Toyo Ink SC Holdings

What Toyo Ink SC Holdings does

artience Co., Ltd. (formerly Toyo Ink SC Holdings Co., Ltd., rebranded January 2024) is a Tokyo-headquartered specialty chemicals group founded in 1896, publicly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (ticker 4634), and operating through approximately 60 group companies across 24 countries with 5,001-10,000 employees. The company is organized into three integrated business segments: Colorants (pigments, nano-level CNT dispersions for EV lithium-ion batteries, display color resists, digital and plastic colorants), Polymers (packaging and electronics adhesives, functional films for mobile devices, beverage and food can coatings), and Inks (film, paper, label, and metal deco inks, plus UV-curable and digital printing inks). Its core technology platform rests on proprietary pigment and polymer chemistry combined with dispersion and coating technologies, including nano-level CNT dispersion and carbon black micro-dispersion techniques developed over decades of pigment dispersion expertise. artience holds Japan No. 1 market share in packaging inks, laminate adhesives, and metal can inks and coatings, and world-class share in EV battery CNT dispersions (4-region, 5-site global production) and display color resists.

The company monetizes through a B2B direct sales model selling quote-based, volume-driven industrial specialty chemicals to packaging converters, can manufacturers, electronics and display OEMs, and EV battery makers, supplemented by regional channel partners in India, Indonesia, Thailand, and other growth markets. Multi-year contracts and long qualification cycles anchor customer relationships, while revenues are diversified across printing inks, polymers, and colorants, with strategic priority businesses (CNT dispersions, display materials, medical/healthcare) targeted to exceed 40% of consolidated operating profit by 2030. Notable commercial proof points include a co-developed foam-generating beer can coating with Asahi Breweries for the draft-beer-in-can product, an ELISA kit co-developed with the Institute for Immunobiology that reduces bio-derived protein usage by over 90%, and ISO 14001 certification at 28 of 38 manufacturing sites. The medium-term plan artience2027/2030 targets ROE of 8.0% (fiscal 2026) rising to 10.0%+ (fiscal 2029), CNT dispersion revenues of 20B yen by 2028, and 80% of sales from sustainability-contribution products by 2030.

Name

Toyo Ink SC Holdings

Legal name

artience株式会社 (artience Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://artiencegroup.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1896

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

artience Co., Ltd. (formerly Toyo Ink SC Holdings) is a Japanese specialty chemicals group founded in 1896, supplying colorants, polymers, and inks to packaging, EV battery, display, and medical customers across 24 countries through ~60 group companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemicals

NAICS

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

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Electronic Components & Accessories (3670)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital & Specialty Inks (Inkjet, UV, Conductive) (IMAEAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Packaging Inks (IMAEAHAH), Sustainable Labels, Adhesives & Inks (Wash-Off Labels, De-inkable Inks, Low-VOC) (IMALAMAJ)

Keywords

• Specialty chemicals
• Printing inks
• Pigments and colorants
• Polymer coatings
• EV battery materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices16 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. Colorants (色材系事業): Colorant business covering pigments, nano-level dispersion products for EV lithium-ion battery materials (CNT dispersions, carbon black dispersions), display color resists, digital printing colorants, and plastic colorants for containers and automotive applications. Balanced profit composition with ink business.
2. Polymers (ポリマー系事業): Polymer business combining polymer synthesis and coating technologies, covering packaging adhesives, electronics adhesives, functional films for mobile devices, and beverage/food can coating agents. Applied across electronics and packaging sectors.
3. Inks (インキ系事業): Printing ink business supplying film packaging inks, paper packaging inks, packaging label inks, and metal deco inks for beverage/food cans. Products used in sustainable, rich lifestyle-supporting printing and packaging applications.
4. Water-Based Metal-Deco Beverage Can Inks: artience competes as a key ink manufacturer in the water-based metal-deco beverage can inks market (valued at USD 0.7 billion in 2026, projected to reach USD 1.1 billion by 2036 at 5.4% CAGR). artience is identified alongside Sun Chemical, INX International, Flint Group, Siegwerk, Huber Group, and DIC Corporation as a major player.
5. Sustainability Contribution Products: Sustainability-focused products providing environmental value (decarbonization, resource circulation, coexistence with nature) and lifestyle value (medical/healthcare, safety, communications/electronics), targeting 80% of group sales by 2030.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

artience Co., Ltd. (formerly Toyo Ink SC Holdings) manufactures and sells specialty chemical materials across three integrated segments: Colorants (pigments, CNT dispersions for EV lithium-ion batteries, display color resists, plastic colorants), Polymers (adhesives, functional films, can coatings), and Inks (packaging inks, metal deco inks, UV-curable and digital printing inks). The company supplies industrial manufacturers of packaging, beverage cans, displays, EV batteries, and mobile devices through direct sales and global subsidiaries in approximately 24 countries.

Product overview

artience Co., Ltd. (formerly Toyo Ink SC Holdings) operates three integrated business segments—Colorant, Polymer, and Ink—offering a comprehensive portfolio of specialty chemicals. The Colorant segment provides pigments, CNT dispersions for EV batteries, display color resist, and plastic colorants. The Polymer segment delivers adhesives, functional films, and coatings including can linings and specialty foam-generating coatings. The Ink segment supplies gravure, offset, UV-curable, and digital printing inks for packaging, labels, and metal decoration. Key products include EV lithium-ion battery CNT dispersions (world-class market position), display color resist, functional films for mobile devices, packaging inks and laminate adhesives (Japan No. 1 share), and metal can inks and coatings (Japan No. 1 share). The company also developed innovative beer foam-generating can coatings for Asahi Beer's draft beer in can product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• artience growth field: Company-wide training and development system for employee skill development and career formation
• artience HR CANVAS
• TOYOCHEM
• Clover Support Center
• Incubation CANVAS TOKYO

Products and services

• EV Lithium-Ion Battery CNT (Carbon Nanotube) Dispersion Carbon nanotube dispersion used as a conductive additive in electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries, contributing to higher capacity, output, and battery longevity. artience operates a top global manufacturing system with 4 regions and 5 production sites (US, Europe, China, Japan) for this product.
• Display Color Resist Color resist materials for display (LCD/OLED) and semiconductor manufacturing, where artience holds a world-class market share. These materials contribute to improved display performance and resolution.
• Functional Films for Mobile Devices Polymer functional films designed for mobile electronic devices, leveraging polymer synthesis and coating technologies to deliver optical and protective functions in compact form factors.
• Packaging Inks (Film, Carton, and Label) Printing inks for flexible film packaging, paper carton packaging, and packaging label applications, supplied to packaging converters and brand owners. artience holds the No. 1 market share in Japan for packaging inks.
• Metal Deco Inks and Metal Can Coatings
• Water-Based Metal-Deco Beverage Can Inks Water-based printing inks specifically formulated for metal decoration on beverage cans, designed to meet VOC emission regulations and support the beverage industry's shift toward low-emission packaging production systems.
• Beer Foam-Generating Can Interior Coating Specialty interior coating for aluminum beverage cans, co-developed with Asahi Breweries, that forms micro-roughness on the inner surface to enable controlled foam generation upon opening, enabling the draft-beer-in-a-can consumer experience.
• Packaging and Electronics Adhesives Laminate adhesives for packaging lamination and adhesive materials for electronic device applications, where artience holds the No. 1 market share in Japan for packaging laminate adhesives.
• Digital Printing Colorants Colorant materials engineered for digital printing applications across commercial, packaging, and industrial printing workflows.
• Plastic Colorants for Containers and Automotive Pigment and colorant products used to color plastics in container and automotive applications.
• UV Curable Printing Inks UV-curable printing inks designed to reduce environmental impact and support energy-efficient LED-UV curing technologies used in commercial and packaging printing.

Quantifiable outcome

• CNT dispersion sales targets: 6.5B yen (2026), 12.5B yen (2027), 20B yen (2028)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DIC Corporation: Japanese-headquartered global leader in printing inks, pigments, and specialty chemicals. Direct competitor across artience's three business segments — colorants, polymers, and inks — with substantial overlap in packaging inks and display color resists. Among the top 5 global printing ink manufacturers alongside artience.
• Sun Chemical: Subsidiary of DIC Corporation and the global #1 printing ink manufacturer, with leading positions in packaging inks, metal deco inks, and graphic arts. Direct competitor in the global packaging ink market and the water-based metal-deco beverage can inks market.
• Flint Group: Global supplier of printing inks, coatings, and consumables for the packaging and print media industries. Among the top 5 global printing ink manufacturers alongside artience, with directly overlapping product portfolios in packaging and publication inks.
• Siegwerk: German-headquartered global provider of printing inks and coatings for packaging, with strong positions in sustainable and water-based ink systems. Direct competitor in the water-based metal-deco beverage can ink market and packaging ink applications.
• Huber Group: German-headquartered global printing ink and specialty chemicals manufacturer serving packaging, commercial, and publication printing. Among the top 5 global printing ink manufacturers and direct competitor in water-based metal deco inks.
• INX International Ink Co. US-based global printing ink manufacturer (subsidiary of Sakata INX) competing directly with artience in metal deco and packaging inks. Direct peer in the water-based metal-deco beverage can ink market alongside Sun Chemical, Flint, Siegwerk, Huber, and DIC.
• Sakata INX Corporation: Japanese-listed global printing ink manufacturer (parent of INX International) with overlapping product portfolios in offset, gravure, metal deco, and digital printing inks. Domestic Japanese competitor in the same end markets as artience.

Emerging players

• Cabot Corporation: Global specialty chemicals and performance materials company with leadership in carbon black for batteries, rubber, and inks. Emerging player/competitor in conductive carbon black and specialty carbons for EV lithium-ion battery applications, overlapping with artience's CNT and CB dispersion business.
• Tokai Carbon Co., Ltd. Japanese-listed specialty carbon and graphite materials manufacturer with growing exposure to battery materials and conductive carbons. Partial competitor in carbon-based conductive materials for EV batteries, complementary to artience's CNT dispersion business.

Broad incumbents

• Arkema S.A. French global specialty chemicals company with strong positions in adhesives, coating solutions, and advanced materials including battery materials. Broader incumbent competing across artience's polymer, coating, and EV-materials businesses as part of a wider specialty chemicals portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/artience_global
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@artience_global
• Facebookfacebook.com/ToyoInkScHoldings
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artience-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/artiencegroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries10 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 Toyo Ink SC Holdings