Toyo Ink and Doneck enter licensing agreement for water-based lamination inks

Doneck is a manufacturer of flexo and gravure inks for the European region, while Toyo Ink, a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyo Ink SC Holdings, oversees the group's Printing and Information, and Packaging Materials business segments. This licensing agreement is expected to strengthen the position of both companies in the competitive global packaging industry, as water-based alternatives to printing inks are projected to fuel the future growth of the industry, especially in the food packaging sector.

‘We're delighted to enter this agreement with Doneck Euroflex, a major company in the supply of liquid ink systems across Europe,’ said Katsumi Yamazaki, president of Toyo Ink. ‘We already have an established supply structure and a proven sales track record in Asia and North and South America. The new licensing agreement will allow us to strengthen our existing water-based liquid inks operations on a global basis by extending its supply structure to Europe, a region where its presence had been weak up until now.’

While tapping into Doneck's extensive distribution network, Toyo Ink said it will strive to provide full customer support tailored to individual market needs and to achieve shipments of 1,000 tons per year during the company's next mid-term management plan that runs from the 2018 financial year through the 2020 financial year.

The Aqua Liona series of water-based flexo lamination inks is said to be the first of its kind to support high-end retort applications, exhibiting excellent printability at high-speeds. The Aquaecol series of water-based gravure lamination inks features a high pigmentation design that helps it achieve excellent printability and a high resolution. In addition, Aquaecol is suitable to a wide range of applications from snack to retort food packaging. Both product series use a water-soluble urethane resin as their base resin, engineered with Toyo Ink's unique polymer technology.

Arndt Breitbach, managing director and main shareholder of the Doneck Network, said: ‘We are happy to introduce this unique water-based technology which could lead to increased environmental sustainability. We are proud that Doneck Network was chosen by Toyo Ink as partner for Aqua Liona and Aquaecol for the European market.’