Universal Color Corp. was founded in 2006 by its now president, Kevin T. Coneeny. Before starting his own ink company, Coneeny wore many hats in the ink industry throughout his 20-year career. In short, he understood the needs of printers. As such, Coneeny set out to supply printers with the highest quality ink to maximize their pressroom efficiency, and to employ a highly trained technical service staff to assist printers with any problems that may arise.

Today, Universal Color Corp. manufactures both UV and conventional sheetfed and web ink, as well as UV- and water-based flexo inks. According to Jeff Sullivan, technical sales manager, Universal Color Corp. takes great pride in its research and development.

“We are constantly evaluating new raw materials to improve our ecological footprint while also improving performance,” he said. “Our commitment to the environment has been a main focus since our inception. We have a complete line of soy-based inks for conventional, heatset, coldset and UV. These inks can give the printer the comfort of using eco-friendly products.”

In order to manufacture the best possible soy-based in, Universal Color Corp. partnered with Megami Ink Mfg. Co., Ltd. of Japan. Both companies have been approved for ISO-14000 certification, the international standard for environmental management systems. The inks carry a “soy seal,” which is approved by the American Soybean Association (ASA). In order to obtain the soy seal, ink must meet the following conditions: For all offset inks, soy oil needs to account for more than 20% of the gross weight. In the case of UV ink, the standard is 7% and 10% for metallic ink. Soy-based ink is completely different from the standard petroleum-based ink. Soybean oil is the same raw material used in edible oils such as cooking oils and salad dressings. When soybean oil is used in printing ink, it greatly reduces the VOC (volatile organic compounds) or toxic emissions released into the atmosphere.

In addition to its focus on green products, Sullivan said that the company has seen steady growth across the board with its UV inks.

“In the future, I think H-UV and LED will be areas for growth with our company. We have a new line of low energy UV curable sheetfed inks that we have had great success with. These inks work well on straight presses as well as perfecting presses, giving printers quick start-ups and consistent color control,” he said.

“We also have a new UV flexo ink for high-line, low-cell volume anilox rollers. These inks print extremely clean images and have excellent flow and cure properties. I am anticipating great growth for Universal Color Corp. in the future within the packaging industry while also growing our business in the commercial print market.”
Reflecting on his 10 years as president of Universal Color Corp., Coneeny said that he is enormously proud of his employees and customers.

“After 10 years of prosperity in an industry that has shown rapid decline, we have been able to foresee market changes and adapt to these markets quickly and with the support of our loyal vendors who we all rely on daily to meet the fast changing needs of our customers. It has taken a 100% effort of all to meet these challenges, and we know every day this market will change even more. Our goal is to keep growing through all these changes.” 

Universal Color Corp.
377 Ballardvale Street
Wilmington, MA 01887 USA

Tel: 978-658-2300
Fax: 978-658-2385
info@universalcolorcorp.com
www.universalcolorcorp.com

Major Products: Sheetfed Ink, Web Ink, UV Ink, Flexo Ink, Overprint Varnishes, Specialty Coatings