There have been many changes in the ink industry in the past 40 years. Companies have come and gone, and the printing ink technology itself has evolved from an art to a science.
 
Les Watkins has been in the forefront of many of these changes. A list of the companies he has worked with reads like a Who’s Who for the ink industry, and through it all, Watkins’ expertise in formulating inks has helped advance the industry. As Watkins retires as global technical coordinator for Zeller+Gmelin Printing Inks, a Richmond, VA-based UV ink specialist, after a 47-year career in the ink industry, he looks back on a career loaded with accomplishments.
 
Joining the Ink Industry
 
Watkins’ path to the ink industry began as a summer job during college, and he jokingly blames his dad for getting him in the ink industry in the first place.
 
“It was my father’s fault,” Watkins said. “He developed and built printing presses, and he got me a summer job at a folding carton company. I was studying chemistry, and the ink guy servicing the company was from Coates. I started talking with him, and he suggested that I get into the ink business.”
 
After college, Watkins joined Universal Printing Ink, a UK ink company that had a licensing agreement with Sun Chemical in North America for inks for A.B. Dick small offset presses. Soon after, he moved to North America, where he first started working on UV inks.
 
“I moved to Canada to join Stuart Graham at Canadian Fine Color, where I worked from 1968-1983,” Watkins recalled. “Our first investment in UV was in 1970. Canadian Fine Color had a very good relationship with Roberts & Porter in Illinois, and I had to come up with a way to make UV inks with Bruce MacIntosh of Roberts & Porter. You wouldn’t believe how far UV has come. By and large, everything is much safer.”
 
In 1983, Watkins headed to the U.S., joining Capitol Printing Ink.
 
“In 1983, I moved to the U.S. and joined Capitol Printing Ink, working with Bill Miller and Werner Gerlach, and became technical director when Werner retired,” Watkins said. “Flint Ink bought them out in 1986. Capitol was big in web heatset, and added technology to Flint Ink. “
 
Soon after, Watkins headed to Graphic Fine Color.
 
“In 1986, I left Flint Ink to go to Graphic Fine Color, where I worked with Bob Peters, Stan Miller and Harvey Ainbinder. I was there for five years before Sun Chemical bought them out,” he said.
 
Watkins next headed to Handschy Industries, the captive ink manufacturer for Field Containers, which was owned by Larry Field.
 
“In 1991, I moved to Handschy Industries as VP of R&D, and was promoted to president in 1994,” Watkins said. “Larry Field was the most demanding man to work with, and it was tough being a captive ink company trying to sell ink to other printers.”
 
In 1997, Watkins decided to rejoin to Flint Ink.
 
“I returned to Flint Ink, and was sent to Australia one year later to run the company’s operations in the country until Flint acquired Manders,” he noted. “I then returned to Ann Arbor to become VP of the commercial offset division.”
 
In 2002, Watkins moved back to Sun Chemical as director of the sheetfed products division, and five years later, he headed to Zeller+Gmelin USA.
 
“In 2007, I moved on to Zeller+Gmelin USA, first as director of sheetfed products and then global technical coordinator,” Watkins said. “It’s been good working at Zeller+Gmelin. It was the right place, right time, being almost exclusively in UV inks while the rest of the industry was going through hell. Our company is still doing quite well, with much of our growth now being in flexo.”
 
Watknis noted that over the years, printing technology has changed, and ink manufacturing has evolved along with it.
 
“Press speeds have increased,” he said. “The early web speeds were 350 feet per minute, and now are at 3,000 feet per minute. Those early sheetfed presses ran 4,000 sheets per hour. Early on, we basically made a flush system, pigments mixed with linseed oil, and every pressman would add their own concoction to it. Now sheetfed presses run 18,000 sheets per hour, and we had to make our products more standardized and formulate for these speeds.”
 
Watkins mentioned a number of ink industry leaders who influenced his career. “There were a bunch of different people,” he said. “Werner Gerlach was an influence on me, as were Al Zettlemoyer and Bill Shaefer at Lehigh when I took the ink course there. Howard Flint was very good to work with, as were Brad Bergey and Mike Murphy at Sun Chemical.”
 
Watkins’ colleagues say that Watkins’ knowledge of ink formulation was truly incredible.
 
Doug Killian, national sales manager, Zeller+Gmelin Printing Inks, said that Watkins is “truly a phenomenal resource and friend.
 
“Les was always a much better formulator than golfer, and once his proper English was Americanized, ink making in the Colonies was never the same,” Killian added. “His ability to absorb the technology, contribute and provide direction to the innovations, processes and solutions our industry challenges required were relentless – and oft amazing. Not only will I miss working with him, but the industry will also.”
 
“You can’t replace the knowledge and experience of a pioneer like Les Watkins,” said Damon Geer, VP of sales for Zeller+Gmelin Printing Inks. “We can only hope it’s been recorded for future generations of inkies”
 
 
“I have known Les for almost 30 years,” said Tim Cox of Lubrizol.  “I first met Les many years ago when we both worked at Graphic Fine Color in Maryland, and have kept in very close touch with him over the years.  
 
“Throughout the years, Les held a variety of technical, marketing and business management positions at various companies, introducing new and innovative ideas and ways to add value to the ink markets,” Cox added. “ Les always was a professional, and would be the first to offer assistance and take the time to have very in depth discussions to those of us that valued his experience in the graphic arts business. I wish Les all the best for a long and healthy retirement.”
 
John Copeland, president and COO of Toyo Ink America, has known Watkins for more than 30 years.
 
“I first met Les inside a pressroom in Atlanta, GA around 1984 as a competitor,” Copeland recalled. “Les was with Capitol Printing Ink and I was with Flint Ink. At that first exposure to Les, I was impressed with his knowledge and immediately looked up to him. In 1993 I moved from Atlanta to the Chicago area and went to work for Handschy Industries. Les was there as the technical manager and soon became president of the company.
 
“Since that time I have never changed my initial impression of Les,” Copeland added. “He has been a great asset to our industry and has never lost interest in printing or ink technology. I consider Les a mentor and friend and have the upmost respect for him.”
 
Watkins said that he is looking forward to enjoying time with his wife Patricia and daughter Erin, as well as traveling for pleasure now.
 
“I am planning on traveling with my wife Patricia,” Watkins noted. “I’ve worked in Australia with Flint Ink, and Europe with Sun Chemical, and I’ve made friends all around the world.”
 
All in all, Watkins said the decision to go into the ink industry proved to be a very good one, jokingly adding that his personality might have made the medical field, his other possible career choice, somewhat more difficult.
 
“I have really enjoyed this industry,” he concluded. “It challenged me a lot, but my other career path was to be a doctor, and my medical manner would not have been acceptable.”