sábado, 22 de septiembre de 2018

Las materias primas de las tintas: la importancia de la” integración”

Recientemente nuestra empresa ha recibido una consulta de un distribuidor de consumibles en la que nos solicitaba si disponíamos de “tintas estables y consistentes en calidad” ya que las que ellos distribuían presentaban, con frecuencia, altibajos de calidad de un lote a otro.

Aquí relatamos brevemente, una de las posibles causas que hemos vivido personalmente.
“La situación actual de las materias primas utilizadas para fabricar tintas puede dar lugar a problemas en la cadena de suministro en aquellas empresas que estén obligadas a adquirir los productos a terceros. “
Cuando se producen aumentos de precio que los fabricantes no pueden repercutir en los precios de venta ,es fácil que se produzcan problemas de calidad en las tintas si ,como a veces ocurre , se intenta abaratar el coste de la tinta reemplazando las materias primas originales sin hacer los ensayos previos de comportamiento del producto final.
Ocurre, además, que aquellas empresas que por su tamaño no son prioritarias para los suministradores de materia prima, se ven obligados a comprar donde pueden y esto altera la consistencia de la calidad establecida. A la larga, el impresor nota el cambio de comportamiento de la tinta en maquina con lo que la confianza en su proveedor habitual desaparece.
Esta situación de inconsistencia de tinta no la sufren los fabricantes “integrados” ya que utilizan su propia materia prima sin alteraciones de calidad: aquí reside su fortaleza además, claro está, de una ventaja competitiva muy grande que es un menor coste.
Como resumen, se puede decir que el cambiar una materia prima por otra sin hacer ensayos industriales previos, suele dar lugar a una pérdida de confianza e imagen irreparable”.

Antonio Blanco
Partner
NOVAGAL PRINTING INKS, SL
 

The raw materials of the inks: the importance of being integrated

Recently, our company received a query from a consumables distributor asking us if we sell "stable and consistent quality inks" because the ones they distributed often had quality ups and downs from one batch to another.
Here we report briefly, one of the possible causes that we personally have experienced.
"The current situation of the raw materials used to manufacture inks can give rise to problems in the supply chain in those companies that are obliged to purchase the products from third parties.”

When there are price increases of raw materials that manufacturers  can not affect the sales prices, it is easy for quality problems to occur in the inks if, as sometimes happens, you try to reduce the cost of the ink by replacing the original raw materials without do the preliminary tests of the behavior of the final product.
It also happens that those companies that, due to their size, are not a priority for suppliers of raw materials are forced to buy where they can and this alters the consistency of the established quality. In the long run, the printer notices the change in behavior of the ink on the machine, so that the trust in its usual supplier disappears.
This situation of inconsistency of ink is not suffered by "integrated" manufacturers because they use their own raw material without quality alterations: here lies its strength, and of course, a very large competitive advantage that is a lower cost.
As a summary, it can be said that changing one raw material for another without making previous industrial trials, usually results in a loss of confidence and irreparable image ".

Antonio Blanco
Partner
NOVAGAL PRINTING INKS, SL


martes, 18 de septiembre de 2018

Las materias primas y las tintas : nuevo ciclo alcista de precio ?


De acuerdo a las informaciones existentes en el mercado,
las materias primas vuelven a ser protagonistas negativamente para los costes de las tintas. No solo en aumento de precio sino también en la disponibilidad.

Hay varias causas:
Según todos los indicios, China, vuelve  a ser protagonista a causa del endurecimiento de la legislación medioambiental traducida en fuertes restricciones de producción: esto afecta a los pigmentos directamente.

Otra causa negativa es la nueva legislación que se aplicara a la naturaleza de los fotoiniciadores  utilizados en las tintas UV.

El aumento de precio del petróleo y la naphta traerá subidas de resinas y solventes.

Finalmente el TiO2 afectara de lleno a las tintas con blanco.

Esta situación indicada afecta de lleno a las empresas productoras  NO integradas y de pequeño tamaño que dependen por completo del abastecimiento de dichas materias primas en poder de unos pocos.

Con este escenario, lo más probable, es que se produzcan nuevos incrementos en el precio de las tintas o en su defecto una nueva erosión de los márgenes en aquellas empresas que solo deseen “colocar” producto en el mercado a cualquier precio con el único fin de incrementar las ventas sin rentabilidad. El ofrecer una “teórica “calidad de producto no garantiza la rentabilidad y por tanto, el futuro de la empresa.

Antonio Blanco
Partner NOVAGAL PRINTING INKS, SL

sábado, 15 de septiembre de 2018

Sun Chemical Update: Raw Material Shortage for UV Inks, Possible Supply Disruption


This supply disruption is impacting several photoinitiators beyond TPO.

08.02.18
On May 9, 2018, Sun Chemical published a communication related to a specific global raw material shortage affecting UV curing inks, specifically supplies of UV photoinitiators.

Unfortunately, the manufacturing and supply of this feedstock has been further delayed due to inspections still ongoing regarding compliance with Chinese environmental regulations. Furthermore, this supply disruption is impacting several photoinitiators beyond Sun Chemical’s initial communication of TPO only.

“This means that supplies of these photoinitiators are now at critically low levels globally, which is impacting our ability to manufacture and supply inks to our customers on a timely basis as stated within our service level agreements,” Felipe Mellado, CMO and board member with Sun Chemical, reported. “We do not anticipate the situation will be resolved soon, in fact we expect the supply shortage will be a reality for at least the next two to three months. Please note that this is an industry-wide shortage affecting all UV ink manufacturers as reported earlier this week by the European Printing Inks Association (EuPIA).

“As the world’s leading ink supplier, we continue to secure all volume available in the market as well as continue to work on qualifying suitable alternative materials,” Mellado added. “To manage materials effectively, it will continue to be necessary to offer inks formulated with alternative materials at short notice. You will be advised when this is the case. We will need your collaboration to validate these inks rapidly to maintain service levels to the best of our ability. We will make our best attempts to supply inks within the same specification and performance characteristics. Furthermore, we may also need to limit orders in excess of historical consumption. This situation is increasing the cost of remaining photoinitiator materials significantly and alternative materials are also affected. We understand that this issue may cause concern and we assure you that we are doing everything possible to continue to resolve the situation and avoid any supply disruptions. We will continue to keep you informed of the progress of our actions over the coming months.”