Major Products: Sheetfed and web offset inks, solvent-based and water-based flexo and gravure inks, energy-curable inks and coatings, security inks, overprint varnish and aqueous coatings. UV, solvent-based and water-based digital inkjet inks and primers, and pressroom supplies.

No. of Employees: More than 500.

Operating Facilities: 27.

Comments: The packaging market continues to expand, and as a packaging ink and coatings specialist, Wikoff Color continues to enjoy growth.

“Wikoff continues to maintain our market position in the competitive ink market, and we believe we are growing at a similar pace to the major markets we participate in,” said Jeff Czarnecki, VP of marketing and business development for Wikoff Color. “We continue to offer our customers value in the form of exceptional technical support and consistent product quality, along with our desire to solve our customers’ most pressing problems.”

Czarnecki noted that Wikoff Color continues to focus on several key markets, including label, flexible packaging, folding carton and digital printing, where the company’s fluid ink products and service offering are a good match for what customers are seeking.

Czarnecki reported that Wikoff Color continues to invest in its people. “In the past few years, Wikoff Color has made significant investments in people and in manufacturing operations to support growth and penetration into these key markets,” he added.

“Wikoff continues to invest in our number one goal of offering our employees a safe work environment, and we believe through a cultural change that we are delivering top tier safety metrics in the ink industry,” Czarnecki observed. “In addition, Wikoff continues to invest in productivity and output expansion projects to meet our customers’ expectations of volume growth and value pricing.

“Wikoff believes our most important asset is our people, and we continue to offer career advancement opportunities for all our associates,” Czarnecki added. “In 2024, Wikoff added new roles of VP of strategic marketing and business development, chief human resources officer, project management officer and filled a vacated VP of research and development.”

As for tariffs, Ken Klug, Wikoff Color’s director of purchasing, said that the company recognizes the dynamic nature of global trade and the importance of staying agile in the face of potential tariff shifts.

“Our strategy is rooted in proactive planning and transparency,” Klug noted. “To mitigate supply chain risk, we are actively identifying and qualifying domestic alternatives to internationally sourced raw materials if available. By focusing on functionally equivalent substitutes, we aim to preserve the performance and quality our customers expect, while reducing exposure to tariff volatility.

“In parallel, we maintain a disciplined approach to monitoring tariff impacts,” added Klug. “Each month, we conduct a comprehensive analysis of how tariffs affect our raw material costs. Based on this data, we update pricing as needed and communicate changes clearly and promptly to our customers. This level of transparency allows our customers to make informed decisions and plan with greater confidence.”

“Given the current economic outlook and the uncertainty around tariffs, Wikoff cannot forecast what the balance of the year will bring,” Czarnecki concluded. “Despite all the headwinds, Wikoff will stand by our customers to try to deliver a positive outcome for our partners.”

Major Products: Sheetfed and web offset inks, solvent-based and water-based flexo and gravure inks, energy-curable inks and coatings, security inks, overprint varnish and aqueous coatings. UV, solvent-based and water-based digital inkjet inks and primers, and pressroom supplies.

No. of Employees: More than 500

Comments: It has been an active year at Wikoff Color, as the Fort Mill, SC-based packaging ink and coatings specialist has moved into a new chapter with the appointment of Mark C. Lewis as its new president and CEO in September 2023.

Lewis succeeds Geoff Peters, who announced his intention to retire in the fall of 2023. Peters joined Wikoff Color in 2006, and led Wikoff through multiple acquisitions and global expansion.

Lewis worked for 20-plus years at Honeywell International, culminating in his positions as global sales director and global business director. He also was GM of the Fine Chemicals business at Vertellus, Jacob-Holm hiring him as president of Jacob-Holm’s Sontara Specialty and Performance Materials business, and most recently, president of Custom Laminating Corporation.

“Mark’s alignment with Wikoff’s unique employee-owned culture, combined with his expertise and track record of success, made him the ideal candidate to lead Wikoff forward,” said a spokesperson from the Board of Directors.

Wikoff Color also appointed Jeff Czarnecki as its new VP of strategic marketing and business development. Czarnecki spent more than 27 years at Honeywell, where he was VP/GM of four different specialty chemical business units and commercial excellence leader for a $4 billion strategic business unit, before becoming VP of sales and marketing for Vertellus Inc., VP of global marketing and regional VP/GM of the Americas for Kollmorgen, Inc., and, most recently, president for Warner Electric.

“Both Lewis and Czarnecki are accomplished business leaders and we look forward to the knowledge and experience they bring to our company,” a company spokesperson said.

With 27 manufacturing facilities globally, Wikoff Color continues to focus on several key markets including label, flexible packaging and folding carton, where its fluid ink products and service offering is a good match for what customers are seeking. Over the past few years, Wikoff Color has made significant investments in people and in manufacturing operations to support growth and penetration into these key markets.

In a significant highlight, Wikoff Color earned several certifications specifically pertaining to sustainability.

“We are particularly proud to have earned a Bronze Sustainability rating from EcoVadis, and certifications from Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), UN Global Compact, and SGP,” said a Wikoff Color spokesperson.

Major Products: Sheetfed and web offset inks, solvent-based and water-based flexo and gravure inks, energy-curable inks and coatings, security inks, overprint varnish and aqueous coatings. UV, solvent-based and water-based digital inkjet inks and primers, and pressroom supplies.

Comments: With 29 manufacturing facilities worldwide, Wikoff Color js a leader in inks and coatings for the packaging segment, including the folding carton, labels and flexible packaging markets. The Fort Mill, SC-based company produces solvent-, water- and energy curable inks and coatings, and also recently began manufacturing digital inks.

In North America, Wikoff Color has 24 US locations, as well as manufacturing facilities in Montreal and Toronto. Outside of North America, Wikoff Color also has Wikoff Color São Paulo in Brazil, Wikoff Colour (UK) Limited in Leeds, UK, and also in China.

In addition to its Brazilian manufacturing facility, Wikoff Color has distributors throughout Latin America, including Chile, Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Venezuela.

Major Products: Sheetfed and web offset inks, solvent-based and water-based flexo and gravure inks, energy-curable inks and coatings, security inks, overprint varnish and aqueous coatings. UV, solvent-based and water-based digital inkjet inks and primers. Pressroom supplies, including photopolymer plates, press washes, blankets and more.

Number of Employees: More than 500

Comments: Wikoff Color enjoyed solid growth in 2021, led by label and flexible packaging, as well as expansion in international markets.

“Wikoff Color’s performance exceeded expectations in many ways in 2021,” said Greg Burch, SVP of sales & regional operations for Wikoff Color. “We saw our largest growth in the label and flexible packaging segments, including our photopolymer plate sales into those markets. Our International business, including the Latin America region, also experienced healthy growth, which largely serves flexible packaging customers. Business appears to have returned to ‘normal’ for most of our customers and the demand is strong across all of our product lines.”

To add to its growth in flexible packaging, Wikoff opened a new manufacturing facility in Milwaukee, WI, in September 2021. The newly constructed facility will be the main hub for the company’s solvent- and water-based fluid ink operations.

“In addition to manufacturing and warehouse space, Wikoff Color – Milwaukee will boast a fully-equipped R&D department, a training center and the Wikoff Graphics headquarters, where we will service and support our flexo plate customer base,” added Geoff Peters, president and CEO. “The new location will feature leading-edge, energy-efficient milling technology and is expected to bring approximately 50 jobs to the greater Milwaukee area.”

“This state-of-the-art facility will allow us to provide an even greater level of service and support to our customers in the packaging market,” added Joe Kubasiak, director of flexible packaging for Wikoff Color. “Our investment in technology and increased manufacturing capacity will be integral to our growth in the flexible packaging space.”

On the personnel side, Wikoff Color made a few key moves. In January 2022, Anne Stephens was appointed VP of research & development.

“Stephens is directly responsible for the R&D efforts in the Corporate Technical Center, as well as project coordination across the company,” said Peters. “She will also play a key role in corporate strategy, leveraging her prior experience with marketing and strategic planning.”

In addition, the company brought on Tunji Taiwo as its seventh board member in August 2021.

“Tunji is an entrepreneurial and strategic leader with strong operations, general management and digital technology experience,” Peters noted. “He is the founder and managing partner of Tratus Group and is currently serving as the chief digital officer of JEM Advisors. Tunji is a thought leader in his field with over 30 years of experience in a variety of leadership roles with organizations that include DCP Midstream, Williams Energy and DuPont.”

Raw materials remain a huge challenge for the ink industry.

“Raw material pricing and availability both continue to be volatile, and much like everyone else in the manufacturing industry, we continue to experience the impacts of inflation and logistics challenges,” said Martin Iles, SVP and CFO. “With that said, we have worked extremely hard in every part of the company to address raw material shortages and continue to meet the needs of our customers.”

Overall, Wikoff Color anticipates further growth during 2022.

“So far, the outlook for 2022 is similar to last year,” said Burch. “Our growth projections for the remainder of the year are anticipating upward trends, especially in the packaging space. Much like 2021, our flexible packaging and label customers are increasing output to meet demand, and we have made the necessary investments to grow along with them.”

Major Products: Sheetfed and web offset inks, solvent-based and water-based flexo and gravure inks, energy-curable inks and coatings, security inks, UV inkjet inks, overprint varnish and aqueous coatings. Pressroom supplies, including photopolymer plates, press washes, blankets and more.

Number of Employees: More than 500

Comments: For Wikoff Color, 2020 was a successful year, as the company was able to navigate through the difficult times, with the company growing in its Wikoff Digital and Wikoff Graphics segments.

“Wikoff Color fared very well in 2020 despite the obvious challenges posed by COVID-19,” Geoff Peters, Wikoff Color’s president and CEO, said. “The pandemic impacted our employee-owners much like the rest of the world, but our business remained strong and we continued to take care of our valued customers.”

Peters said that Wikoff Color had numerous highlights over the last 12 months, particularly in inkjet and its new Wikoff Graphics division.

“Wikoff Digital saw healthy growth last year, thanks in part to an expanded inkjet solutions offering, including UV fluorescent inks and a growing number of inkjet primers,” Peters said. “Our other business segment, Wikoff Graphics, also experienced some highlights this year—tripling their annual revenue in just 12 months. The success of this division stems from the impressive team at the Green Bay, WI facility, including David Bell as the market manager for Wikoff Graphics. His participation in the FTA’s Great Plate Debate during the FORUM21 event shed some light on the various benefits offered by Asahi’s CleanPrint photopolymer plate technology.”

Peters noted that Wikoff Color also made some significant personnel moves that are strengthening the company.

“In personnel news, we’ve made some great additions to the Wikoff Color team, including Martin Iles as SVP and CFO, as well as two new Board members, Bob Beckler and Jen Stuart,” he said. “Greg Burch was promoted to SVP, sales and operations, and Evan Benbow was promoted to VP, product technology & solutions. Building a strong leadership team remains a priority for Wikoff Color, especially after what we experienced in 2020.”

Burch noted that much like the rest of the ink industry, Wikoff Color’s purchasing team is working hard to reduce the effect that COVID-19 had on raw material pricing and availability.

“COVID-19 had a major impact on raw material pricing and availability for the entire industry,” added Burch. “We have witnessed unprecedented material shortages combined with significant increases in demand, causing unavoidable cost increases in raw materials, transportation and packaging. Our purchasing team is closely monitoring the situation to ensure reliable service and delivery for our customers.”

Peters sees good opportunities ahead for Wikoff Color.

“So far, business life in 2021 has slowly returned to a more normal state thanks to the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine and updated CDC regulations,” Peters said. “We are still managing our way through turbulent raw material availability issues and rapidly rising raw material costs, however.

“Our outlook for 2021 is very bright,” Peters added. “After a year of challenges and uncertainty, we will continue to push forward with new product technology and service solutions for our customers.”

Major Products: Sheetfed and web offset inks, solvent-based and water-based flexo and gravure inks, energy-curable inks and coatings, security inks, UV inkjet inks, overprint varnish and aqueous coatings. Pressroom supplies, including photopolymer plates, press washes, blankets
and more.

No. of Employees: More than 500

Comments: Wikoff Color had an excellent year in 2019, as the company continued to integrate its 2018 Braden Sutphin Ink acquisition as well as adding new ink and
press lines.

Geoff Peters, Wikoff Color’s president and CEO, said that 2019 was a year of growth through acquisition and an expanded product offering for Wikoff Color.

“Following our acquisition of Braden Sutphin Ink Company in late 2018, we focused on integrating several new manufacturing sites to our technical service and support model,” Peters noted. “Wikoff Color also partnered with industry leaders in a variety of disciplines to bring a wide breadth of innovative products to customers, providing a comprehensive source for pressroom solutions. At Wikoff Color. we are forecasting for more significant growth in our label, flexible packaging and digital product lines.”

Wikoff Color has successfully expanded its product offerings, including a 2018 agreement to distribute Asahi photopolymer plates and manufacture Gelflex EB Flexo. Peters said that one of the key highlights for Wikoff Color this year was the opening of its Wikoff Graphics location in Green Bay, WI.

“This segment of our business is dedicated to providing Asahi photopolymer plate material, as well as technical support through processing equipment and prepress software. We are excited to see the growth of this new product division,” Peters reported.

“Obtaining the ability to manufacture and sell Gelflex EB Flexo products was another highlight during the past year and demonstrates our commitment to sustainability,” Peters continued. “We have already hosted several customer open houses and successful press trials demonstrating the numerous benefits offered by this technology.”

As for raw materials, supply issues due to coronavirus is an industry concern.

“Like everyone in our industry right now, our biggest concerns in terms of raw materials are logistics challenges due to the coronavirus,” Ken Klug, Wikoff Color’s director of purchasing, reported. “Fortunately, Wikoff continues to avoid inventory issues. Our suppliers have us well-positioned with inventory for several months.

Peters said that Wikoff Color is well-positioned for another year of growth in 2020.

“In 2020, we anticipate an increase in our customer base and good growth in our label and flexible packaging product lines,” Peters said. “Our Wikoff Digital team is also predicting an increase in sales through new product development. We anticipate our energy-cure products and photopolymer plate technologies to have a strong growth year as well.”

Major Products: Sheetfed and web offset inks, solvent-based and water-based flexo and gravure inks, energy-curable inks and coatings, security inks, UV inkjet inks, overprint varnish and aqueous coatings.

Number of Employees: More than 500

Comments: For Wikoff Color, 2018 was another strong year, as the company made a pair of acquisitions, expanded its efforts in South America and continued its growth in its packaging and digital ink segments.

“Wikoff fared well in 2018. We capitalized on several strategic opportunities, including two acquisitions and multiple industry partnerships, positioning us for a promising 2019,” said Wikoff Color CEO Geoff Peters.

Headquartered in Fort Mill, SC, Wikoff Color has 27 branches in the US, as well as two in Canada (Montreal and Concord, near Toronto) and one each in São Paulo, Brazil and Leeds, UK. The company also has distributors in India and throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America.

The late 2017 acquisition of São Paulo, Brazil-based Verti Produtos Químicos has given Wikoff Color a stronger position in Brazil and South America, and Wikoff Color is placing greater emphasis in the region.

“The year included our participation in Expo Print, a major trade show in Brazil following our late 2017 acquisition of Verti Produtos Químicos,” said Peters. “This was the perfect opportunity to communicate Wikoff’s presence in São Paulo, Brazil by way of acquisition.”

In addition, Peters reported that Wikoff Color signed an agreement with Asahi Photoproducts to become a U.S. distributor of their flexographic photopolymer plates. “We will have access to the full range of flexographic plates from Asahi Photoproducts, which adds to Wikoff’s arsenal of one-stop pressroom solutions,” he added.

“The US is a large market and very important to Asahi,” said Aki Kato, managing director at Asahi Photoproduct, in announcing the agreement. “With platemaking moving closer and closer to the printing press, it is a significant benefit to us and to the end customer to have their trusted ink and coatings supplier also provide their flexo plates.”

Wikoff’s license to manufacture and sell GelFlex EB Flexo products was expanded to include North America. Wikoff will also offer GelFlex to customers in Africa, Australia, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Japan, China, India, Europe and Russia.

“EB Flexo has the potential to be revolutionary for the packaging industry,” said Daryl Collins, VP of regional operations and marketing for Wikoff. “GelFlex capitalizes on electron beam curing being a leading food packaging safe energy-cure technology, giving converter’s the utmost confidence in their product performance.”

Wikoff Color was named by Morchem Specialty Adhesives & Coatings, Barcelona, Spain, as its exclusive distributor in Canada. Morchem manufactures polyurethane technologies for packaging adhesives, elastomers and coatings.

Peters sees excellent opportunities ahead for 2019.

“Wikoff Color expects to see good growth in 2019,” he noted. “If we are able to capitalize on even a portion of everything we have in the works right now, we will succeed in that growth. Margins will continue to be under pressure with continually rising raw material costs.”

Major Products: Sheetfed and web offset inks; solvent-based and water-based flexo and gravure inks; energy-curable inks and coatings; security inks; UV inkjet inks; overprint varnish and aqueous coatings.

Number of Employees: 475

Comments: Wikoff Color achieved many milestones in 2017, with the company doing well in the packaging and energy curing fields while also making an important move in South America with the acquisition of São Paulo, Brazil-based Verti Produtos Químicos.

“Wikoff Color gained ground in new opportunities, both in North America and internationally in 2017,” said Wikoff Color CEO Geoff Peters. “With an expansion into our Latin American market and a focus on product innovation in developing technologies, we are proud of our results from 2017 and look forward to the year ahead.”

The addition of Verti will allow Wikoff Color to strengthen its position in Brazil and South America.

“Both Wikoff and Verti have a strong reputation in the marketplace of supplying quality, tailor-made products, with a customer-focused mentality,” said Peters. “Verti has supported their products with superior technical service and will be able to further those capabilities with the support of Wikoff Color. We believe our cultures will integrate very nicely together.

“Wikoff’s plan is to expand on what is now Wikoff Color – Brazil’s strong relationship with the flexible packaging market and beyond, expanding into other target markets currently serviced by Wikoff, such as label, inkjet, folding carton and commercial. With a local presence in Brazil, we feel confident in our long-standing service model of superior technical support with a focus on customer success,” Peters added.

“We are looking forward to the new opportunities this will open up in the Latin American market,” said Daryl Collins, VP of regional operations & marketing for Wikoff Color.

Collins noted that the energy-curing market has been particularly good for Wikoff Color.

“Wikoff has seen promising growth in the energy-cure market, particularly with the growth of low energy curing technologies, such as HUV and LED,” Collins pointed out. “Wikoff has historically been on the leading edge of energy-cure technology, and we are continuing our prominence by formulating exceptional products for this emerging technology.”

As for 2018, Peters sees excellent possibilities ahead, particularly in packaging.

“Wikoff continues to forecast an increase in sales in 2018,” Peters added. “In the short term, we expect the awareness and attention on industry regulations for food and pharmaceutical packaging safety to offer more opportunities as we continue to promote our products suitable for these applications. Over the long term, we anticipate the packaging market to see continued growth, including the utilization of energy-cure and digital technologies to increase mass customization and decrease time to market.”

Major Products: Sheetfed and web offset inks, solvent-based and water-based flexo and gravure inks, energy-curable inks and coatings, security inks, UV inkjet inks, overprint varnish and aqueous coatings.

No. of Employees: 473

Comments: Wikoff Color had a strong year in 2016, as the company showed growth worldwide in the packaging, energy curing and digital ink markets.

“Wikoff Color saw sustained growth in 2016, both in North America and internationally,” said Geoff Peters, Wikoff Color’s president and CEO. “A large part of this can be attributed to increased sales in the label, flexible packaging and digital market segments.”

Wikoff Color has continued to expand its activities in the digital printing field.

“Wikoff Color experienced good growth in the digital printing and international market segments throughout 2016,” Peters noted. “This can be attributed to two significant factors: 1) an increase in capacity from capital investments made for our digital portfolio and 2) a focus on global expansion, both organically and through acquisition.”

In major personnel news, Dr. Don Duncan, longtime director of research at Wikoff Color, announced his retirement. Dr. Duncan joined Wikoff in November 1996; in addition to his work at Wikoff Color, Dr. Duncan was active in RadTech, TAGA, TAPPI, ASTM, SGIA and the American Chemical Society, serving as president for both RadTech and TAGA. The company has brought on Dr. Evan Benbow, as its new director of R&D. Dr. Benbow joined Wikoff Color in 2015 as assistant director of R&D.

“We are proud to have called Dr. Duncan a member of the Wikoff family for 20 years. His vast knowledge of our industry and his expertise in growing EB, UV and inkjet technologies made him a remarkable asset in our Research & Development center and across our company,” said Peters.

Wikoff Color developed a wide range of innovative products during the past year. For example, the company launched Divergent, a new oil-based litho ink series designed to be printed with reduced water levels. On average Wikoff customers are able to cut water settings by 8%-10%.

The company also introduced Compass Ultra White, a high-performance laminating white flexo ink that exhibits excellent opacity levels.

At Labelexpo Americas 2016, the company introduced its Photoflex UV flexo line, including Photoflex III, a benzo-free, TX-free and HDODA-free system; Photoflex High Shrink system, a silicone-free and wax-free series that shows exceptional print quality at shrink levels in excess of 80%; and Photoflex LED.

“By staying abreast of the new LED technologies emerging in the market place and maintaining relationships with these manufacturers, Wikoff is able to communicate to our customers how these technologies can best suit our customer’s needs and interests,” said Dr. Benbow. “Through established relationships with material suppliers, Wikoff continues to challenge our suppliers as we innovate our LED offerings in traditional printing technologies as well as digital.”

Dr. Benbow noted that food packaging is an area where Wikoff Color can particularly assist its customers.

“As the regulatory environment surrounding food packaging rapidly evolves, it is important for Wikoff to understand these challenges and effectively communicate these changes to our customers,” said Dr. Benbow. “It is also important for Wikoff to communicate to our customers that compliance with the new food packaging guidelines is not just an ink formulation strategy but needs commitment from the printer to utilize good manufacturing practices, as verification of compliance can only be achieved through testing of the finished package.”

All in all, Peters anticipates a strong year ahead for Wikoff Color.

“Wikoff Color expects an increase in our revenue stream in the coming year,” Peters said. “We are forecasting continued growth in the packaging segment as well as in our label and digital markets. Our expertise and capabilities in energy-cure technology will certainly contribute to this growth.”

Major Products: Sheetfed and web offset inks, solvent-based and water-based flexo and gravure inks, energy-curable inks and coatings, security inks, UV inkjet inks, overprint varnish and aqueous coatings.

Number of Employees: 473

Comments: Wikoff Color had an excellent year in 2015, as the company enjoyed growth in the expanding energy curable, flexible packaging, label and inkjet segments.

“Wikoff Color fared quite well globally in 2015,” said Geoff Peters, Wikoff Color’s president and CEO. “Continued growth in key target markets such as flexible packaging, label and digital technologies influenced our success not only in North America, but also in international markets.

“In addition to the sustained expansion in our digital and international businesses, Wikoff Color was pleased to have experienced good growth with our energy curable ink and coating product lines,” Peters added.

For the first time, Wikoff Color exhibited at drupa, showing its portfolio of products. “We are highlighting our entire product line, meeting customers and potential distributors,” said Daryl Collins, VP of national sales and regional operations at Wikoff Color.

As the packaging and digital printing markets evolve, Wikoff Color is capitalizing on its strengths in areas such as low migration and energy curable inkjet technologies to make gains in these fields.

“Packaging, particularly food packaging, is a large and growing area where there are opportunities to excel and differentiate,” said Dr. Don Duncan, director of research for Wikoff Color. “The significant interest in packaging that allows low-to-no migration of any chemicals into food, whether they are from ink, coating, adhesives or the substrate itself, is a huge opportunity.

“Inkjet in the commercial/industrial sector is also rapidly growing,” Dr. Duncan added. “Increasing numbers of people recognize that product decoration is a value-enhancing process and are extremely interested in printing on large numbers of irregularly shaped objects that have never been available for printing before.”

Peters anticipates a successful year ahead for Wikoff Color.

“Good growth is anticipated for Wikoff Color in 2016,” Peters said. “We expect this growth to come from a combination of increases in our international and digital markets, as well as strong sales in the traditional sectors of our business.”

Major Products: Sheetfed and web offset inks, solvent-based and water-based flexo and gravure inks, energy-curable inks and coatings, security inks, UV inkjet inks, overprint varnish and aqueous coatings.

Comments: Wikoff Color reported a strong year of growth in 2014, with significant gains being made in sales outside of North America.

“Wikoff had another decent growth year in 2014, notwithstanding a rapidly changing packaging market influenced by regulation and industry consolidation,” said Geoff Peters, Wikoff Color’s president and CEO. “Wikoff has seen sustained growth at a large segment of our customers as well as a trend to invest back into their businesses. The packaging and label markets remained strong, while we saw a slight decline in the commercial market.

“Flexographic inks and coatings (water, energy cure and solvent) were our largest growth segments in 2014, followed by our energy cure litho and inkjet inks,” Peters added. “Wikoff made significant capital investments in manufacturing and quality control in these segments to sustain this growth.”

Peters said that Wikoff’s growth outside of North America is a major highlight from 2014.

“We have a growing network of distributors along with an operation in the United Kingdom that have contributed to this growth,” he said. “We were also very pleased with the continued expansion of our industrial inkjet business.”

In a major move, Wikoff Color announced organizational changes during 2014. Greg Burch was promoted to VP – international and security markets, and is responsible for all Wikoff sales and branch plant operations outside the U.S., including Wikoff’s Canadian operations. He is also responsible for the Alpharetta, GA branch plant and the global sales and technical support of Wikoff’s security business.

Bowman Shaw was promoted to regional VP – Midwest, West Coast. He is responsible for sales and branch plant operations for seven Wikoff manufacturing operations. Ben Price was promoted to regional manager, Southwest, where he is responsible for three manufacturing operations and one sales/service center within the Southwest region.

Ken Klug was promoted to director, purchasing, replacing Price. Klug joined Wikoff in 2007 with responsibility for implementing its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications and led the ERP implementation in all 29 current Wikoff locations.

Regulatory pressures are increasing, and ink manufacturers have to be mindful of the different standards that are in place in each country. Dr. Don Duncan, director of research for Wikoff Color, noted that Wikoff has formulated products that fully conform to all the regulatory requirements in throughout the world.

“The United States’ regulations and the EU are much the same as they have been for many years,” said Duncan. “The regulations in Switzerland, while not new, are much more stringent than in other parts of the world. The practical issue is not the regulations, but rather the desire to exceed regulatory requirements in order to meet requirement by food packaging/producing companies.

“The U.S. regulatory position is more aligned to protect the consumer where materials that are known to be safe can migrate into food and cause no regulatory concern,” Dr. Duncan added. “In Europe, product integrity seems to be the focus of pending regulations: it does not matter so much whether a migratory chemical is safe. Rather, the position is that if the food producer didn’t put it in the food, then it doesn’t belong in the food.

“This type of ‘low migration’ thinking has become a de facto regulation,” Dr. Duncan noted. “Wikoff has developed a full line of products that meet this need, and we also have other products that fully conform to all the regulatory requirements in different parts of the world.”

As for raw materials, Klug noted that prices and supply have stabilized.

“Most raw materials have stabilized as a result of increased inventory in addition to the falling prices of crude and natural gas,” Klug said. “Unavoidable disruptions to the supply chain for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance are not a concern, but something we expect to happen from time to time and try to address in our procurement strategies.”

Peters is optimistic that Wikoff Color is well positioned to grow in the coming years.

“Wikoff Color expects to continue our sales growth in 2015,” Peters concluded. “We made a series of organizational changes to promote our growth in international sales and the flexible packaging and label markets. We continue to look for opportunities for organic growth as well as growth through acquisition.”

Major Products: Sheetfed and web offset inks, solvent-based and water-based flexo and gravure inks, energy-curable inks and coatings, security inks, UV inkjet inks, overprint varnish and aqueous coatings.

Number of Employees: 490

Comments: Wikoff Color had another strong year in 2013 across the company’s diverse product lines.

“Wikoff finished 2013 with moderate growth as projected,” said Geoff Peters, Wikoff Color’s president and CEO. “We continued to see higher growth in the packaging and label markets, and more moderate sales growth in other markets. A large percentage of Wikoff’s customer base saw improvement in their business and, in turn, Wikoff saw growth in our ink and coating sales.

“Wikoff saw the most growth in the flexible packaging, label and inkjet markets, because of the overall growth in those industries and the strength of our offerings to those markets,” Peters added. “We also saw continued growth in our energy curable business, including our UV and EB inks and coatings.”

Wikoff Color has never been one to stand still. In recent years, the company has expanded into new markets such as flexible packaging, narrow web and label. In June, Wikoff Color converted a space in its Fort Mill, SC manufacturing plant into a state-of-the-art energy-cure inkjet ink manufacturing facility and cleanroom. The company has also increased its global presence. These moves are all paying dividends for Wikoff Color.

“We were extremely pleased with the continued growth of our inkjet business in 2013 and the ongoing expansion of our international markets,” Peters said. “Sales to flexible packaging and label customers once again experienced double-digit growth rates. Our two newest branches, one in Leeds, England and the other in Sacramento, CA, both had outstanding results in their first full year of operations. And of course, we couldn’t be more pleased with the customer reception of our new inkjet cleanroom and manufacturing facility. Wikoff was also very proud to celebrate the first two 50-year employees in the company’s history – which we attribute in large part to our employee-ownership culture.”

On the raw material side, Ben Price, now Southwest regional manager and Wikoff’s director of purchasing until June 2014, said that as a general rule, raw material prices have been relatively stable for the past couple of years. However, considering the wide range of basic chemicals that impact printing inks, there are always exceptions.

“Rosin resin used in oil-based inks continues to be a concern,” Price noted. “Chinese gum rosin has increased over 50% since the summer of 2013, and this trend has led to higher rosin resin and oil-based varnish prices. Styrene prices have also been on the rise recently, putting upward pressure on resins used in water-based inks. While most pigment prices have held steady, we are hearing reports out of China about possible increases for some reds and yellows. Plant shutdowns resulting from environmental protection measures are the reported driver of these increases.”

With the company growing in all of its markets and new operations underway, Peters anticipates another excellent year in 2014.

“Wikoff Color expects very good sales growth in 2014 and has started off the year very well,” Peters said. “In addition to strong sales in our traditional markets, we are forecasting continued growth in our inkjet and international businesses. Additionally, we could see new sales coming from the expansion of our geographic footprint and possibly through acquisition. We expect that the ink industry will continue to work its way through the uncertain global economy, but we would not be surprised to see further consolidation in the industry in the coming years.”

Major Products: Sheetfed and web offset inks, solvent-based and water-based flexo and gravure inks, energy-curable inks and coatings, security inks, UV inkjet inks, overprint varnish and aqueous coatings.

Number of Employees: 490

Comments: Wikoff Color enjoyed a strong year in 2012, with sales growth as well as expansion into Europe being key highlights. That growth has continued into 2013.

“Overall, 2012 was a good year for Wikoff,” Geoff Peters, Wikoff Color’s president and CEO, said. “We experienced significant sales growth, and although margins continued to be under pressure throughout the year, we were able to achieve nice growth in net income due to improvement in manufacturing efficiency.”

“Wikoff saw good growth in most of our strategic target markets in 2012,” Daryl Collins, vice president of sales and marketing, added. “Sales in folding carton, flexible packaging, label and security inks were strong.Additionally, we continued to see good growth in our international markets and across our complete line ofinkjet inks.”

Part of that growth came from two new facilities, as Wikoff Color added operations in California and in the UK, developed new ink lines and added new manufacturing capabilities.

“In 2012, Wikoff opened new facilities in both Sacramento, CA, and Leeds, England,” Mr. Peters said. “Both of these facilities exceeded their 2012 sales targets and were profitable in their first year of operation.

“Other highlights included running Wikoff inks on new EB litho press technology for flexible packaging at drupa, completing our 30-location ERP implementation and building our new inkjet lab, manufacturing and cleanroom facility in Fort Mill, SC,” Mr. Peters added. “We were also very pleased that our director of research and development, Dr. Don Duncan, was elected to be the president of RadTech and the president of TAGA for 2013.”

In addition, Wikoff continued to excel in new product development with the introduction of UV LED-curable inks and a number of new series of low-migration inks for packaging.

The printing industry continues to look for new ways to grow business, and press technologies are one key area of interest.

“From what we could see, it was a pretty light year for new press sales in the printing industry,” said Mr. Peters. “However, we did see increased utilization of existing presses for a greater return on investment for printers and continued growth in ink sales for our industry.There were a number of new press technologies introduced at drupa, some of which appeared to be very promising.The digital market also continued to experience nice growth.”

Ben Price, Wikoff Color’s director of purchasing, reported that raw material prices finally stabilized during the past year.

“In general, raw material costsstabilized in 2012,” Mr. Price said. “Throughout 2010 and 2011, Wikoff Color’s raw material costs increased drastically, and the supply chain was strained. There were shortages of titanium dioxide, nitrocellulose and carbazole violet to name a few. Rosin resin prices were another significant concern during this time. In late 2011, prices for most of our raw materials peaked, and we have price stabilization with a few modest price decreases throughout 2012. After two years of significant increases, titanium dioxide prices finally changed course in mid-2012 and have improved slightly but still remain significantly higher than historic levels.Supply is not a concern for the majority of our raw materials at this time.

All in all, Mr. Peters is optimistic that Wikoff Color is on track for further growth in 2013.

“Wikoff Color expects to continue to grow in 2013, in the U.S., Canada and overseas,” Mr. Peters added. “We expect sales in all of our strategic target marketsto remain strong with the possible exception of the commercial market, which will continue to see a modest decline in its printing volumes.Wikoff also expects to see solid growth in our inkjet business.If we can successfully continue to drive efficiencies in our manufacturing operations, coupled with the expected sales growth, we should see continued improvement in our net income.”

15. Wikoff Color Corporation

1886 Merritt Road

Fort Mill, SC 29715

Tel: (803) 548-2210

Fax: (803) 548-5728

www.wikoff.com

Sales: $155 million (Ink World estimate).

Major Products: Sheetfed and web offset inks, solvent-based and water-based flexo and gravure inks, energy-curable inks and coatings, security inks, UV inkjet inks, overprint varnish and aqueous coatings.

Key Personnel: Geoff Peters, president and CEO; Daryl Collins, VP of national sales and regional operations; Martin Hambrock, VP of Canadian operations; Don Duncan, director of R&D; Ben Price, director of purchasing; Art Dennis, director of manufacturing; Buck Rorie, VP of finance and administration.

Number of Employees: 490.

Operating Facilities: 29 manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Canada. Headquarters and primary research and development facilities are located in Fort Mill, SC.

Comments: Wikoff Color enjoyed a decent 2011, as the company continues to make gains in flexible packaging and inkjet as well as expanding its global reach.

“Wikoff saw sales improvement in 2011, continuing the trend that started in 2010,” said Geoff Peters, Wikoff Color’s president and CEO. “With raw material prices continuing to rise throughout the year and the challenge of passing through the full amount of the material cost increases, margins remained under pressure during all of 2011.

“We have seen positive growth in our packaging and label customer base and we are optimistic about the outlook in both of those markets,” Mr. Peters added. “Additionally, we were excited by the growth in our energy curable product lines and in our label and flexible packaging markets. Overall, the commercial printing market did not fare as well, but we saw the strong commercial printers grow their businesses as others contracted or went out of business.”

Wikoff Color is always looking for opportunities to grow its business, including adding new facilities and products to its portfolio.

For example, during the past year, Wikoff Color expanded its operations into the UK

.

“Wikoff recently opened new facilities in the UK and in Sacramento, CA, expanding our geographic footprint,” Mr. Peters noted. “We also significantly grew our inkjet business and strengthened our technical service capabilities by adding new people and processes to what we already offered to our customers. We have also invested capital in our inkjet business and in equipment to grow our energy curable product lines.Key personnel additions include a product manager for our inkjet business and a manager of our international sales efforts.”

Mr. Peters reported that raw material supply issues have stabilized for the most part, but costs remain high.

“Supply has stabilized across most categories of ink raw materials, so obtaining the materials we need is no longer a significant concern,” Mr. Peters said. “That was not the case a year ago, when there were supply issues with rosin resin and a number of pigments, including carbazole violet and phthalo greens and blues. While we have experienced some price relief as supply has improved, our overall raw material cost is still substantially higher than it was two years ago. We continue to work with our suppliers to look for opportunities to improve our supply chain and control our costs.”

Mr. Peters sees the company’s expansion into new markets as being the key to Wikoff Color’s growth in the coming years.

“Wikoff’s growth areas continue to be in the packaging, especially flexible packaging, and label markets, our inkjet business and across all of our energy curable product lines,” Mr. Peters noted. “We are also very excited about our expanding international presence and the customer base we are building overseas.

“Unfortunately, we do not see significant improvement in the global economic environment in 2012,” Mr. Peters concluded. “Recognizing that the macro conditions won’t drive much growth, we are counting on our geographic expansion, continued improvement in the packaging and label markets, and the further growth of our inkjet business to drive strong sales improvement for Wikoff Color in 2012 and beyond.”

15. Wikoff Color Corporation

1886 Merritt Road

Fort Mill, SC 29715

Phone: (803) 548-2210

Fax: (803) 548-5728

www.wikoff.com

Sales:$150 million (Ink World estimate).

Major Products: Sheetfed and web offset inks, solvent-based and water-based flexo and gravure inks, energy-curable inks and coatings, security inks, overprint varnish and aqueous coatings.

Key Personnel: Phil Lambert, chairman; Geoff Peters, president and CEO; Daryl Collins, VP of national sales and regional operations; Martin Hambrock, VP of Canadian operations; Don Duncan, director of R&D; Ben Price, director of purchasing; Art Dennis, director of manufacturing; Buck Rorie, VP of finance and administration.

Number of Employees: 490.

Operating Facilities:29 manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Canada. Headquarters and primary research and development facilities are located in Fort Mill, SC.

Comments: Wikoff Color was able to weather the economic challenges of 2010, and is poised for growth in 2011.

“For Wikoff Color, 2010 had its challenges but given the economic climate, we were not too disappointed with the results,” Geoff Peters, president and CEO “While sales were off slightly, margins were not overly impacted as the company continued to aggressively streamline its operations and reduce controllable expenses in an attempt to offset increases in raw material costs.

“While Wikoff felt signs of the economy improving, and many of our customers, especially in food packaging, reported healthy results, there were still challenges,” Mr. Peters added. “Commercial printing, especially anything advertising-related, continued to lag the rest of the printing industry in its return to past production levels.”

Wikoff Color has seen opportunities emerge in UV and EB curing, label and narrow web, flexible packaging and inkjet, and Mr. Peters expects the company to continue to expand in those markets.

“We expect the major growth areas for Wikoff Color to continue to be energy curable inks, narrow web label and flexible packaging,” Mr. Peters said. “Additionally, we have been expanding our inkjet business and expect that trend to continue.”

To become more efficient, Wikoff deployed a new enterprise resource planning application (ERP) designed to improve information flow, connectivity and efficiency across all of its facilities.

“In 2010, the company implemented the corporate financial applications and rolled the manufacturing applications out to the Fort Mill plant (our largest manufacturing facility) and to four of our branch plants,” Mr. Peters said. “We plan to complete the implementation across the remaining 24 branch plant locations in 2011.”

Flooding heavily damaged Wikoff Color’s Nashville, TN facility, in 2010, but the company was able to overcome the loss without impacting customers.

“We had a tough challenge when our Nashville branch plant was ruined during the record floods of 2010,” Mr. Peters said. “Despite the challenge, the company missed only one customer order as other Wikoff plants stepped up in true Wikoff fashion to meet the needs of our printing customers. The facility has been rebuilt and is fully operational again.“

Wikoff continued to invest in capital improvements to drive efficiency gains in its major manufacturing facilities. Additionally, Joe Kubasiak, former branch manager of the Grand Rapids plant, was transferred to Fort Mill, SC as plant manager.

Wikoff is also expanding its international operations, as it was approved by the Chinese government for full manufacturing in its Beijing, China operation.

As for raw materials, Mr. Peters noted that 2010 began with relative stability in raw material prices, but starting around March, raw material price increase pressure became widespread, and shortages of some key ingredients became a serious issue.

“While price increases were a problem, we were also concerned about shortages of raw materials,” he said. “Lead times on key pigments, like TiO2 and carbazole violet, stretched to two months, and most suppliers had supply restrictions in place. The rosin resin market also had supply pressures, impacted by drastically increased gum rosin prices.

“As for the coming year, nitrocellulose supply is expected to be tight throughout 2011 and energy cure raw materials continue to face upward pricing pressure,” Mr. Peters added. “Wikoff worked with our suppliers throughout the year to maintain ready sources of supply and keep price increases in check as much as possible. In summary, raw material pricing and supply were significant problems for the ink industry in 2010 and are expected to remain problems in 2011.”

Consolidation is a fact of life throughout the supply chain, particularly as key vendors are merged together.

“Wikoff continued to see consolidation among both our customers and suppliers,” Mr. Peters said. “While customer consolidation has not had an impact on our business, supplier consolidation had a more significant effect. There have been a few notable supplier consolidations over the past two years, like the BASF acquisition of Ciba, the IGM acquisition of the Cognis UV acrylates business and the Momentive merger with Hexion (and subsequent sale of the Ink and Adhesives Resins business to Harima). These acquisitions didn’t come without challenges, especially maintaining effective levels of customer service to the ink industry during the process.”

Mr. Peters said that Wikoff expects to see continued economic improvement in 2011, which should help printing volumes continue to grow, and anticipates further expansion in terms of geography and product portfolio.

“We expect to expand our geographic footprint in 2011 and add to our current product base,” Mr. Peters said. “We expect to expand our line of products, adding many inks and coatings that offer environmentally friendly options and performance improvements. We also believe that the cost adjustments and manufacturing efficiency programs that we have implemented will continue to pay strong dividends this year. The risk for our business will continue to be with material costs and our ability to manage those costs in conjunction with customer pricing.”