DC DruckChemie GmbH

What DC DruckChemie GmbH does

DC DruckChemie GmbH is a German specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1971 and headquartered in Ammerbach, Germany. The company develops, produces, and supplies specialty chemicals, consumables, and related services for the printing and graphics industries, organized across five product categories — Sheetfed, Coldset, Heatset, Flexographic, and Industrial Chemicals. Its core product portfolio includes washing agents, fountain solutions (including alcohol-free formulations for modern high-speed presses), proprietary silicone emulsions under the Silko PF brand (O/W formulations based on polydimethylsiloxane with scuff protection additives), adhesives and glues for binding and side-gluing, varnishes and coatings, anti-set-off powders, cleaning cloths, offset blankets, special cleaners, and a range of industrial chemicals (aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, alcohols, glycol ethers, ketones, and acids/bases/salts).

The company monetizes through direct B2B sales of these chemical and consumable product lines to commercial, offset, coldset, heatset, and flexographic printing operations, supplemented by certified waste reprocessing and recycling services for printing and packaging waste. Its differentiated offering is a fully-integrated 360-degree solution that pairs chemical supply with take-back and certified disposal of varnish/coating rinse water and other printing waste, providing end-to-end compliance and environmental responsibility for customers. The company is privately held, backed by 3i Group (last disclosed funding round in 2008), employs 51-100 people, and operates a sales-led GTM motion via direct field sales. It maintains a multilingual web presence including English (UK) and German, and is actively operating with no public AI/ML capability or digital product surface evident in available materials.

Name

DC DruckChemie GmbH

Legal name

DC DruckChemie GmbH

Website

https://druckchemie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

DC DruckChemie GmbH is a German specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1971 that supplies printing chemicals, consumables, and certified waste-recycling services to commercial, offset, coldset, heatset, and flexographic printing operations worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ammerbach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Printing Chemicals and Consumables: Sale of specialty printing chemicals including washing agents, fountain solutions, silicone emulsions, adhesives, varnishes, cleaning products, and offset blankets to printing operations.
2. Waste Reprocessing and Recycling Services: Certified waste disposal, reprocessing, and recycling services for packaging and printing waste materials. Part of their 360-degree integrated solution offering.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

DC DruckChemie GmbH develops, manufactures, and supplies specialty chemicals, consumables, and industrial chemicals for the printing and graphics industries, including washing agents, fountain solutions, silicone emulsions, adhesives, varnishes, special cleaners, anti-set-off powders, cleaning cloths, and offset blankets. The company complements its chemical portfolio with a certified waste reprocessing and recycling service, providing an integrated 360° solution spanning supply through compliant disposal.

Product overview

DC DruckChemie GmbH is a specialty chemicals company providing a comprehensive portfolio of products and services for the printing and graphics industries. Their offering is organized across three main categories: (1) Printing Solutions including Washing Agents (Sheetfed, Coldset, and Heatset variants), Fount Solutions (Sheetfed, Coldset, and Heatset), Silicone Emulsions (Silko® PF brand), Printing Aids, and Cleaning products; (2) Consumables and Equipment including Glue, Varnishes, Anti-Set-Off Powders, Cleaning Cloths, Offset Blankets, and Flexographic Printing products; and (3) Industrial Chemicals including Aliphatic Hydrocarbons, Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Alcohols, Glycol Ethers, Glycol Ether Acetates, Ketones, Acids/Bases/Salts, and Industrial Cleaners. The company also offers a fully-integrated 360° solution that encompasses supply through to certified waste reprocessing and recycling, making them both a product supplier and an environmental services provider for the printing industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sheetfed Washing Agents Washing agents developed through laboratory testing for sheetfed offset printing, designed to meet the requirements of modern printing machinery with highly developed print applications and configurations.
• Coldset Washing Agents Washing agents formulated specifically for coldset printing applications.
• Heatset Washing Agents Washing agents formulated specifically for heatset printing applications.
• Sheetfed Fount Solutions Fountain solutions for sheetfed offset printing, designed for advancements in application technology, alcohol-free printing, and ever-faster equipment.
• Coldset Fount Solutions Fountain solutions formulated for coldset printing applications.
• Heatset Fount Solutions Fountain solutions formulated for heatset printing applications.
• Silko PF Silicone Emulsions O/W formulation based on PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) combined with scuff protection additives, offering exceptionally good protection on the paper web.
• Glue High-performance adhesives specially developed for the graphic industry, designed for perfect binding and side gluing of all printed products.
• Varnishes Coatings and solutions for special customer requirements, with optional certified take-back of varnish/coating rinse water.
• Printing Aids Wide range of printing aids designed to give prints the perfect look and increase productivity by reducing downtimes.
• Special Cleaners Innovative special cleaners for offset printing, including different ink solvents, special dampening roller and plate cleaners, and water-based cleaning agents for stubborn dirt.
• Anti-Set-Off Powders Powders characterized by uniform particle sizes and spacing on substrate, ensuring sheets are not laid down or folded in the delivery stack and enabling laminating or varnishing without issue.
• Cleaning Cloths Washing cloths for automatic blanket washers, designed for optimal results with the lowest possible consumption of detergents, available in various variants and colours.
• Offset Blankets Wide variety of offset blankets matched to specific areas of application, supporting stable and high-quality printing processes.
• Flexographic Printing Products Full service offer for flexo printers, including environmentally friendly solvents and cleaning concepts for every print shop.
• Industrial Cleaners Industrial cleaners suitable for universal use, removing grease, oil, soot and other dirt and residues from metals, glass and many plastics.
• Aliphatic Hydrocarbons Subgroup of hydrocarbons — organic chemical compounds composed of carbon and hydrogen that are non-aromatic — supplied for industrial use.
• Aromatic Hydrocarbons Hydrocarbons used in paint, varnish, and automotive sectors as components of adhesives, nitro varnishes, printing inks, thinners and other products.
• Alcohols Important products and intermediates in the chemical industry, serving as starting materials to produce plasticizers.
• Glycol Ethers Primarily used as solvents and emulsifying aids in the chemical industry, and as a base for epoxy resins.
• Glycol Ether Acetates Industrial solvents with good solvency and low volatility, frequently used in paint, printing, varnish, leather, textile, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.
• Ketones Oxidation products of secondary alcohols used as solvents and cleaning agents, and in the production of plastics.
• Acids, Bases & Salts Industrial chemicals with many and varied uses across different industries.
• Certified Waste Reprocessing and Recycling Service Certified waste disposal, reprocessing, and recycling services for packaging and printing waste materials, including take-back of varnish/coating rinse water, enabling environmentally compliant end-of-life handling for printing operations.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hubergroup: Hubergroup is a German-headquartered printing ink and coatings manufacturer with a portfolio spanning offset, flexo, and gravure printing. Its German footprint, specialty focus, and printing-chemicals scope make it a direct regional and product comparable to DC DruckChemie.
• Sun Chemical: Sun Chemical (part of DIC Group) is the world's largest producer of printing inks and a major supplier of pressroom chemistry, fountain solutions, and consumables. It directly overlaps with DC DruckChemie's specialty chemical portfolio for offset, flexographic, and packaging printing.
• Sakata INX: Sakata INX is a Japanese global supplier of printing inks for offset, flexo, gravure, and digital printing. Comparable in product breadth across printing methods, although it operates at significantly larger scale and global footprint than DC DruckChemie.
• Epple Druckfarben: Epple Druckfarben is a German manufacturer of offset printing inks with a specialty, sustainability-focused product range. Its German mid-market positioning, offset focus, and emphasis on modern printing requirements make it a closely comparable regional peer.
• Siegwerk: Siegwerk is a German-headquartered global supplier of printing inks and coatings for packaging and label printing (flexo, gravure, offset). Comparable to DC DruckChemie's flexographic products and specialty chemistry offerings for print shops.
• Marabu: Marabu is a German manufacturer of specialty printing inks for screen, pad, and digital printing, plus specialty coatings. Its German base, specialty chemical orientation, and graphics-industry customer base are comparable to DC DruckChemie's printing industry focus.
• Flint Group: Flint Group is a global supplier of printing inks, coatings, and pressroom consumables (including wash solutions and fountain solutions) for commercial, packaging, and newspaper printing. Closely comparable to DC DruckChemie across the offset, coldset, heatset, and flexographic product lines.
• T&K Toka: T&K Toka is a Japanese printing ink manufacturer with a portfolio spanning offset, UV, and digital inks plus related consumables. Comparable in product focus on printing chemicals and consumables across multiple printing methods.

Broad incumbents

• Agfa-Gevaert: Agfa is a broad incumbent in the printing industry offering inks, pressroom chemistry, and printing plates/solutions across offset, digital, and specialty printing. Overlaps with DC DruckChemie in pressroom chemistry but as part of a much wider portfolio.

Others

• Heidelberger Druckmaschinen: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen is the world's leading manufacturer of offset printing presses and a key OEM customer channel for printing chemistry suppliers. It is a downstream partner/customer for DC DruckChemie's washing agents and fountain solutions rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dc-druckchemie-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 DC DruckChemie GmbH