What Kao Chimigraf does

Kao Chimigraph (legal entity KAO CHIMIGRAF S.L.U.) is a Spanish manufacturer of printing inks and coatings headquartered in Rubí (Barcelona), founded in 1970 and operating as a subsidiary of Japan's Kao Corporation. The company produces water-based, solvent-based, UV/LED, and oil-based inks for flexographic, rotogravure, and digital inkjet printing systems, along with concentrated colour bases (Hidrobas, Nitrobas), solid dispersions (CHIPS), coatings, varnishes, and specialty products such as fluorescent, metallic, and aromatic inks. Its digital ink portfolio, developed since 1998, is certified for use with printheads from Seiko Instruments, Xaar, Ricoh, and Konica Minolta.

The company serves four primary industrial segments: corrugated board manufacturers, flexible packaging converters, narrow band/tape producers, and digital printers, with end applications spanning food packaging, labels, glass, ceramics, wood, and industrial marking. It sells primarily through direct field sales from regional offices in Spain (Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid), France, Italy, and Portugal, supplemented by a distributor network reaching 60+ countries across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. The go-to-market is heavily event-driven, with active participation in international trade fairs such as FESPA, Drupa, Converflex, InPrint, and FEFCO. Pricing is quote-based with multi-year B2B contracts, and no public pricing tiers are disclosed.

Revenue is generated from direct product sales of inks and coatings, with ancillary technical services including custom ink formulation, colour development, ICC profiling, and on-site machine technician support. The company holds ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001 certifications, EcoVadis Platinum status (2021 and 2022), EN-646 food contact compliance, and OK COMPOST certification, and participates in EU-funded innovation projects such as the FRESHCODE smart labelling initiative with ITENE. Headcount is in the 51-100 range, and the company does not disclose financial figures.

Name

Kao Chimigraf

Legal name

KAO CHIMIGRAF S.L.U.

Website

https://kaochimigraf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kao Chimigraph is a Spanish manufacturer of flexographic, rotogravure, and digital inkjet printing inks and coatings, founded in 1970 and operating as a subsidiary of Kao Corporation. It serves corrugated packaging, flexible packaging, narrow band/tape, and digital printing customers across 60+ countries via direct sales and distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Printing Inks and Coatings

NAICS

Printing Ink Manufacturing (325910), Printing Ink Manufacturing (32591), Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Commercial Printing (2750), Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) (2670)

akta.pro primary industry

Printing Inks (IMAEAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Flexible Packaging Printing & Decoration (Flexo, Gravure, Digital, Cold Foil) (IMALABAM), Digital & Specialty Inks (Inkjet, UV, Conductive) (IMAEAHAI), Sustainable Labels, Adhesives & Inks (Wash-Off Labels, De-inkable Inks, Low-VOC) (IMALAMAJ)

Keywords

• Flexographic printing inks
• Rotogravure printing inks
• Digital inkjet inks
• Packaging coatings varnishes
• Industrial ink manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Printing Inks and Coatings Sales: Core revenue from manufacturing and selling water-based inks, solvent-based inks, digital printing inks (UV/LED, solvent, water-based, oil-based), solid dispersions (CHIPS), coatings, additives, and special products (fluorescent, metallic, chromatic, aromatic inks) for flexographic, rotogravure, and digital inkjet printing applications
2. Technical Services and Custom Ink Development: Revenue from laboratory services for custom ink formulation, colour development, technical assistance, on-site machine technicians, ICC profiling and calibration services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kao Chimigraf manufactures and sells printing inks and coatings for flexographic, rotogravure, and digital inkjet printing systems. Its portfolio includes water-based and solvent-based inks, digital printing inks (UV/LED, solvent, water-based, oil-based), mono-pigmentary concentrated colour bases (Hidrobas, Nitrobas), solid dispersions (CHIPS), coatings/varnishes/additives, and specialty inks, sold to industrial printing and packaging converters worldwide.

Product overview

Kao Chimigraf is a manufacturer of printing inks and related products for the packaging industry. The portfolio includes water-based and solvent-based inks for flexographic and rotogravure printing, digital printing inks (UV/LED, solvent, water-based, and oil-based), concentrated colour bases (Hidrobas, Nitrobas) for on-site ink manufacturing, solid dispersions (CHIPS) for ink production, coatings and additives (varnishes, primers, anti-slip products), and special products (fluorescent, metallic, aromatic inks). The products support various printing solutions including corrugated cardboard, flexible packaging, narrow band/RTR printing, and digital printing applications. Kao Chimigraf also developed FRESHCODE, a smart labelling system for food freshness indication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FRESHCODE: Smart labelling system developed by ITENE and Chimigraf as part of the European Commission's SME programme, providing intelligent labels for fresh food trays with time-temperature indicators.

Products and services

• Water-based Inks Water-based printing inks for flexographic printing on corrugated cardboard, kraft paper, paraffin packaging, coated paper, adhesive labels, and polyolefin substrates, sold to industrial packaging printers and corrugated board manufacturers.
• Solvent-based Inks Solvent-based printing inks for flexographic and rotogravure printing on polyolefins, polyesters, and flexible packaging materials, sold to flexible packaging converters and tape manufacturers.
• Concentrated Colour Bases Mono-pigmentary concentrated colour bases (Hidrobas, Nitrobas) for manufacturing flexographic and rotogravure inks on-site, enabling efficient ink production with minimal packaging waste, sold to industrial ink manufacturers.
• Inks for Digital Printing Digital printing inks (UV/LED, solvent-based, water-based, oil-based) for paper, cardboard, glass, wood, labels, and ceramics, with certified compatibility for Seiko (SII), Xaar, Ricoh, and Konica Minolta industrial printheads, sold to industrial digital printers.
• Solid Dispersions (CHIPS) Mono-pigmentary solid dispersions in 25kg cardboard boxes for manufacturing high-quality flexographic and rotogravure inks without expensive infrastructure, sold to ink manufacturers.
• Coatings and Additives

Quantifiable outcome

• Print speeds of 500 metres per minute achievable on BOPP films with Idrostar water-based ink series
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ITENE (Instituto Tecnológico de Packaging, Transportes y de la Logística)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2017Kao Chimigraf developed the FRESHCODE smart labelling system in collaboration with ITENE as part of the European Commission's SME programme. FRESHCODE is a smart labelling solution for fresh food trays (MAP packaging) with a time-temperature indicator that changes colour to show freshness, reducing food waste. The project was showcased at the PRO2PAC trade fair in London in March 2017 and the AIPIA Congress in Amsterdam.
• Leitat (Tecnologia i Treball)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeitat is a technology centre that collaborates with Kao Chimigraf, providing access to high-level training for personnel as well as equipment and materials. The partnership supports the company's R&D efforts and innovation in printing inks and coatings.
• Seiko Instruments (SII)coreTechnology or IntegrationKao Chimigraf is a recognised and certified supplier for Seiko printhead technology. The company develops and customises digital ink formulations specifically for Seiko printhead systems.
• XaarcoreTechnology or IntegrationKao Chimigraf is a recognised and certified supplier for Xaar printhead technology. The company develops digital ink formulations for Xaar industrial printhead systems and has received Xaar's recognition as a certified ink supplier.
• Konica MinoltacoreTechnology or IntegrationKao Chimigraf has achieved approved compatibility with Konica Minolta for digital inkjet printing systems, developing inks specifically for Konica Minolta industrial printheads.
• RicohcoreTechnology or IntegrationKao Chimigraf has achieved approved compatibility with Ricoh for digital inkjet printing systems, indicating approved ink formulation development for Ricoh printheads.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sun Chemical: The world's largest printing-ink manufacturer (DIC Corporation subsidiary), offering flexo, gravure, digital, and offset inks for packaging, labels, and commercial print — directly competing with Kao Chimigraph in flexographic and rotogravure inks for packaging converters globally.
• Siegwerk: German-headquartered global printing-ink specialist focused on packaging and labels, offering solvent-based, water-based, and UV-curable inks — a direct competitor to Kao Chimigraph in flexible packaging and label ink segments across Europe and worldwide.
• Flint Group: Major global printing-ink and printing-plates supplier serving packaging, paper, and digital print markets with flexo, gravure, and inkjet inks — a top-tier direct peer competing for the same packaging-converter customers as Kao Chimigraph.
• Sakata INX: Japanese printing-ink manufacturer offering offset, gravure, flexo, screen, and digital inks with strong Asia-Pacific and global packaging presence — directly comparable as a multi-chemistry ink specialist serving packaging and label converters.
• Hubergroup: German family-owned printing-ink specialist offering offset, flexo, gravure, and UV inks for packaging and commercial print — a European-headquartered direct peer with comparable specialty-chemicals positioning and similar customer segments.
• Toyo Ink (artience Co., Ltd.): Japanese specialty-chemicals and printing-ink manufacturer (now operating as artience) producing gravure, flexo, offset, and digital inks for packaging — a direct peer with comparable multi-chemistry ink portfolio and global packaging-customer footprint.
• Wikoff Color Corporation: US-based specialty printing-ink manufacturer serving packaging, label, and commercial print with water-based, energy-curable, and solvent-based inks — a comparable specialty-ink peer with similar custom-formulation and customer-service model.
• Zeller+Gmelin: German specialty-ink manufacturer offering UV, water-based, and offset inks for packaging and industrial applications — comparable European mid-sized ink specialist competing in similar packaging-print niches.
• Marabu: German manufacturer of screen, pad, and digital printing inks for industrial and graphic applications including packaging and glass — directly comparable as a specialty-ink specialist with strong R&D and similar multi-substrate positioning.

Emerging players

• Encres Dubuit: French digital-ink specialist focused on UV, solvent, and water-based digital printing inks for industrial and graphic applications — a smaller European peer with comparable digital-ink portfolio but narrower scale than Kao Chimigraph.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kaochimigraf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kaochimigraf
• Xx.com/kaochimigraf

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kao Chimigraf