12 January 2022, Gujarat, India — Toyo Ink India, a member of the Tokyo-based global specialty chemicals Toyo Ink Group, recently built a new gravure ink manufacturing plant in Gujarat in Western India. With an annual production capacity of more than 5,000 metric tons, the new plant is expected to strengthen the company in India’s rapidly growing flexible packaging market. The company’s press release also says that the new toluene-free ink plant will contribute to the company’s global supply infrastructure. The new plant is toluene-free and uses dedicated controls to ensure regulatory compliances and increased safety which should contribute to the use of safer inks especially on the higher speed gravure presses that are increasingly being used by flexible packaging printers and converters in India and the South Asia region.
KS Murthy, deputy managing director of Toyo Ink India, states, “Our initial gravure [ink] factory was built in 2012 in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh state. As our operations grew over the years, we knew it was time to further boost our capacity to help meet high levels of gravure demand and reduce supply lead times to our customers in India and around the globe. Now, with a combined capacity of 20,000 tons per annum, we will work to expand our share and product offerings in the strategic flexible packaging market where we are focusing our efforts to grow.”
In recent years, brands and converters are taking steps toward safer packaging materials as they are coming under increasing pressure from consumers and authorities concerning food safety and also worker safety. In response to the rising global demand for safer printing inks, in particular for food and beverage, pharma, personal care and other sensitive applications, Toyo Ink India has decided to adopt toluene-free operations. The company says this is in line with its strong commitment to product safety and environmental protection.
Murthy adds, “While Toyo Ink India has been delivering toluene-free products in India for quite a long time, the new factory reinforces our ability to provide a seamless supply of safe and compliant products of the highest quality to our customers while minimizing health risks to our employees and the environment at large. Among the advanced toluene-free systems that are slated for production at the new site are solvent- and water-based lamination inks, functional inks and varnishes, and other premium packaging solutions designed with the needs of brand owners and converters in mind.”
Toyo Ink generates nearly 600 MWH power by solar energy
Established in 2007 in Delhi, Toyo Ink India is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Toyo Ink Group of Japan, is a leading single-source provider of integrated packaging and printing solutions. It offers a portfolio of inks, coatings, color materials, and other printing solutions for a wide range of industrial markets. Core products include conventional offset inks, UV-curable inks including LED-UV systems, flexographic inks, gravure inks, solvent-free lamination adhesives, inkjet inks, polyurethane resins, color masterbatches, and pressure-sensitive adhesives. In its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, Toyo Ink India Gujarat produces nearly all of the electricity needed to power its offices and plants through solar energy. The site generates more than 600 MWH of electricity annually.
