DSM, a science-based company in nutrition, health, and sustainable living, has signed an agreement to take over certain parts of Clariant’s 3D printing business portfolio. “As additive manufacturing technology is increasingly adopted for industrial production, customers are looking for materials to match their existing product portfolio and production processes. The combination of DSM’s filament and pellet capabilities and former Clariant 3D printing activities will be able to better serve those needs, bringing customers quick tweaking of high-performance filaments and pellets based on market needs,” DSM said.
According to DSM, the customers will also benefit from faster product tweaks based on application needs thanks to the Clariant team’s experience in fast and market-driven product development using a dedicated, highly flexible, and high-speed compounding setup.
The transaction includes part of Clariant 3D printing team, selection of their portfolio and pipeline of engineering-grade filament and pellet materials and customer relations, expertise in powder development, and a small production line for the fast ramp-up of small batches.
“We are very excited about welcoming the new team members and the expertise they bring to expand our service offering. We share the same focus on customer needs and have complementary expertise and portfolio. Together we can fulfill market needs faster and with a broader materials toolbox, and realize further the potential of additive manufacturing to the manufacturing world,” Hugo da Silva, vice president additive manufacturing at DSM, commented.
“After a thorough strategic review, Clariant concluded that its 3D printing materials business was no longer aligned with its strategic focus. While we will continue to serve the 3D printing market with our high-quality additives and flame retardants, we are confident that DSM is the ideal new home for parts of Clariant’s tailored 3D printing materials business to continue its successful development. I look forward to seeing them thrive,” said Richard Haldimann, head of the sustainability transformation at Clariant.
2023 promises an interesting ride for print in India
Indian Printer and Publisher founded in 1979 is the oldest B2B trade publication in the multi-platform and
multi-channel IPPGroup. While the print and packaging industries have been resilient in the past 33 months since the pandemic lockdown of 25 March 2020, the commercial printing and newspaper industries have yet to recover their pre-Covid trajectory.
The fragmented commercial printing industry faces substantial challenges as does the newspaper industry.
While digital short-run printing and the signage industry seem to be recovering a bit faster, ultimately
their growth will also be moderated by the progress of the overall economy. On the other hand book
printing exports are doing well but they too face several supply-chain and logistics challenges.
The price of publication papers including newsprint has been high in the past year while availability is diminished by several mills shutting down their publication paper and newsprint machines in the past four years. Indian paper mills are also exporting many types of paper and have raised prices for Indian printers. To some extent, this has helped in the recovery of the digital printing industry with its on-demand short-run and low-wastage paradigm.
Ultimately digital print and other digital channels will help print grow in a country where we are still far behind in our paper and print consumption and where digital is a leapfrog technology that will only increase the demand for print in the foreseeable future. For instance, there is no alternative to a rise in textbook consumption but this segment will only reach normality in the next financial year beginning on 1 April 2023.
Thus while the new normal is a moving target and many commercial printers look to diversification, we believe that our target audiences may shift and change. Like them, we will also have to adapt with agility to keep up with their business and technical information needs.
Our 2023 media kit is ready, and it is the right time to take stock and reconnect with your potential markets and customers. Print is the glue for the growth of liberal education, new industry, and an emerging economy. We seek your participation in what promises to be an interesting ride.
