, and the demand for spot color printing inks is increasing. It's even bigger. To this end, the United States PANTONE ink color standards recognized by countries around the world have produced effects in the field of offset, gravure, and flexo inks in China. In 2001, four gravure ink manufacturers in China sent their products to the PANTONE headquarters in the United States. After strict inspections and audits, they became the first ink manufacturers to pass the certification and obtain the bronze certificate. By July 2003, there were 13 companies. Domestic ink companies passed the US PANTONE certification.

Recently, there are seven ink manufacturers in China that have proposed to participate in the US PANTONE ink color standard certification. In fact, the ink color standard certification is the basic guarantee for gravure and flexographic ink manufacturing companies to develop in the direction of product standardization to meet the market demand for gravure and flexo spot color inks.

Approved certification
It is understood that everyone has a license to the various certifications such as the ISO9001 quality management system, the ISO14001 environmental management system, the GB/T28001 occupational safety and health management system, and the US PANTONE ink color standard certification system.

Dr. Long Mingjie of Zhuhai Letong Company sensibly said that the implementation of various certifications involves two levels of significance. First, the Chinese economy has optimistic prospects. Various certifications will inevitably make the competitiveness of enterprises appear to be uneven, and between certified companies. To start a new and more challenging competition, China's current ink industry is still lagging behind in technology. Without the ability to control products, certification only plays a supervisory role. The specific implementation process depends on the specific operations of the company. The certification of the ink industry will lead to the reorganization of resources in the industry, the market tends to be rational, and the products tend to be stable.

AkzoNobel (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. has already passed two certifications: ISO9001 Quality Management System, ISO14001 Environmental Management System, and GB/T28001 Occupational Safety and Health Management System. The general manager said that AkzoNobel (Shanghai)’s ink products are certified in foreign countries, but in China