What DIC Corporation does

DIC Corporation is a Japan-headquartered diversified fine chemicals manufacturer (Tokyo Stock Exchange ticker 4631) operating through more than 170 group companies across over 60 countries, with FY2025 consolidated net sales of ¥1,052.2 billion, operating income of ¥52.2 billion, and 20,884 consolidated employees as of December 31, 2025. The company's core business is organized into four segments: Packaging & Graphic (gravure, flexo, offset, security, and inkjet printing inks; packaging adhesives including solvent-free DUALAM; coextruded multilayer films under the DIFAREN brand; polystyrene resins); Color & Display (organic pigments for displays, coatings, plastics, printing inks, cosmetics, and digital printing; Spirulina-based health foods and natural blue colorants under the LINABLUE brand; algal DHA oil and UltraNanno microalgae feed); Functional Products (acrylic, polyurethane, epoxy, phenolic, polyester, and UV-curable resins; surfactants under MEGAFACE; PPS compounds; industrial adhesive tapes; hollow fiber membrane modules; semiconductor materials including EPICLON, PHENOLITE, eFLOW, and SEPAREL); and a New Business Development unit covering emerging products such as GELRAMIC endothermic battery safety pads, HAGAMOSphere omnidirectional multicopters, MoR multifunctional robotic fingers, Tacthancer tactile sensitivity enhancers, SACRANEX cosmetics exopolysaccharide, and DLP 3D printing materials under the Trindy brand. Wholly-owned Sun Chemical Corporation serves as the primary global distribution channel for printing inks, pigments, coatings, and graphic arts materials, with major operating subsidiaries including Earthrise Nutritionals (Spirulina cultivation in California), PT. DIC Graphics (Indonesia), and a broad network of DIC (China) entities.

DIC's technology base rests on proprietary chemistries developed and accumulated over more than a century (founded 1908), including 50+ years of outdoor Spirulina cultivation, patented effect pigment platforms (Glacier synthetic mica, Paliocrom aluminum, Lumina HD, Paliogen perylene), patented semiconductor photoresist and low-dielectric materials (acquired via PCAS Canada in 2023 and BASF's Colors & Effects business in 2021), and novel endothermic gel materials for lithium-ion battery fire propagation prevention. The company runs an enterprise field-sales go-to-market model with direct sales teams across Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya for Japan, regional headquarters including DIC (China) Co., Ltd. in Shanghai, and an Asia Pacific network spanning 25 plants and offices across 12 countries. Marketing leverages industry trade shows (CES, SEMICON JAPAN, CHINACOAT, IFT FIRST, in-cosmetics Korea, Battery Japan), sustainability communications, and IR channels. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales under quote-based B2B pricing across five primary segments: packaging, automotive, electronics, healthcare and nutrition, and industrial/construction — with no public pricing disclosed.

Name

DIC Corporation

Legal name

DIC Corporation

Website

https://ap.dic-global.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1908

Operating status

Operating

Short description

DIC Corporation is a Japan-headquartered diversified fine chemicals manufacturer producing printing inks, organic pigments, synthetic resins, and functional materials through more than 170 group companies across 60+ countries. It serves enterprise customers in packaging, automotive, electronics, semiconductor, healthcare, and industrial markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemicals

NAICS

Printing Ink Manufacturing (32591), Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551), Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513), Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing (3255)

SIC

Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890), Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Printing Inks (IMAEAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Printing inks
• Organic pigments
• Synthetic resins
• Specialty chemicals
• Packaging materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Printing Inks: Manufacture and sale of printing inks including gravure inks, flexo inks, offset inks, news inks, metal decorative inks, security inks, and jet inks for various printing applications from food packaging to industrial usage.
2. Organic Pigments: Production and sale of pigments for display applications, coatings, plastics, printing inks, cosmetics, and digital printing. Includes effect pigments for automotive and industrial coatings.
3. Synthetic Resins: Manufacture and sale of synthetic resins including acrylic, polyurethane, epoxy, phenolic, polyester, unsaturated polyester, butadiene resin latex, UV-curable resins, and specialty chemicals.
4. Functional Products: Industrial adhesive tapes, hollow fiber membrane modules, PPS compounds, functional compounds, and masterbatch for fibers and films.
5. Health Foods and Natural Ingredients: Spirulina-based health foods, phycocyanin natural blue colorants, algal-derived DHA oil, and microalgae feed (UltraNanno).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DIC Corporation manufactures and sells printing inks (gravure, flexo, offset, metal decorative, security, inkjet, news), organic pigments, synthetic resins, and specialty chemicals for packaging, automotive, electronics, semiconductor, and healthcare industries. Through subsidiary Sun Chemical, it is a global leader in printing inks and pigments, and also produces Spirulina-based health foods, natural colorants (LINABLUE), battery safety materials, and functional products including adhesives, films, and adhesive tapes.

Product overview

DIC Corporation is a diversified fine chemicals company offering a comprehensive portfolio organized into four main business segments: Packaging & Graphic (printing inks including gravure, flexo, offset, security, and inkjet; packaging adhesives including solvent-free DUALAM; coextruded films; polystyrene), Color & Display (pigments for displays, coatings, plastics, cosmetics, and digital printing; health foods and Spirulina-based products including natural blue colorants LINABLUE and phycocyanin), Functional Products (synthetic resins including acrylics, polyurethanes, epoxies, phenolics; surfactants; PPS compounds; industrial adhesive tapes; hollow fiber membrane modules; semiconductor materials including EPICLON, PHENOLITE, eFLOW, SEPAREL), and New Business Development (innovative products including GELRAMIC battery safety materials, HAGAMOSphere drones, MoR robotic fingers, Tacthancer tactile enhancers, SACRANEX cosmetics ingredients, and sustainable packaging solutions DeReSus and RePOS). The company also operates Sun Chemical, a major subsidiary, for global printing inks and pigments. With over 170 companies in more than 60 countries, DIC serves diverse markets including packaging, automotive, electronics, semiconductors, healthcare, and agriculture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DeReSus: Expanding the scope of recycling by De-inking system for laminate packages
• RePOS
• DUALAM
• LINABLUE
• Earthrise Nutritionals
• Paliogen
• Spectrasense
• Glacier
• Lumina
• Paliocrom
• BURNOCK
• WATERSOL
• ACRYDIC
• HAGAMOSphere
• MoR
• Tacthancer
• GELRAMIC
• Spirulina
• Sun Chemical
• DIFAREN

Products and services

• Gravure Inks Wide range of gravure printing inks for various applications from food packaging to industrial usage globally.
• Flexo Inks Global leader in flexographic inks and solutions for packaging and printing applications.
• Metal Decorative Inks Leader in metal decorative inks for can coating and decoration applications.
• Offset Inks Offset printing inks meeting customer requirements around the globe for commercial printing.
• News Inks Newspaper printing inks for daily publication requirements.
• Security Inks Brand protection and securities printing solutions for anti-counterfeiting applications.
• Inkjet Inks Digital printing inks leveraging accumulated formulation capabilities and application expertise for the evolving digital printing market.
• Functional Coatings Wide range of functional coating materials for paper and films including barrier coatings and release coatings.
• Packaging Adhesives Packaging laminating adhesive solutions for wide range of applications from food products to consumer goods, including DUALAM solvent-free adhesive that increases production efficiency by 50%.
• Coextruded Multilayer Films (DIFAREN) Coextruded multilayer films widely used for food and pharmaceutical packaging with ISCC PLUS certification.
• Polystyrene GPPS (transparent) and HIPS (impact-resistant) polystyrene resins used across multiple industries including RePOS closing the loop on Polystyrene recycling.
• Organic Pigments Organic pigments for display applications, coatings, plastics, printing inks, cosmetics, and digital printing.
• Effect Pigments (Glacier, Paliocrom, Lumina) Sun Chemical's comprehensive effect pigment portfolio including synthetic mica pearl pigments (Glacier), aluminum effect pigments (Paliocrom), and high-definition semi-transparent effect pigments (Lumina) for automotive and industrial coatings.
• Paliogen Perylene Pigments Premium perylene pigments delivering exceptional durability and color purity for coatings and plastics, certified ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX.
• Synthetic Resins Acrylic, polyurethane, epoxy, phenolic, polyester, unsaturated polyester, butadiene resin latex, and UV-curable resins for coatings, adhesives, and industrial applications.
• Surfactants (MEGAFACE) Surface active agents under MEGAFACE brand for industrial and consumer applications.
• Industrial Adhesive Tapes Pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes for industrial bonding, mounting, and masking applications.
• Hollow Fiber Membrane Modules Membrane separation modules for filtration, dialysis, and gas separation applications.
• PPS Compounds Polyphenylene sulfide compounds for high-temperature engineering plastic applications in automotive and electronics.
• Masterbatch for Fibers and Films Color and additive masterbatches for fiber and film extrusion applications.
• DLP 3D Printing Materials (Trindy) Digital Light Processing 3D printing materials for rapid prototyping and manufacturing.
• Spirulina Health Foods Edible Spirulina blue-green algae containing over 50 healthy nutrients, including supplements and food ingredients.
• LINABLUE Natural Blue Food Coloring Natural blue food coloring made with pigment extracted from Spirulina using water-based process, achieving zero discharge of industrial wastewater.
• Algal-derived DHA Oil Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) oil derived from algae as omega-3 supplement and food ingredient.
• UltraNanno Microalgae Feed Microalgae-based feed ingredient for aquaculture and animal nutrition.
• Semiconductor Materials (EPICLON, PHENOLITE, eFLOW, SEPAREL) High-performance materials for semiconductor fabrication including EPICLON low-viscosity low-dielectric vinyl resin, PHENOLITE photoresist polymer, eFLOW antistatic device, and SEPAREL degassing module for water treatment.
• GELRAMIC Endothermic Pad Material Fire-propagation prevention endothermic pad material for lithium-ion batteries using proprietary gel technology. Absorbs heat during thermal runaway and transforms into rigid ceramic sheet for thermal insulation. Target sales of ¥1.0 billion by 2030.
• SACRANEX Powder Multi-functional exopolysaccharide powder developed for cosmetics products with sensory enhancement properties.
• HAGAMOSphere Omnidirectional Multicopter Omnidirectional multicopter with unique structure enabling both flight and ground rolling. Features tilt-rotor system for multiple operational modes and harsh environment tolerance. Designed for disaster site information collection, infrastructure inspection, and weather observation.
• MoR Multifunctional Robotic Finger Innovative robotic finger using 3D-MID (3D molded interconnect device) technology that enables sensing and operation without built-in cameras or external sensors. Can recognize and grasp objects ranging from soft food items to hard metal parts.
• Tacthancer Tactile Sensitivity Enhancer Sensing technology tool that improves ability to detect surface flaws beyond human touch alone. Simple design requires no power source and can be combined with sensors to record sensing data.
• DeReSus De-inking System De-inking system that expands scope of recycling by enabling ink removal from laminated packaging materials.
• RePOS Polystyrene Recycling Solution Polystyrene recycling solution that closes the loop by enabling polystyrene recovery and reuse.
• BURNOCK WD Series Coatings Water-based coating systems for automotive interiors, engineering plastics, and industrial applications with superior adhesion and chemical resistance.
• WATERSOL Water-based Resin Systems Water-based resin systems for industrial coatings including in-mold decoration films and general industrial applications.
• ACRYDIC High-gloss Solvent-based Coatings High-gloss solvent-based coating systems for plastics including basecoat/clearcoat systems for automotive and 3C products.
• SHIOLESS Environment-friendly Ink Environment-friendly ink designed to improve packaging recyclability with global sales expansion plans.
• DUALAM Solvent-free Adhesive New solvent-free adhesive that increases production efficiency by 50% for laminated packaging.

Quantifiable outcome

• Operating income increased from ¥17.9 billion (FY2023) to ¥52.2 billion (FY2025)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Institute of Science TokyominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2025Joint research partnership for discovering new Spirulina-based applications for suppressing parasitic infection. Published joint paper on schistosomiasis control in Tropical Medicine and Health journal.
• Nippon Bunri UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2025Joint research partnership for Spirulina-based research. Contributed to paper on environment-friendly strategy for suppressing schistosomiasis.
• Kyorin Co., Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2025Joint research partnership for Spirulina-based applications. Published joint paper on schistosomiasis control research.
• International House of JapanminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2025DIC agreed to collaborate with the International House of Japan in various fields, beginning with visual arts and architecture. This partnership is part of DIC's downsizing and relocation of the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art from Sakura, Chiba Prefecture to Tokyo.
• Christie'sminorOthers · 1 January 2025DIC selected global auction house Christie's to facilitate the sale of approximately 80 important works of art from the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art collection via international auction.
• Imperial Irrigation District (IID)minorOthers · 1 January 2025Earthrise Nutritionals satisfies more than 50% of its energy needs with renewable energy provided by IID, a public corporation that supplies water and power to local farmland in Southern California.
• Taiyo Holdings Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017DIC entered into capital and business alliance with Taiyo Holdings Co., Ltd. in January 2017, strengthening collaborative relationship in printing materials and related businesses.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BASF SE: Global chemical giant and former owner of the Colors & Effects pigments business acquired by DIC in 2021. Overlaps with DIC in pigments, resins, and performance chemicals at a much broader portfolio level.
• Avient Corporation: US-based specialty polymer materials provider with masterbatch, colorants, and engineered materials. Comparable in pigments, masterbatch for fibers/films, and functional compounds overlapping with DIC's Functional Products segment.
• Nippon Paint Holdings: Asia-leading paints and coatings group with global automotive, decorative, and industrial coatings lines. Comparable in coatings resins and pigments, especially in automotive refinish and industrial segments.
• Kansai Paint: Major Japanese coatings and paints manufacturer with strong automotive OEM and refinish presence. Comparable in automotive coatings, resins, and effect pigments serving similar automotive customers.

Direct peers

• Flint Group: Global printing inks and packaging coatings supplier headquartered in Luxembourg. Direct competitor in packaging and commercial printing inks, especially in Europe and Americas, complementing DIC's Sun Chemical operations.
• Hubergroup: Family-owned German printing inks specialist serving packaging, commercial, and news printing. Comparable product mix and customer segments, particularly in offset and packaging inks.
• Siegwerk: German-headquartered global supplier of printing inks and coatings for packaging and labels. Comparable in flexo and gravure inks for flexible packaging, with similar focus on sustainable packaging solutions.
• Sakata INX: Japanese printing ink manufacturer with global operations in gravure, flexo, offset, and digital inks. Highly comparable product portfolio and customer overlap with DIC's Packaging & Graphic segment.
• Toyo Ink (SC Holdings): Major Japanese printing inks and color materials manufacturer. Directly comparable as a domestic Japanese competitor in printing inks, pigments, and resins with overlapping product lines and customer base in packaging and graphic arts.

Emerging players

• JSR Corporation: Japanese specialty chemicals and materials company with strong semiconductor materials franchise (photoresists, advanced polymers). Comparable as a competitor in semiconductor materials where DIC has invested via PCAS Canada acquisition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dic_at_ces
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/diccorporation

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries26 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 DIC Corporation