Hubergroup

What Hubergroup does

Hubergroup is a German-headquartered printing ink specialist and specialty chemicals manufacturer with origins dating to 1765, organized into two operating divisions: Print Solutions, which produces UV offset (NewV), water-based (HYDRO-X, HYDRO-i), solvent-based (Gecko, Gecko Platinum), and UV flexo (iray) ink systems alongside varnishes, barrier coatings, and fountain solution additives; and Chemicals, which supplies raw materials—polyurethane and polyketonic resins, UV oligomers, pigments, laminating adhesives, and the ELARA additive brand—to coatings, inks, and adhesives producers. Manufacturing is vertically integrated, with India-based facilities producing 250+ kilotons of reactor capacity for key raw materials, complemented by European production in Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, and France, and a wholly-owned security-inks subsidiary (Gleitsmann Security Inks). The portfolio is differentiated by regulatory-first engineering, with full German Printing Ink Ordinance (GIO) compliance achieved ahead of the January 2027 deadline, plus Swiss Ordinance and Nestlé Guidance Note certifications across the food-contact ink range.

The company serves packaging converters (food, flexible, folding cartons, labels, metal decoration, corrugated) as its primary vertical, followed by commercial/printer/press and chemical-industry customers. Go-to-market is sales-led with direct technical-sales engineers, on-site mixing stations (e.g., Sainte-Sigolène, France), regional laboratories, and color-matching services across nearly 30 countries. Pricing is quote-based, with recent raw-material-driven price adjustments of up to 10% on nitrocellulose-based products announced for July 2025 and a broader European portfolio price correction in late 2025. Revenue was €743M in 2024 across roughly 3,000+ employees. In April 2025, Hubergroup was acquired by the MAVNU consortium (MAVCO Investments and Avenue Capital Group), transitioning from 260 years of family ownership to private equity control, with stated ambitions for medium- and long-term growth supported by facility expansions in India, France, Germany, and Poland, and a renewed product-launch cadence across food-contact, LED-UV, water-based, and circular-economy product lines.

Name

Hubergroup

Legal name

hubergroup Deutschland GmbH

Website

https://hubergroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1765

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Hubergroup is a 260-year-old German printing ink and specialty chemicals manufacturer operating two divisions—Print Solutions (UV, water-based, and solvent-based inks, varnishes, barrier coatings) and Chemicals (resins, pigments, additives, UV oligomers)—serving packaging converters, commercial printers, and chemical formulators across nearly 30 countries with vertically integrated manufacturing in India and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Printing Inks

NAICS

Printing Ink Manufacturing (325910), Printing Ink Manufacturing (32591), Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513), Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing (3255), Adhesive Manufacturing (325520)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Packaging Inks (IMAEAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coating & Adhesive Raw Materials (Resins, Additives, Solvents) (IMAEAGAK), Specialty Surfactants & Performance Additives (IMAEABAL), Label Stock, Inks, Coatings & Laminates (Materials Supply) (IMALAKAL), Plasticizers & Solvents (Phthalates/Alternatives, Commodity Solvents) (IMAEADAK)

Keywords

• Printing inks
• Offset inks
• Packaging inks
• Specialty chemicals
• Printing auxiliaries

Headquarters

HQ city

Vapi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations

Revenue model

1. Print Solutions Division: Production and sale of printing inks, varnishes, and printing auxiliaries for packaging, commercial, and newspaper printing markets. Revenue generated through direct sales of ink products across multiple technology platforms including UV, water-based, and solvent-based systems.
2. Chemicals Division: Production and marketing of specialty chemicals including resins, pigments, additives, UV oligomers, and colorants manufactured in India. Serves coatings, inks, adhesives industries and chemical companies through custom manufacturing and standard product sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hubergroup manufactures and sells printing inks, varnishes, coatings, fountain solution additives, and printing auxiliaries for commercial, packaging, and newspaper printing through its Print Solutions Division. Through its Chemicals Division, the company produces specialty raw materials including UV oligomers, polyurethane resins, polyketonic resins, pigments, colorants, laminating adhesives, and additives for the coatings, inks, and adhesives industries.

Product overview

Hubergroup is a printing ink specialist and raw material manufacturer offering two distinct divisions: Print Solutions and Chemicals. The Print Solutions Division provides comprehensive ink systems including UV offset inks (NewV series), water-based inks (HYDRO-X, HYDRO-i), solvent-based inks (Gecko), UV flexo inks (iray), and MGA-compliant food packaging inks (Tinkredible, MGA CONTACT), along with varnishes, barrier coatings, fountain solution additives, and technical services. The Chemicals Division supplies specialty raw materials including UV oligomers, polyurethane resins, polyketonic resins, laminating adhesives, pigments, and the recently launched ELARA additive brand. The portfolio supports packaging, commercial, and newspaper printing across food contact, flexible packaging, corrugated, labels, metal decoration, and paper/cardboard applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NewV: UV offset ink series including NewV pack premium, NewV set LED, NewV pack MGA, NewV poly MGA, NewV tin LED MGA, and NewV web LED for web offset printing
• Gecko
• HYDRO-X
• DYNAMICA
• Tinkredible
• iray
• ACRYLAC
• ELARA
• Gecko Platinum
• RAPIDA ECO
• ECO-PERFECT-DRY
• HYDRO-LAC GA

Products and services

• NewV UV Offset Ink Series Comprehensive UV offset ink portfolio including low-tack versions, LED-curable formulations, and MGA-compliant variants for food packaging applications across sheet-fed and web offset printing.
• NewV tin LED MGA LED-curing ink for food packaging applications in three-piece can production, compliant with German Ink Ordinance, Swiss Ordinance, and brand manufacturer guidelines.
• Tinkredible MGA Ink System Globally compliant migration-safe ink system for folding cartons and paper-based food packaging, ensuring organoleptic properties of food remain unaffected while delivering high-speed performance.
• DYNAMICA Ink Series Next-generation commercial offset ink series with cobalt- and mineral oil-free formulation, high pigmentation, and fast-setting properties for high-speed commercial printing.
• HYDRO-X CONTACT Water-based inks and overprint varnishes for direct food contact applications, enabling printing on the inside of food packaging with support for recycling-friendly mono-material packaging structures.
• HYDRO-i Water-based ink portfolio for corrugated packaging with tailored systems for post- and pre-print applications on both coated and uncoated substrates.
• Gecko Platinum

Quantifiable outcome

• OTR less than 10 cubic centimetres of oxygen per square metre and day achieved with oxygen barrier coating
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• PrintCYC Initiative PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-sector collaboration including Brückner Maschinenbau, Kiefel, PackSys Global, Profol, Constantia Flexibles, and Erema focused on recycling of printed films and circular economy solutions.
• Recyclate Initiative PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative initiative with Taghleef Industries (films), Henkel (laminating adhesives), and Maag (packaging) to improve recyclate quality of polyolefin foils through appropriate ink systems.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Flint Group: Flint Group is a major global supplier of printing inks and consumables for the packaging and print media industries. Comparable to hubergroup's commercial and packaging ink portfolio across flexo, gravure, offset, and UV technologies, with similar regulatory and sustainability positioning.
• ALTANA (ECKART / BYK): ALTANA's ECKART division produces specialty inks and metallic pigments for printing and coatings, while BYK produces additives — overlapping with hubergroup's ELARA additives brand and pigment/colorant offerings. Comparable as a specialty chemicals player adjacent to the ink value chain.
• Sun Chemical (DIC Corporation): Sun Chemical is the world's largest printing ink manufacturer and the dominant incumbent in packaging inks, offset inks, and publication inks. Directly comparable to hubergroup's Print Solutions Division across UV, water-based, and solvent-based ink systems for the same packaging and commercial print customers.
• PPG Industries (Industrial Coatings): PPG Industries is a major global coatings and specialty materials producer whose industrial coatings portfolio overlaps with hubergroup's coatings raw materials and ELARA additives offerings. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the specialty chemicals and coatings value chain.
• Fujifilm (Industrial Ink Business): Fujifilm's industrial products division includes printing inks and materials for packaging and commercial printing. Comparable to hubergroup's water-based and UV ink offerings, particularly for label and packaging applications.

Direct peers

• Wikoff Color Corporation: Wikoff Color is a privately-held specialty ink manufacturer focused on packaging, label, and commercial printing inks. Comparable to hubergroup as a mid-sized specialist with custom formulation capabilities, strong technical service, and presence in UV, water-based, and energy-curable ink systems.
• Toyo Ink (Artience Co., Ltd.): Toyo Ink / Artience is a Japanese printing ink and specialty chemicals manufacturer with global operations in packaging inks, offset inks, and graphic arts materials. Directly comparable to hubergroup in offset and UV ink technologies serving packaging converters and commercial printers.
• Siegwerk: Siegwerk is one of the leading global manufacturers of printing inks for packaging and labels, with a portfolio that directly overlaps hubergroup's Gecko solvent-based inks and NewV UV ink lines. Comparable as a mid-sized specialist focused on flexible packaging, labels, and food-contact-compliant inks.
• Sakata INX: Sakata INX is a Japanese manufacturer of printing inks with global operations, producing offset, gravure, flexo, and UV inks for packaging and commercial printing. Comparable to hubergroup in scale and product breadth across printing ink technologies.
• Marabu GmbH & Co. KG: Marabu is a German-based manufacturer of specialty printing inks for screen, pad, and digital printing applications. Comparable to hubergroup as a German specialty ink competitor with focus on industrial and packaging printing applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hubergroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hubergroup

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 Hubergroup