Jänecke+Schneemann Druckfarben

What Jänecke+Schneemann Druckfarben does

Jänecke+Schneemann Druckfarben GmbH is a German specialty manufacturer of printing inks, founded in 1843 and headquartered in Sehnde/Höver near Hanover. The company produces inks for offset, flexographic, and rotogravure printing processes, spanning conventional, UV, UV-LED, and Electron Beam (EB) drying chemistries, and operates a catalog of more than 10,000 special color formulations with PANTONE-matching capability. Its customer base is composed of B2B printers across packaging (food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic), labels, flexible packaging, and commercial print segments, served through a direct enterprise sales motion led by members of the sixth-generation owning family.

Underlying the ink business is an in-house ARGUS laboratory service line that applies chromatography (GC, HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS, GC-MS, HPLC-MS) to quality, composition, and migration analysis of inks, varnishes, and additives — a capability that underpins the company's Low Migration Ink (LMI) and Food Contact Materials (FCM) offerings for regulated packaging applications. Adjacent services include customized training programs and bespoke color development.

The business model is predominantly industrial product revenue from direct sales of inks, supplemented by professional services revenue from ARGUS analysis, training, and custom color development. Pricing is quote-based rather than publicly disclosed, with multi-year supply arrangements for standard ink products and pay-as-you-go billing for laboratory and training work. The company is privately held, family-owned across six generations, employs approximately 140 people, and operates from a 47,400 m² site. It holds ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 50001:2018 certifications and serves EMEA markets with a historical export footprint reaching Vienna and Warsaw.

Name

Jänecke+Schneemann Druckfarben

Legal name

Jänecke+Schneemann Druckfarben GmbH

Website

https://js-druckfarben.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1843

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Jänecke+Schneemann Druckfarben GmbH is a sixth-generation, family-owned German manufacturer of offset, flexographic, and rotogravure printing inks, including UV, UV-LED, EB, and low-migration food-contact formulations, serving packaging, label, and commercial printers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Printing Inks

NAICS

Printing Ink Manufacturing (325910)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)

akta.pro primary industry

Printing Inks (IMAEAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Packaging Inks (IMAEAHAH), Digital & Specialty Inks (Inkjet, UV, Conductive) (IMAEAHAI), Flexible Packaging Printing (Film/Poly/Paper Print) (IMALAKAG), Sustainable Labels, Adhesives & Inks (Wash-Off Labels, De-inkable Inks, Low-VOC) (IMALAMAJ)

Keywords

• Printing inks
• Offset printing
• Flexographic inks
• Rotogravure inks
• Ink manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Höver

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Printing Ink Sales: Manufacturing and direct sales of high-quality printing inks for offset, flexographic, and rotogravure printing processes. Products include conventional inks, UV curing inks (LED and standard), EB drying inks, and specialty formulations. The company produces standard process colors as well as custom special colors (PANTONE-matched, house colors) and serves various printing applications including packaging, labels, and commercial printing.
2. ARGUS Laboratory Services: Analytical laboratory services providing quality testing, substance analysis, and migration testing for printing inks, varnishes, and additives using chromatography and mass spectrometry technologies.
3. Training and Seminars: Customized training programs on printing technology and printing inks, covering general printing ink knowledge, color management, LMI (Low Migration Ink) for food packaging, and special topics on offset and UV printing. Training conducted in German or English, available as in-house or individual sessions.
4. Custom Color Development: Individual color formulation and development services including house color creation, lightfast printing inks, and PANTONE color matching for specific printing materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Jänecke+Schneemann Druckfarben GmbH manufactures and sells high-quality printing inks for offset, flexographic, and rotogravure printing processes, including conventional, UV, UV-LED, and EB drying inks. The company also offers complementary services: ARGUS laboratory analysis (chromatography and mass spectrometry-based quality and migration testing), custom special color formulation (including PANTONE matching), and training seminars on printing ink technology. Products are sold to packaging, label, and commercial printers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ARGUS-Analysen: Laboratory services for printing inks, varnishes and additives, providing color analysis and quality assurance using chromatography and mass spectrometry technologies.

Products and services

• Offset Printing Inks High-quality offset printing inks offering excellent color fidelity, brilliant color rendering, fast drying, and optimal adhesion. Available in conventional, UV curing, UV-LED curing, and EB (Electron Beam) drying variants. Designed for commercial printing operations including brochures, posters, business cards, and weather-resistant outdoor applications.
• Flexographic Printing Inks Solvent-based and water-based flexographic printing inks with excellent color coverage, brilliant color reproduction, and precise line definition. Engineered for adhesion on diverse substrates including paper, cardboard, films, and labels. Features fast drying, abrasion resistance, and high resistance to external influences.
• Rotogravure Printing Inks Gravure printing inks for demanding rotogravure applications on metal films, plastics, and flexible packaging materials. Deliver exceptional color intensity, excellent detail accuracy, and consistent color reproduction. Feature fast drying, excellent abrasion and chemical resistance.
• ARGUS Laboratory Analysis Services Comprehensive analytical laboratory services for printing inks, varnishes, and additives. Provides quality testing, substance analysis, and migration testing using chromatography and mass spectrometry technologies (GC, HPLC, MS, GC-MS, HPLC-MS). Supports food contact materials (FCM) compliance and migration analysis for pharmaceutical and food sectors.
• Custom Special Color Development (Sonderfarben) Individual color formulation and development service producing custom special colors including PANTONE color matching, proprietary house colors, and lightfast printing inks. Offers precise color matching capabilities for specific printing materials and substrates.
• Printing Ink Training Seminars Customized training programs covering general printing ink knowledge, color management, low migration ink (LMI) for food packaging, and specialized topics on offset and UV printing. Available as in-house or individual sessions with hands-on training from experienced professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• One of the largest photovoltaic systems in the region, installed 2023, demonstrating commitment to sustainability and energy self-sufficiency
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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.

• pro regio e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive member of the Association for Training in Cooperation pro regio e.V., supporting youth recruitment and career orientation in the Hanover region. Collaborates with over 50 other companies and municipalities to network with schools and other partners. Promotes local projects for unbiased career orientation and equal opportunities.
• Grant Thornton AGminorOthersExternal data protection officer provider. Grant Thornton AG (Herr Sebastian Barg, Johannstraße 39, 40476 Düsseldorf) serves as the appointed Data Protection Officer for Jänecke+Schneemann.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hubergroup: Hubergroup is a German printing ink and coatings manufacturer serving offset, flexo, and gravure printers worldwide, with particular strength in food packaging and low-migration inks. Directly comparable to J+S in product portfolio, target customer base, and European family-owned heritage.
• Siegwerk: Siegwerk is a German-headquartered, family-influenced printing ink specialist focused on packaging and label applications with strong low-migration ink offerings. It is the closest direct competitor to J+S in terms of product focus (especially food-safe packaging inks) and German manufacturing heritage.
• Epple Druckfarben AG: Epple Druckfarben is a German printing ink manufacturer specializing in offset and packaging inks for commercial and packaging printers. Comparable to J+S in scale, German manufacturing heritage, and direct sales to B2B printing customers.
• Zeller+Gmelin GmbH: Zeller+Gmelin is a medium-sized German printing ink and specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1866, headquartered in Eislingen. Closely comparable to J+S as a German mid-market ink specialist with similar heritage, product breadth, and B2B printing customer base.
• Wikoff Color Corporation: Wikoff Color is a privately held US printing ink manufacturer serving packaging, label, and commercial printers with offset, flexo, and gravure inks. Comparable to J+S as a privately held, mid-market specialty printing ink manufacturer focused on packaging and regulated applications.

Broad incumbents

• Flint Group: Flint Group is a major global supplier of printing inks (including the Xeikon digital ink line), coatings, and pressroom consumables serving packaging, commercial, and label printers. Comparable to J+S across offset, flexo, and gravure ink categories but with substantially larger international footprint.
• Sun Chemical: Sun Chemical is the world's largest printing ink manufacturer and part of DIC Corporation, offering offset, flexo, gravure, and digital inks globally. It competes broadly with Jänecke+Schneemann across all major printing segments and significantly exceeds J+S in scale and geographic coverage.
• Sakata INX: Sakata INX is a Japanese global printing ink manufacturer with extensive offset, gravure, flexo, and digital ink offerings. Comparable to J+S in core printing ink manufacturing but operates at much larger global scale with diversified product portfolio.
• Toyo Ink (Artience Co., Ltd.): Toyo Ink (now Artience) is a major Japanese printing ink and pigment manufacturer with global operations across offset, gravure, flexo, and packaging inks. Comparable to J+S as a broad printing ink manufacturer with strong packaging and specialty ink portfolios.
• Fujifilm (Ink Solutions): Fujifilm's Ink Solutions division produces digital printing inks (including UV inkjet), flexo inks, and related consumables for packaging, commercial, and industrial print applications. Comparable to J+S in printing ink manufacturing with stronger digital and inkjet orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Jänecke+Schneemann Druckfarben