1100 N. Harvester Road
West Chicago, IL 60185
Tel: (630) 231-6500
Fax: (630) 231-6585
www.cicink.com

Sales: $62 million.

Major Products: Web offset, heatset, coldset, sheetfed, flexo and UV/EB inks; pressroom chemicals and blankets.

Key Personnel: Dan Breen, CEO; Gregg Dahleen, president; Scott Feigleson, CFO.

Number of Employees: 150.

Operating Facilities: West Chicago, IL; Plymouth, MN; Menomonee Falls, WI; Swedesboro, NJ; Doral, FL; Fort Worth, TX; Sparks, NV.

Comments: Central Ink Corporation (CIC) is a leader in the field of heatset, coldset and sheetfed offset inks. The company has fully integrated its acquisition of Impression Inks, which expanded the company’s presence in the southwest US. Central Ink had a good year in 2019, enjoying modest revenue growth driven by increased volumes in most business segments.

“We continue to see opportunities within our core product lines,” said Central Ink president Gregg Dahleen. “Our energy curable business has grown 25% over the past two years, and we see this as a path to consistent growth over the next several years.

“We launched our new line of LED and HUV offset inks, and increased our market share in several lines of business,” Dahleen added. “Our international business continues to grow and continued innovation within our consumables company should be a source of growth moving forward.”

Dahleen reported that the greatest challenge facing the ink industry has been raw material increases and availability.

“CIC is combating those with strategic purchasing agreements and by proactively diversifying our supply chain,” he noted.

“Industry consolidation is also an apprehension, but we believe in maintaining solid, mutually beneficial coalitions with our customers and others within our industry.

“CIC’s most current concern is in determining how a potential global pandemic or other large-scale disasters may affect our global purchasing ability,” Dahleen added. “More generally speaking, the inconsistency in messaging regarding trade policy in the United States creates a challenge.”

New product lines will be the key to Central Ink’s growth in the future.

“We assume the declining trends in certain business lines will continue, and we believe our investment in new product lines and markets will more than offset those challenges as they have the past few years,” Dahleen concluded.

Major Products: Web offset, heatset, coldset, sheetfed, flexo and UV/EB inks; pressroom chemicals and blankets.

Number of Employees: 156

Operating Facilities: West Chicago, IL; Plymouth, MN; Menomonee Falls, WI; Swedesboro, NJ; Doral, FL; Fort Worth, TX; Sparks, NV.

Comments: A specialist in heatset, coldset and sheetfed offset inks, Central Ink Corporation had a solid year in 2018, its forst fill year after the company’s acquisition of Impression Inks. Central Ink saw top-line growth, product stabilization, and maximized plant output.

Centrail Ink officials noted that revenue is up despite the industry’s challenges, and it looks like the company will continue that trend in 2019. The company has also seen solid growth in its international endeavors.

On the raw material front, Central Ink is seeing increased pigment costs and reduced availability of some resources, adding that its Research and Development team has worked diligently to combat these challenges by finding alternative resources and suppliers. Company officials anticipate stabilization of raw materials, and are utilizing economies of scale to maximize efficiencies.

Major Products: Web offset, heatset, coldset, sheetfed, flexo and UV/EB inks; pressroom chemicals and blankets.

Number of Employees: 156

Operating Facilities: West Chicago, IL; Plymouth, MN; Menomonee Falls, WI; Swedesboro, NJ; Doral, FL; Fort Worth, TX; Sparks, NV.

Comments: Central Ink Corporation had a solid year in 2017, with the company expanding through the addition of Impression Inks while overcoming a fire that damaged its main plant in West Chicago, Il.

“This past year was a positive one for Central Ink,”  Vic Dahleen, Central Ink’s VP of sales, reported. “We experienced growth both organically and through the acquisition of Impression Inks.”

Dahleen noted that 2017 saw Central Ink’s second acquisition, that of Impression Inks, a news ink and heatset ink specialist located in Fort Worth, TX. Impression Inks also had a branch in Sparks, NV.

“This has strengthened our position regarding raw materials, and has improved our service and distribution model,” he added. “Our goal is to continue to demonstrate to our customers how these additional efficiencies can benefit them.”

Dahleen said in spite of the damage caused by the fire in the company’s main manufacturing facility, there was good that came out of it.

“We experienced a fire in our main plant,” Dahleen said. “However, even negative events can have positive outcomes. I was heartened by the support and concern offered by our vendors and even by our competitors. Internally, the fire caused everyone at Central Ink to rally, and it was inspiring to see how closely everyone worked together to create solutions. This also gave our other facilities an opportunity to shine and show their worth.”

As a heatset and news ink specialist, Central Ink has been impacted by the declines in the publication printing market. Dahleen said that he saw those markets stabilize during the past year, which is a good sign.

“Central Ink is a pure litho ink manufacturer,” Dahleen observed. “We were glad to see the heatset market stabilize, and although news ink has seemed to have plateaued, the concern is now increasingly with the consolidation of the news ink industry. Through our most recent acquisition, the addition of the Reno and Fort Worth facilities – both of which are also manufacturing sites – has provided our customers with reduced lead time and decreased inventory cost. We have now established manufacturing distribution sites on the East and West Coast, South, and Midwest.”

The raw material market is always a challenge, and 2017 was no different. “Over the last 10 to 15 years, we have seen the impact of volatile raw materials. I imagine that Central Ink and the industry will do what needs to be done – successfully,” Dahleen said.

Dahleen said that Central Ink is looking forward to 2018.

“We at Central Ink see a lot of promise in 2018,” he added. “We have successfully synergized Impression Inks into Central Ink.

We have great opportunities both in North America and also through our international subsidiary.

“One of the things I have always loved about our industry is that it is constantly evolving,” Dahleen continued. “We embrace new technology and are always working to improve. As we look to the next decade, we will strive to continue on our path and encompass new ideas and technology. I know personally I would like to see us in digital ink and increase our commitment to energy curables.”

Major Products: Web offset, heatset, coldset, sheetfed, flexo and UV/EB inks; pressroom chemicals and blankets.

Number of Employees: 136

Operating Facilities: West Chicago, IL; Plymouth, MN; Menomonee Falls, WI; Swedesboro, NJ; Fontana, CA; Sunrise, FL.

Comments: Founded in 1933 by Cecil E. Breen, Central Ink Corporation remains a family-owned offset ink specialist. Richard Breen, Cecil’s son, has led the company since 1985, and now with Richard Breen stepping down, his son Dan will take the reins and continue the family’s rich history in the ink industry.

“After 69 years at Central Ink, Richard Breen has passed the torch to his son, Dan,” said Victor Dahleen, VP of sales and marketing for Central Ink Corporation. “Dan Breen is the third generation of Breens leading the company.”

Central Ink’s core markets are heatset, coldset and sheetfed inks, and those segments have suffered along with their customers in the publication and commercial printing markets. Still, Central Ink had a fairly solid year in 2016.

“Sales were slightly below expectation, primarily due to print consolidation,” Dahleen noted. “Print consolidation is always an ongoing concern throughout the industry. Our international division has seen solid growth.”

There is much interest in UV LED and HUV curing technologies, and Central Ink is active in these markets, while also developing new formulations for their core segments.

“Central Ink is currently developing LED and HUV technologies,” Dahleen said, adding that the company is also engineering new products for coldset applications and continuing to improve its compatibility with custom inks and chemistry. On the sales side, Central Ink has added new software improving sales activity and increasing communication.

Dahleen noted that bringing value to customers will be key to Central Ink’s success in the coming years.

“Pricing continues to be our customers main concern,” he said. “Central Ink’s focus has always been providing value to our customers. We look forward to 2017 and plan to develop new opportunities by providing great value for customers.”

Major Products: Web offset, heatset, coldset, sheetfed, flexo and UV/EB inks; pressroom chemicals and blankets.

Number of Employees: 136

Operating Facilities: West Chicago, IL; Plymouth, MN; Menomonee Falls, WI; Swedesboro, NJ; Fontana, CA; Sunrise, FL.

Comments: For Central Ink Corporation, 2015 was a good year. The company fared well in its core North American publication and commercial printing markets while further expanding into the new pressroom chemicals business Central Ink added when it acquired C&W Pressroom Products in 2014.

“All in all, we had a good year,” said Vic Dahleen, VP of sales and business development for Central Ink. “The addition of pressroom chemicals gives us a more diverse sales portfolio. It goes without saying that raw material decreases were a large factor.”

Since 1985, Richard Breen, Central Ink’s CEO, has led the company his father, Cecil, founded back in 1933. In 2015, Central Ink solidified its succession plan as Dan Breen, Richard Breen’s son, joined the company.

“Dan is a chartered financial analyst, bringing essential insights and expertise to the company,” Dahleen said. “Dan’s arrival also provides a solid succession plan for Central Ink.”

In another important personnel move, Central Ink promoted Dahleen to VP of business development in October. He was previously the VP of strategic services. He started in the ink industry in 1986, and joined Central Ink Corporation in 1992.

Central Ink has long focused on the web heatset market, which has struggled in recent years. Central Ink remains dedicated to its heatset customers, while exploring the growing packaging ink segment.

“We understand the changes happening with in the industry, especially the growth of packaging,” Dahleen said. “We still feel strongly about our core segment (offset web). We are working towards increasing our involvement in the packaging market.”

Dahleen said that raw materials are always a concern, and the currency fluctuations have had an impact on business.

“As we have seen our international business grow, we have a front row seat of the impact of currency fluctuation,” he noted.

Dahleen said that if raw material costs remain stable, 2016 looks to be another solid year for Central Ink.

“I think stability of raw materials will be the deciding factor for us this year,” Dahleen concluded. “We are receiving positive messages for 2016 from our customers, which in turn makes us feel good.”

Major Products: Web offset heatset, coldset, sheetfed, flexo and UV/EB inks. CIC is also one of the largest blanket converters in the Midwest.

Number of Employees: 117

Operating Facilities: West Chicago, IL; Minneapolis, MN; Milwaukee, WI; Swedesboro, NJ; Fontana, CA.

Comments: Central Ink Corporation had a solid year in 2014, overcoming the challenges facing the North American publication and commercial printing markets. Meanwhile, the company made an acquisition and formed a partnership to expand its sales globally.

“Our sales in 2014 were similar to 2013,” said Doug Anderson, Central Ink’s VP of product development. “The consolidation within our customer base makes it a challenge to increase sales.”

In an important move, Central Ink acquired the assets of C&W Pressroom Products (C&W), a leader in the field of environmentally friendly pressroom chemistry, with an eye on taking advantage of industry synergies and providing product diversification.

“Central Ink completed the acquisition of C&W Pressroom Products in 2014,” Anderson said. “This will benefit our customers with combined deliveries of ink and pressroom supplies.”

C&W manufactures and sells pressroom products, including acid washes, blanket washes, fountain solutions and industrial cleaners, to the printing industry. Central Ink set up a new manufacturing facility close to its headquarters on Hawthorne Lane in West Chicago, IL, which replaced C&W’s New Jersey manufacturing site.

Central Ink also formed a partnership with Rendic Graphics, which supplies supply printing ink, chemicals and press equipment to web offset and sheetfed printers in China, Australasia, South America, Central America, Caribbean and Africa.

Central Ink is also working hard on R&D, formulating new sheetfed inks for packaging.

“We have developed a new line of low odor sheetfed inks for our packaging customers,” Anderson noted. “We will continue to work with our customers to develop products that meet their customer’s requirements.

“We are working on GHS-compliant SDS and labeling at this time,” he added. “We have hired consultants to work with our technical team to ensure proper compliance.”

While 2015 was a stable year for raw materials in terms of pricing, Anderson said that nothing is certain for 2015.

“Currently the raw materials have been very stable. Of course, when dealing with commodities, anything can happen,” Anderson added.

Overall, Anderson said that Central Ink is looking to expand its product offerings and is examining another potential acquisition.

“Central Ink is looking to make another acquisition in 2015 to expand our product line,” Anderson concluded. “We are committed to graphic arts and look forward to increasing our presence in other market segments.”

Major Products: Web offset heatset, coldset, sheetfed, flexo and UV/EB inks. CIC is also one of the largest blanket converters in the Midwest.

Number of Employees: 117

Operating Facilities: West Chicago, IL; Minneapolis, MN; Milwaukee, WI; Swedesboro, NJ; Fontana, CA.

Comments: Central Ink Corporation had a solid year in 2013, with sales holding steady despite the decline in North American publication and commercial printing markets.

“Our sales were very close to the previous year,” said Doug Anderson, Central Ink’s vice president of product development. “Our heatset sales were up slightly. We did see some growth with some of our existing customers. Some of this was due to print site consolidation, and we did have a few customers that had a very good year.”

Anderson noted that Central Ink enjoyed a number of highlights this year, as the company continued to grow with its international partner. Central Ink is also seeing growth with pressroom chemistry as well.

Anderson noted that 2013 was not a bad year for raw materials, although there are concerns cropping up in 2014.

“There was ample supply and pricing was flat,” he reported. “We do have concerns this year. Crude oil is rising and the price of gum rosin has already impacted us. There has been expansion in tire manufacturing that could tighten up the supply of carbon black as well.”

All in all, Central Ink is optimistic about the coming year.

“We are still optimistic going forward; our business has been steady so far this year,” Anderson said. “However, raw material stability is always a concern.”

Major Products: Web offset heatset, coldset, sheetfed, flexo and UV/EB inks. CIC is also one of the largest blanket converters in the Midwest.

Number of Employees: 117

Operating Facilities: West Chicago, IL; Minneapolis, MN; Milwaukee, WI; Swedesboro, NJ; Fontana, CA.

Comments: The North American publication market has been facing a number of difficult challenges, from the economy and higher raw material prices to the gains made by the Internet. For Central Ink, 2012 saw a slight improvement in terms of sales, as the company looks into new markets for expansion.

“We did have a slight increase in sales,” sad Doug Anderson, Central Ink’s vice president of product development. “However, the bottom line remained stagnant. The newspaper business stabilized in 2012, but heatset sales are being impacted by continuing customer consolidation.”

One area of opportunity is the international market, and Central Ink is looking to make inroads outside of the U.S.

“Our focus will be on international growth opportunities,” Mr. Anderson said. “We have entered into joint venture agreements with Rendic Graphic Systems (international sales) and C&W Pressroom Products (fountain solution and pressroom chemicals).”

Mr. Anderson noted that Central Ink enjoyed more stability in our raw materials in 2012 than in previous years. “We work closely with all of our vendors to stay on top of any changes in supply or pricing,” he added.

In an important personnel move, Brad Dahleen left Central Ink in 2012 to pursue other opportunities, with John Pieranunzi being named to replace him as vice president of sales and marketing.

“While we were sorry to see Brad leave the company, we are excited to have John Pieranunzi as our new vice president of sales and marketing,” said Mr. Anderson. “John has been with Central Ink for six years, serving as our Midwest regional sales manager. Prior to joining Central Ink, John has worked for INX, Sun Chemical and Graphic Color.”

The printing and ink industries are changing, and Mr. Anderson said that Central Ink will be changing along with their customers.

“The printing industry is constantly evolving,” Mr. Anderson said. “We will continue to work hard to improve our processes and add value to our customers.”

Major Products: Web offset heatset, coldset, sheetfed, flexo and UV/EB inks. CIC is also one of the largest blanket converters in the Midwest.

Number of Employees: 117

Operating Facilities: West Chicago, IL; Minneapolis, MN; Milwaukee, WI; Swedesboro, NJ; Ontario, CA; Toronto, Canada.

Comments: The publication printing business has been hard hit by both the global recession as well as new technologies, and ink manufacturers have also felt the impact.For Central Ink, 2011 was a challenging year, although the company’s decision to diversify into other segments is paying off.

“It was a tough year due to higher raw material costs,” said Bradley Dahleen, Central Ink’s vice president of sales and marketing. “We added a lot of smaller and middle-sized customers, which is good. Flexo is growing and is gaining traction, and news ink is up across the country. Heatset is better than it has been in years, and is growing fastest for us.”

Raw materials remain a serious concern for ink companies, particularly on the publication ink side, and rising oil prices are a major issue. To help cope with these increases, Central Ink has been improving its manufacturing efficiency.

“Even though raw material prices stabilized somewhat, we still couldn’t recover the increases we have been hit with, and if oil continues to rise, there will be a lot more price increases on the horizon,” Mr. Dahleen said. “In 2011, we automated our large batch manufacturing to a greater extent.”

Overall, Mr. Dahleen believes that the coming year will be similar to 2011 for the ink market.

“January 2012 started great, but overall, we think that 2012 will be exactly like 2011,” Mr. Dahleen said. “I think we are finding some kind of balance, but there is still a lot of uncertainty, and there are a lot of printers who are facing tough financial times.”

Major Products: Web offset heatset, coldset, sheetfed, flexo and UV/EB inks. CIC is also one of the largest blanket converters in the Midwest.

Number of Employees: 141

Operating Facilities: West Chicago, IL; Minneapolis, MN; Milwaukee, WI; Swedesboro, NJ; Ontario, CA; Toronto, Canada.

Comments: The publication printing business has taken a hard hit in recent years, both from the growth of the Internet as well as the global recession. Publication ink manufacturers are feeling the pinch of decreased demands as well as higher raw material prices.

Central Ink Corporation had long been focused on the heatset market, with a particular emphasis on large printers. A few years ago, the company began branching out into sheetfed, news, UV and flexo inks, which has helped it weather the economic storm.

“We had about 7 percent growth in 2010,” said Bradley Dahleen, Central Ink’s vice president of sales and marketing. “All of product lines are doing well. In the past four years, our business has changed from high-volume heatset customers to smaller, more independent companies. We have doubled our number of customers in the past four years. It’s hard to do, and has higher costs in areas such as shipping, billing and labor, but it was worth it.”

Higher raw material prices are a major problem for the ink industry, and Central Ink is feeling the effects as well.

“The higher cost of raw materials and how fast they keep coming up is our biggest concern,” Mr. Dahleen said. “Consolidation among our suppliers is also a worry from both the supply and cost point of views. Soya prices are up 50 percent in the past two months alone. It is hard to recoup that.”

With the higher cost of raw materials, Mr. Dahleen said that Central Ink has had to walk away from large-volume business that would ultimately be unprofitable.

“We’ve grown on the ink side, not as fast as I think we could grow, but with raw material costs spiraling up, there’s some business out there that just doesn’t make sense for us,” Mr. Dahleen noted.