After a relatively quiet first three quarters of 2017 in terms of mergers and acquisitions within the ink industry, the past two months have been very active, headlined by Van Son Printing Inks being sold off in two parts to T&K Toka and Siegwerk.

With an estimated $130 million in sales in 2016, Van Son was the 16^th largest ink producer globally, according to Ink World’s Top International Ink Company Report. A family‐owned company headquartered in Hilversum, The Netherlands, Van Son has manufactured sheetfed offset inks as well as flexo and inkjet inks for 145 years. 

In October, Siegwerk Druckfarben AG & Co. KGaA signed a contract to purchase Van Son Liquids B.V., which produced water-based flexo and gravure printing inks for more than 25 years. Van Son Liquids B.V. will be renamed into Siegwerk Hilversum B.V., while the product brand name AquaBase+ will be maintained.
 
“The merger enables us to expand our local footprint in the Benelux region and therefore to continue raising our profile as a supplier of water-based printing inks in Europe,” said Piet Deceunynck, regional sales director Central and North Europe Paper and Board at Siegwerk.
 
In December, T&K Toka, a leading producer of offset and UV for commercial and packaging markets, added the rest of Van Son, adding to its product portfolio and its reach in Europe and North America. The company’s US subsidiary is also part of the purchase.
 
“Van Son is one of the leading ink manufacturers in Europe. The company is known for its high‐quality inks with excellent consistency, especially its conventional 4‐color sheetfed ink program is a welcome addition to our portfolio,” said Ryuichi Kurimoto, managing director of Sales Department at T&K TOKA, after the acquisition. “Further, the acquisition will raise our profile as a full-scale ink solution provider to the printing markets, especially in Europe and the USA.”
 
Latin America Activity
 
Wikoff Color and Siegwerk were active in the growing South America market, with each adding a Sao Paulo, Brazil packaging ink manufacturer.

In November, Wikoff Color completed its acquisition of Verti Produtos Químicos, São Paulo, Brazil. Verti was founded in 2006, and focused on the packaging ink business.
 
“Not only does Verti bring a wealth of expertise in the packaging and label printing markets, but their core values are also closely aligned with the employee-owners of Wikoff Color,” said Geoff Peters, president and CEO of Wikoff Color. 
  
In December, Siegwerk has signed a contract to purchase Tupahue Tintas, a family-owned Brazilian flexo and gravure ink and varnish manufacturer founded in 1989.
  
“With the purchase of Tupahue Tintas, we add a well-established ink provider with high quality products for packaging applications to the Siegwerk family,” noted Andrea Serturini, president and head of LATAM region at Siegwerk. 

Flint Group in Italy
 
In an addition that impacts southern Europe, Flint Group added Eston Chimica SRL, a flexo and gravure water-based inks specialist located in Padova, Italy. Eston Chimica sells primarily into the paper and board market in Italy and southern Europe.
 
“Flint Group is very happy to join together with Eston Chimica,” Kim Melander, VP and GM, EMEA and global strategy, Paper & Board, said in  announcing the deal. “Eston Chimica’s state-of-the-art facility in Italy is fully automated, providing Flint Group important geographic expansion plus full manufacturing capabilities in Southern Europe – an excellent complement to our established manufacturing facility in Europe.”