Major Products: Offset, flexo, gravure and screen inks, overprint varnishes, lamination adhesives, offset plates, pressroom chemicals, offset presses and coatings.

Number of Employees: Approximately 1,450.

Comments: Sanchez SA de CV, the largest ink manufacturer in Mexico and Central America, is headquartered in Mexico City. The company has a major presence in Latin America, with subsidiaries in Colombia (Grupo Sanchez Colombia), Costa Rica (Grupo Sanchez Artes Graficas), El Salvador (Sanchez Centroamerica),  Guatemala (Tintas Sanchez Guatemala), Peru (Grupo Sanchez Peru), as well as Ecuador (Grupo Sanchez Ecuador).

In a very important, very well thought out and studied move, all three members of the third generation of the company left their positions in the group as of Aug. 1, 2025. Therefore, Robert Graves now is the new CEO of Sanchez SA de CV. It is the first time the 95-year-old company is run by a non-family member.

Sanchez SA de CV is sure that Graves, a former Tetra Pak executive, will lead the group to new, enriching horizons.

Sanchez SA de CV had a strong year in 2024, with sales growing slightly, particularly in packaging.

“As in previous years, we kept performing very well in the packaging market that we serve, not only with inks but also with lamination adhesives,” said managing director Ernesto J. Sanchez.

The presidential elections in both Mexico and the US will impact Mexico and the entire region.

“The result of our presidential election of 2024 was no surprise,” Sanchez said. “Claudia Sheinbaum, representing the leftist political party Morena, won the election with an indisputable margin, leaving the country in the expectation of how far left the new president wants to take the country. There is also the additional concern related with the return of Donald Trump to the White House in the US.

“The trade war that has developed in the present year will change for sure the sourcing of our raw materials, forcing us to change some of our suppliers or the countries where we buy from today,” Sanchez noted. “I can add that this story has not ended.”

Major Products: Offset, flexo, gravure and screen inks, overprint varnishes, lamination adhesives, offset plates, pressroom chemicals, offset presses and coatings.

Number of Employees: Approximately 1,450

Comments: Sanchez SA de CV, the largest ink manufacturer in Mexico and Central America, is headquartered in Mexico City. The company has a major presence in Latin America, with subsidiaries in Colombia (Grupo Sanchez Colombia), Costa Rica (Grupo Sanchez Artes Graficas), El Salvador (Sanchez Centroamerica), Guatemala (Tintas Sanchez Guatemala), Peru (Grupo Sanchez Peru), as well as Ecuador (Grupo Sanchez Ecuador).

Sanchez SA de CV had an excellent year in 2023, with sales growing 12% despite little growth in Mexico’s economy.

“In our country, 2023 presented a lot of political activity heading towards this year’s presidential elections,” said managing director Ernesto J. Sanchez. “In my opinion, that translated into low investment, and against to what was expected, little growth of the economy at 3.2% for the year. Despite these not so favorable conditions, we grew, especially in flexo and gravure inks

for packaging.”

The Mexican presidential elections will have a huge impact on the country going forward.

“The present year, 2024, will be remembered as the year of the presidential elections, with two completely opposite options,” Sanchez added. “Many projects are on hold, waiting for the results of this very important day.”

Sanchez SA de CV’s continued expansion in Latin America, including setting up a new sales organization, has proved to be a wise decision for the company.

“In Latin America, the new structure we implemented in recent years has proven to be the right choice,” Sanchez said. “In those countries, we went from having a head of country manager to sales managers specializing in flexo, gravure and offset inks responsible for the whole territory. This new scheme has brought the group new opportunities in the region.”

Major Products: Offset, flexo, gravure and screen inks, overprint varnishes, lamination adhesives, offset plates, pressroom chemicals, offset presses and coatings.

Key Personnel: Ernesto J. Sanchez, managing director; Jose Sanchez, commercial director; Jesus McKelligan, head of operations; Diego Mckelligan, coatings director; Daniel Schleske, flexo and gravure director; Bernardo Mckelligan, offset and screen director; Ernesto Sanchez Arnedo, operations director; Jacobo Garcia, administrative director; Julio Cesar Garcia, technical manager (paste inks); Erasto Islas, technical manager (liquid inks).

No. of Employees: 1,350

Comments: Headquartered in Mexico City, Sanchez SA de CV is the largest ink manufacturer in Mexico and Central America. The company has a sizable presence in Latin America, with subsidiaries located in Colombia (Grupo Sanchez Colombia), Costa Rica (Grupo Sanchez Artes Graficas), El Salvador (Sanchez Centroamerica), Guatemala (Tintas Sanchez Guatemala), Peru (Grupo Sanchez Peru), and Ecuador (Grupo Sanchez Ecuador).

Founded in 1930, Sanchez SA de CV is a family-owned ink manufacturer, and looks to continue to grow in the region as the fourth generation of family members are taking key roles in the company.

“As part of the generational transition in our organization, the four members of the fourth generation of our family have been promoted to directors,” said Ernesto J. Sanchez, managing director of Sanchez SA de CV. “Diego, Daniel, Bernardo and Ernesto are now part of our key executives. We are sure that with their dedication to the company, the continuity of our 93-year-old corporation is in good hands.”

As for 2022-23, Sanchez SA de CV had a very good year, rebounding along with the rest of the Mexican economy while the raw material situation began to ease.

“Our economy grew 3.1% during 2022, a number still short for our needs,” Sanchez reported. “We must remember that our economy declined 8.2% during the pandemic in 2020. Despite some challenges we managed to grow, with better-than-expected results in markets like sheetfed inks, lamination adhesives, and solvent-based inks for flexo and gravure.

“The Sánchez subsidiaries in Latin America had good performances during 2022, helping the solidification of our group in this important region,” he added. “It is still part of our plan to grow in those countries. The present year, 2023, shows some healthy growth, as the country is focusing more and more on next year’s presidential election.”

Major Products: Offset, flexo, gravure and screen inks, overprint varnishes, lamination adhesives, coatings, offset plates, pressroom chemicals and offset presses.

No. of Employees: 1,350

Comments: Sanchez SA de CV, the largest ink manufacturer in Mexico and Central America, is headquartered in Mexico City. The company has a major presence in Latin America, with subsidiaries in Colombia (Grupo Sanchez Colombia),

Costa Rica (Grupo Sanchez Artes Graficas), El Salvador (Sanchez Centroamerica), Guatemala (Tintas Sanchez Guatemala), Peru (Grupo Sanchez Peru), as well as Ecuador (Grupo Sanchez Ecuador).

Ernesto J. Sanchez, managing director for Sanchez SA de CV, said that while the economy has rebounded, it needs further growth.

“After a sharp decline in our economy in 2020, 2021 represented a bounce-back year, with growth of 4.8 % in our economy, but not enough for what the country needs,” said Sanchez.

“Most of the markets we serve showed a healthy comeback during the year, and while some did not reach their pre-pandemic figures, they experienced a healthy growth over the previous year. Screen printing inks and lamination adhesives showed the best results, but other lines, like sheetfed inks, had a great performance.”

Raw materials continue to be a concern for the ink industry, and Sanchez SA de CV is no exception.

“Like the rest of the industry, we sure struggle with the increase of the cost in our raw materials, and as everyone is aware, the shortage of many of them,” said Sanchez. “As never before, the process of passing some of these costs to our customers created a lot of stress and frustration with them, but at the end, we managed to get some understanding.”

Sanchez said 2022 remains a concern going forward.

“The present year, 2022, shows no signs of any great year in terms of the growth of our economy, and the war in Ukraine sure does not help,” said Sanchez. “The shortage and prices increase of our raw material continue but we have managed to keep the pace of our activity up.”

Major Products: Offset, flexo, gravure and screen inks, overprint varnishes, lamination adhesives, coatings, offset plates, pressroom chemicals and offset presses.

Number of Employees: 1,295

Comments: Sanchez SA de CV, the largest ink manufacturer in Mexico and Central America, is headquartered in Mexico City. The company has a major presence in Central and South America, with subsidiaries in Colombia (Grupo Sanchez Colombia), Costa Rica (Grupo Sanchez Artes Graficas), El Salvador (Sanchez Centroamerica), Guatemala (Tintas Sanchez Guatemala), and Peru (Grupo Sanchez Peru).

Managing director Ernesto J. Sanchez noted that as was the case in the rest of the world, the COVID pandemic hurt Mexico very badly.

“Our GDP shrunk 8.2 % in 2020, making Mexico one of the most affected countries in the region, and one of the worse economic years in the history of our country,” Sanchez said. “The pandemic’s effect on our economy, with many businesses closing and lots of jobs lost, came in addition to problems created by our government with its populist measures.”

Despite these challenges, Sanchez SA de CV had a solid year overall.

“At Grupo Sanchez, we managed to keep our company and its operations moving,” Sanchez reported. “Being declared as an Essential Business by our government sure helped to keep the activity running, but being a key player in the packaging market made the difference. At the end, and despite of some raw material shortage, we managed to grow in 2020.

“Nowadays, the markets that suffered the most during the pandemic, like screenprinting and editorial, are experiencing a comeback,” added Sanchez. “Not all of them at the pace we would have liked, but a comeback at the end. We feel positive for the near future, with the healthy grow of products like coatings and lamination adhesives in our country and their successful introduction in the rest of region we serve.”

Major Products: Offset, flexo, gravure and screen inks, overprint varnishes, adhesives, coatings, offset plates, pressroom chemicals and offset presses.

Number of Employees: 1,351

Comments: Headquartered in Mexico City, Sanchez SA de CV is the largest ink manufacturer in Mexico and Central America. The company enjoyed growth last year, with sales increasing more than 5% to $104 million.

Outside of Mexico, Sanchez SA de CV has a significant presence throughout Central America and South America, with subsidiaries in Colombia (Grupo Sanchez Colombia), Costa Rica (Grupo Sanchez Artes Graficas), El Salvador (Sanchez Centroamerica), Guatemala (Tintas Sanchez Guatemala), and Peru (Grupo Sanchez Peru).

Managing director Ernesto J. Sanchez said that his company’s growth came despite the government’s policies.

“As predicted, our economy decreased 0.1% in 2019,” Sanchez reported. “It reflects the wrong decisions taken by our new president Mr. López Obrador. Not only has he canceled big investments by the government, but he managed to scare the private companies, resulting in zero investment from the big corporations. Even in this difficult environment, Grupo Sanchez managed to grow, with healthy results in some of our ink lines, including our heatset inks. Our coatings division also had a great year, consolidating our brand in this big and interesting market.”

Major Products: Offset, flexo, gravure and screen inks, overprint varnishes, coatings, offset plates, pressroom chemicals and offset presses.

Number of Employees: 1,351

Comments: With headquarters in Mexico City and subsidiaries in  Colombia (Grupo Sanchez Colombia), Costa Rica (Grupo Sanchez Artes Graficas), El Salvador (Sanchez Centroamerica), Peru (Grupo Sanchez Peru) and Guatemala (Tintas Sanchez Guatemala SA), Sanchez SA de CV is the largest ink manufacturer in Mexico and Central America.

Mexico is the key market for Sanchez SA de CV, and political events are having an impact on printing and ink.

“As expected, our new president, Mr. Lopez Obrador, took office on Dec. 1, and started taking left-oriented decisions, like canceling the halfway constructed new state-of-the-art International Airport outside Mexico City,” said managing director Ernesto J. Sanchez. “This decision, among others, have caused a lot of concern among the private sector in the country, as well as a fall in our stock market and the weakness of our currency. Experts predict a slowdown of our economy for 2019, affecting all the markets we serve in the country.”

In a major move, Sanchez SA de CV further expanded its operations into South America, adding a new subsidiary in Peru.
“At the end of 2018 we opened our new office in Peru, Grupo Sanchez Peru,” Sanchez said. “With this, we expect to continue with our growth in the region. Our new office began operations securing a new key customer in the heatset market.”

In recent years, San chez SA de CV has enjoyed growth in flexo, gravure and sheetfed offset inks for packaging, and this year the company expanded its product range for packaging by adding lamination adhesives.

“We have added a line of lamination adhesives to our product range, completing the offer to our packaging customers,” Sanchez reported. “For these, we have expanded our Tepeji plant to install the new equipment.”

Major Products: Offset, flexo, gravure and screen inks, overprint varnishes, coatings, offset plates, pressroom chemicals and offset presses.

Number of Employees: 1,351

Comments: Sanchez SA de CV, the largest ink manufacturer in Mexico and Central America, is headquartered in Mexico City. The company has a major presence in Central America, with subsidiaries in Colombia (Grupo Sanchez Colombia), Costa Rica (Grupo Sanchez Artes Graficas), El Salvador (Sanchez Centroamerica) and Guatemala (Tintas Sanchez Guatemala SA).

Ernesto J. Sanchez, managing director of Sanchez SA de CV, said that 2017 was a good year for Mexico’s economy.

“After all the noise created at the beginning of the year, there were no fundamental changes that could have affected international trade or Mexico’s economy, so our country experienced a relatively positive year in terms of its economy,” Sanchez said. “Not so in the political arena, where we had a bumpy year because of the 2018 presidential elections.”

As for Sanchez SA de CV, it was a good year for the company.

“We experienced a steady growth is our ink ranges designed for the packaging markets, like flexo, gravure and sheetfed offset, growth that we expect will continue during the present year,” Sanchez reported. “Our branches in Central and South America, had a lot of activity during the year, and each one of them are consolidating its presence in their respective markets.”

Sanchez SA de CV is also making moves into the coatings segment. “Special effort was put in our quite new coatings division and additional equipment and personnel were added, resulting in a very positive year,” noted Sanchez. “The coatings market should be a key element of our strategy in the near future.”

Major Products: Offset, flexo, gravure and screen inks, overprint varnishes, offset plates, pressroom chemicals and offset presses.

Number of Employees: 1,150

Comments: Sanchez SA de CV is the largest ink manufacturer in Mexico and Central America. The company is located in Mexico City, and has subsidiaries in Colombia (Grupo Sanchez Colombia), Costa Rica (Grupo Sanchez Artes Graficas), El Salvador (Sanchez Centroamerica) and Guatemala (Tintas Sanchez Guatemala SA), and Colombia (Grupo Sanchez Colombia).

The economy was a major concern in Mexico. In 2016, the economy grew 2.3 %, a bit under the 2015 result of 2.5 %, and the expectations for 2017 are even lower. Meanwhile, the Mexican peso suffered a major decline against the US dollar. The US presidential election also has impacted Mexico.

“The year 2016 was a challenging one for Sanchez,” said Ernesto J. Sanchez, managing director of Sanchez SA de CV. “On the one hand, we had a slow economy, and on the other, high concerns regarding the US presidential elections and its effects on the future of our country. Our currency, the Mexican peso, had a terrible performance against the US dollar, with a 20% devaluation, creating a big pressure in our costs.”

Still, Sanchez reported that printing ink sales remained fairly stable year over year, driven by sales throughout the rest of Latin America.

“We maintained our ink sales as the previous year, with water-based and sheetfed offset inks the ones with the best performance,” he reported. “Our activities in Latin America performed quite well in 2016, with our international operations as a key part of our global strategy.”

As mentioned above, the election of Donald Trump as the US president promises changes in the way business is conducted, and Sanchez said that there may be benefits ahead.

“We expect changes in the international trade of goods due to the results in the US presidential elections, but we feel positive that some of those changes might even benefit us,” Sanchez concluded.

Major Products: Offset, flexo, gravure and screen inks, overprint varnishes, offset plates, pressroom chemicals and offset presses.

Number of Employees: 1,150

Comments: The largest ink manufacturer in Mexico and Central America, Sanchez SA de CV is headquartered in Mexico City, with subsidiaries in El Salvador (Sanchez Centroamerica), Guatemala (Tintas Sanchez Guatemala SA), Costa Rica and Colombia (Grupo Sanchez Colombia). Ernesto J. Sanchez, managing director of Sanchez SA de CV, said that the Mexican economy is hampering growth in the nation.

“Although experiencing a final quarter with a little more economic activity, and finishing the year with GPD growth of 2.5%, a positive number compared with the previous year of 2.1%, we are still far from seeing the growth Mexico needs,” Sanchez said.

Currency devaluation is affecting the peso, which dropped in value 15% compared to the US dollar during 2015, although lower values have mixed results.

“At the end of last year and the beginning of this one, our currency suffered a severe devaluation against the US dollar, increasing our raw material cost, but giving Sanchez an advantage against imported inks,” Sanchez noted.

In spite of the economy and currency changes, Sanchez had a successful year in 2015.

“Despite our slow economy, Sanchez was able to keep the volume of our sales in kilos, and increased the value of our sales in local currency,” Sanchez said. “We experienced good results in water-based inks and in screenprinting inks in all the markets we serve. In Central America, our subsidiary in El Salvador keeps showing good results and is exporting products to other countries in the area.”

Major Products: Offset, flexo, gravure and screen inks, overprint varnishes, offset plates, pressroom chemicals and offset presses.

Number of Employees: 1,150

Comments: Sanchez SA de CV is the largest printing ink manufacturer in Mexico and Central America, expanding its operations with subsidiaries in El Salvador (Sanchez Centroamerica), Guatemala (Tintas Sanchez Guatemala SA), Costa Rica. In 2012, the company moved into Colombia, adding Grupo Sanchez Colombia.

Overall, Sanchez SA de CV was able to maintain steady sales due to its regional expansion in 2014. The company recorded $126.2 million in ink sales in 2014, and overall sales of $162.9 million.

While the Mexican economy did not show economic growth during 2014, the economy did pick up during the first half of 2015, driven by the national election.

“In Mexico, we experienced fairly good economic growth for the first half of 2015, some of it because the mid-term elections were held on June 6,” said Ernesto J. Sanchez, Sanchez SA de CV’s managing director. “My concern, and some analysts agree, is that we might experience a slow economy in the second half of the year. The amount of money expended during the election is incredible, and that is all gone. Regarding elections, I must say that screenprinting has always been one of the ink systems that sees more benefit during elections, and this time was no exception.

“Overall, the Pena Nieto administration has been deceptive, with economic expansion much lower than promised, and safety and violence issues far from being solved,” he added. “Mexico experienced another disappointing year, where the economy grew only 2%, way under what was expected, becoming another difficult year for President Nieto’s administration. In addition to our slow economy, our Mexican peso suffered a considerable devaluation against the U.S. dollar, increasing the cost of the materials the country imports.”

Sanchez noted that the heatset ink market was particularly strong for Sanchez SA de CV.

“We had very good results with our sales of heatset inks, not only in Mexico but in the rest of the territories we serve,” Sanchez added.

One key to the company’s solid results has come from the new subsidiaries. In particular, Sanchez noted that the company had excellent results in El Salvador and is growing in Colombia.

“In Central America the economies in most of the countries we serve are showing stability, allowing us to have some steady growth for the past years, with our subsidiary in El Salvador the one with the best performance,” Sanchez said.

“In Colombia, we just bought the Sanchez Colombia shares from the Preflex Group, and we are sure this will allow us to move faster in this South American market, which is so important for us,” Sanchez added. “One of the first decisions we took is the move of our operations to a new facility.”

Major Products: Offset, flexo, gravure and screen inks, overprint varnishes, offset plates, pressroom chemicals and offset presses.

Number of Employees: 1,150

Comments: Sanchez SA de CV is the largest ink manufacturer in Mexico and Central America, and the company continued to strengthen its leadership in the region.

In recent years, Sanchez SA de CV has opened subsidiaries throughout Central America, including in El Salvador (Sanchez Centroamerica), Guatemala (Tintas Sanchez Guatemala SA) and Costa Rica, which are keying the company’s growth throughout the region, and the company has just opened a new operation in Colombia.

While economic growth in Mexico has not met expectations, the Central America as a whole has done quite well.

“As we approach the first half of the present year, Mexico’s economy continues to disappoint everybody,” said Ernesto J. Sanchez, Sanchez SA de CV’s managing director. “Both analysts and government officials have reconsidered their growth estimates, and now it seems that our economy will be growing around 2.7%, way far from almost the 4% promised by the Pena Nieto administration. Pena Nieto and his team were able to pass several structural reforms, including labor, tax and energy, but positive effects in the country economy are yet to be seen. The Central America region, in general is experiencing a good moment in their economies, allowing a reasonable growth in their markets.

“We find ourselves in the 30,000 tons per year mark, with good results in heatset and packaging inks,” Sanchez added. “Just as the second half of 2014 begins, we are experiencing a bit more of activity, and are confident that the trend will continue.”

To meet the demands of the growing printing industry in Latin America, Sanchez SA de CV its continuing its extensive modernization program, including its new liquid ink plant in new plant in Tepeji del Rio, north of Mexico City.

“Last September we closed our offset ink manufacturing site in Toluca and transferred the production to our Mexico City facility. We finished our Tepeji del Rio plant, and all our liquid inks are now manufactured there, so we feel better prepared to service our flexo and gravure customers in the,” Sanchez said. “Once we finish all these changes, we will find ourselves with two manufacturing sites, one specialized in paste inks and the other one in liquid inks, giving us a good advantage over our competitors.”

Major Products: Offset, flexo, gravure and screen inks, overprint varnishes, offset plates, pressroom chemicals and offset presses.

Number of Employees: 1,150

Comments: Sanchez SA de CV is the largest ink manufacturer in Mexico and Central America, and the company continued to strengthen its leadership in the region.

“In Mexico, we experienced a very interesting year with months with a lot of activity, mainly before our presidential election in July 1, and a last quarterin which we noticed a deceleration in our economy,” said Ernesto J. Sanchez, Sanchez SA de CV’s managing director.

“We find ourselves in the 30 thousand tons per year mark, with good results in heatset and packaging inks,” Mr. Sanchez added. “In 2013 we are experiencing more activity mainly in the packaging area, and are confident that the trend will continue.”

To meet the demands of the growing printing industry in Latin America, Sanchez SA de CV its continuing its extensive modernization program.

“In September, we closed our offset ink manufacturing site in Toluca and transferred the production to our Mexico City facility, and we are about to move our liquid inks manufacturing activity to our new plant in Tepeji del Rio, north of Mexico City,” Mr. Sanchez said. “Once we finish all these changes, we will find ourselves with two manufacturing sites, one specializedin paste inks and the other one in liquid inks, giving us a good advantage over our competitors.”

In recent years, Sanchez SA de CV has opened subsidiaries throughout Central America, including in El Salvador (Sanchez Centroamerica), Guatamala (Tintas Sanchez Guatemala SA) and Costa Rica, which are keying the company’s growth throughout the region, and the company has just opened a new operation in Colombia.

“On March 20, 2012, our new company Grupo Sanchez Colombia opened its doors. This time we feel fortunate to have the Samudio Family as our partners,” Mr. Sanchez noted. “The Samudio Family owns Preflex, a Colombian resin and adhesive manufacturer, giving them years of experience in the South American market. With this new challenge we hope to increase our presence in Latin America.

“In the rest of the region we are seeing good results, with our Colombian subsidiary starting to show good levels of activity, and with very interesting projects in Ecuador,” Mr. Sanchez said.

Major Products: Offset, flexo, gravure and screen inks, overprint varnishes, offset plates, pressroom chemicals and offset presses.

Number of Employees: 1,150

Comments: The leading ink manufacturer in Mexico and Central America, Sanchez SA de CV had a strong year in 2011, with sales on the upswing, although the company did not quite reach its high expectations.

“Although we fell short in our expectations, our growth of 3% in terms of dollars kept us optimistic about our strategies and the behavior of our products in the market,” said Ernesto J. Sanchez, managing director.“Our paste inks kept showing sins of recovery, including our heatset inks, which reported excellent results.”

Sanchez SA de CV has opened a series of subsidiaries in Central America, including in El Salvador (Sanchez Centroamerica), Guatamala (Tintas Sanchez Guatemala SA) and Costa Rica. These have helped spur the company’s expansion.

“The good results of our subsidiaries in Central America have contributed to Grupo Sanchez’ growth,” Mr. Sanchez said.

In a major move, Grupo Sanchez Colombia, Sanchez SA de CV’s newest company, opened its doors on March 20, 2012.

“We feel fortunate to have the Samudio family as our partners,” Mr. Sanchez said. “The Samudio family owns Preflex, a Colombian resin and adhesive manufacturer, which has given them years of experience in the South American market. With this new challenge, we hope to increase our presence in Latin America.”

Sanchez SA de CV saw some stabilization in raw materials near the end of 2011.

“At the end of the year, the raw material cost and supply started to show signs of stabilization, giving us a small relief after having struggled with these issues for many months,” Mr. Sanchez noted.

Packaging inks have enjoyed the most success in recent years. As a result, Sanchez SA de CV is putting more resources into liquid inks, beginning with the construction of a state-of-the-art liquid ink plant north of Mexico City.

“Our steady results in flexo and gravure have led us to build a new plant dedicated to the manufacturing of liquid inks,” Mr. Sanchez said. “We purchased a 400,000 square foot piece of land a few miles north of Mexico City, and we are about to start construction, which we expect to finish by the beginning of 2013. This will also permit us to reorganize our Mexico City plant into a more efficient paste ink manufacturing site.”

Overall, Mr. Sanchez said that 2012 looks to be a good year for Sanchez SA de CV, as sales increase and the company continues to grow outside of Mexico.

“In general, we feel optimistic about 2012, with signs of improvement in our volumes and less pressure in our cost-price balance,” Mr. Sanchez concluded. “Our international subsidiaries will continue to be a key piece of our strategy.”

Major Products: Offset, flexo, gravure and screen inks and overprint varnishes; offset plates, pressroom chemicals and offset presses.

Number of Employees: 1,150

Comments: Mexico has rebounded from the global recession and enjoyed solid growth in 2010, which bodes well for Sanchez SA de CV, the leading ink manufacturer in Mexico.

“The economy in Mexico seemed to enter into a recovery pace during 2010, not at the expected pace but a recovery at last,” said Ernesto J. Sanchez, managing director of Sanchez SA de CV. “The official GDP growth for 2010 has not been published but it should be around 5 %. Our growth in Sanchez was 3.7% measured in kilos, so we were able to surpass not only our 2009 sales, but also those of 2008, reaching the 39,300 ton mark.”

Mr. Sanchez said that growth occurred across the board in offset inks.

“The market did have a positive reaction, and we had good results in areas like sheetfed offset, heatset and news, markets where we had serious concerns at the beginning of the year,” he noted.

Raw materials are a major concern, with unprecedented raw material price increases putting pressure on all ink manufacturers.

“Our main concern is the shortage of raw materials and increase in its prices. Some of our key raw materials have experienced price increases like we haven’t seen before. This of course has taken us into the process of increasing our prices as well,” Mr. Sanchez said.

Sanchez SA de CV has been making major inroads in Central America. In 2009, the company opened a subsidiary, Tintas Sanchez Guatemala SA, in Guatemala City. In 2010, Sanchez SA de CV opened a new subsidiary in Costa Rica.

“Internationally, we opened our subsidiary in Costa Rica, so along with Sanchez Centroamerica in El Salvador and Sanchez Guatemala, we expect to increase our leadership in the area,” Mr. Sanchez said.