Flint Ink

Due to a continuing and unprecedented rise in raw materials, transportation and energy costs, Flint Group, Plymouth, Mich., announced the following price increases on inks in North America effective Oct. 1: • Publication Gravure—10 percent • Publication Heatset—8 percent • News Ink—6 percent • Sheetfed—5 percent to 7 percent depending on product technology and color • Packaging—up to 12 percent depending on product technology and color Bill Miller, president of Flint Group North America, said the increased global consumption of petroleum and petroleum derivatives, as well as limited refinery capacity, continue to be the key drivers in the cost of raw materials. In

Headquartered in Luxembourg, Flint Group has announced an agreement in principle to acquire Day International, a world leader in the supply of printing blankets, sleeves, image transfer media and pressroom chemicals. Day International will operate as a business unit within Flint Group, and the combined group will rank among the largest pressroom consumable supplier in every region it serves. Dennis Wolters is to remain as CEO of Day International operations. Approximately 8,300 employees will serve customers from 170 sales, service and manufacturing locations on five continents. Combined revenues for 2007 are estimated to be $3.32 billion. The agreement was signed on April 20, with

The North American packaging and sheetfed divisions of Flint Group, Ann Arbor, Mich., is increasing prices on all packaging and commercial inks effective February 1. The company said it will honor its contractual obligations in implementing the increases. Representatives for the company’s sheetfed and packaging division explained that rising costs of raw materials and energy continue to put enormous pressure on the costs of the inks. “Unfortunately, these increases can no longer be mitigated entirely by aggressive supply chain and process improvement initiatives,” commented Susan Kuchta, general manager. Said Vice President Doug Labertew, “We recognize the impact this will have on our

Flint Group is the name for the Ann Arbor, Michigan—based holding company created by the merger in late 2005 of European-based XSYS Print Solutions and American-owned Flint Ink Corporation. As a result of the merger, Flint Group’s North American sheet-fed division now offers the K+E line of premium sheet-fed inks known worldwide for ultimate quality, consistency and performance in high-end color printing applications. The proven inks are now available to all United States-based and Canadian commercial and packaging printers. K+E inks are an exciting addition to Flint Group’s North American portfolio, giving Flint Group customers a choice between a truly premium line and the