Sakata Inx’s second plant at Panoli in Gujarat has been set up to take a significant share of the web offset inks consumed by India’s leading newspapers. As outlined by the Sakata Inx president Kotaro Morita, who inaugurated the new plant on 8 July 2014, the largest supplier of web offset inks to the Japanese newspaper market is determined to establish itself in that part of the Indian newspaper market where color quality, sustainability and efficiencies are prime issues.
Preceding a gala industry event in Gurgaon on 9 July attended by major newspaper executives from across the country, Morita, Sakata Inx managing director, Naohisa Yasui and Sakata Inx India managing director VK Seth
expressed confidence in the continued growth of the Indian newspaper industry in the face of a shrinking newspaper market in the developed economies. “India is one of the most important markets for Sakata Inx,” said Morita, “and in the recent past, the total consumption of web offset inks in India has even surpassed the consumption of a traditionally major newspaper production market such as Japan.”
Sakata Inx India acquired 20 acres of land in Panoli, Gujarat several years
ago to set up the company’s biggest ink manufacturing plant in India. This global sourcing plant was set up in two phases at an investment of around Rs. 100 crore of which Rs. 75 crore was spent in the first phase and the balance in the second phase. The two Sakata plants at Panoli produce high- quality printing inks, which will be further customized to cater to the specific demands of the packaging and publishing industry. Sakata India is developing its business with the neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Middle East and Africa are also growing export markets for the company as is Europe. Commenting on the new plant for web offset inks, VK Seth managingdirector of Sakata India, said, “The ink churned out by the plant is environment-friendly both for the printer as well as the reader.”
The modern 80,000 square metre plant at Panoli incorporates Sakata’s experiences and learnings from previous plants and its coldset web offset inks have already been tried and tested by leading newspapers. “All the major newspapers in India are customers of Sakata Inx,” added Seth, “and we hope to be their primary supplier in the long term.”
Seth explained that Sakata Inx products have traditionally been environmentally compliant with emphasis on quality characteristics such as show-through, rub-resistance and color consistency. Although in past years, the Indian web offset ink market has seen volume suppliers maintaining an entry barrier for newer and quality-oriented players through low pricing, Sakata Inx is looking forward to launching high strength and high color-density inks in the local market. Expressing confidence that Sakata Inx would soon attain third position in terms of coldset ink sales in the country, Seth added, “Despite pricing and cost pressures in India, the market in India is set to improve further due to the burgeoning economy and improving literacy.”
The initial target for Sakata Inx is the top-end of the Indian newspaper printing market which prints on high technology 4 x1 and 4 x 2 presses at speeds of more than 70,000 copies an hour as well as automated single-width presses for which the quality and productivity of high intensity inks is at a premium in order to satisfy advertisers. Runnability on increasingly thin newsprint without show- through and ink-misting is also a concern as are the overall safety and sustainability of the pressroom and the environment.
With reduced demand in matured and developed markets such as the US, Japan and Western Europe, Sakata is eyeing newer channels for business. Morita tells us that the packaging industry is a growing market with a lot of scope for good and consistent high color-density inks where Sakata is strong. The digital printing market has also been another option for Sakata. In Sakata’s new 150,000 square metre facility commissioned last year in Japan, the company has focussed on the manufacture of digital inks. Sakata has also partnered digital print-head manufacturers as an OEM supplier.
Morita concluded by saying that there are still several untapped markets for the company to penetrate and thus Sakata Inx is looking to grow further
in the next few years.
