printec

What printec does

printec GmbH is a privately held German specialty chemicals manufacturer headquartered in Friedrichroda (Thuringia), founded in 2000 and operating as a Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung under the management of Dr. Matthias Schütz and Dipl. Kfm. Sven Kirchner. The company develops, formulates, and sells proprietary printing inks, lacquers, liquid colorants, and related surface-treatment chemicals for niche industrial applications where regulatory compliance, substrate-specific adhesion, and color performance are critical. Its product portfolio is organized into five core ink platforms — Test Ink 38 Dyne for surface tension verification of pretreated plastics (PP, PE), UV-curable inks (Series 30 and 70) for sausage casings and plastics, water-based 2K ink systems (AD-2K and WK) for polyamide casings, cellulose fibrous casings, shrink bags, lid foils, and adhesive tapes, solvent-based inks (Series EH, DZ-HOKO, PC, DZ-NT, DE-2K) for indirect food packaging printing under CEPE guidelines and EC Directive 2002/72/EC, and Liquid Inks Series 90 for plastics coloration (PU, ABS, PP, PVC, PMMA) in extrusion and injection molding — complemented by a Special Products line for the furniture industry covering NEP-/NMP-/pyrrolidone-/toluene-free primers and adhesion promoters, cleaning solutions, and the 1 LA 401 hydrophobic agent.

The company serves five primary vertical segments: food packaging sausage casings, adhesive tapes, furniture supply, pharmaceutical packaging, and plastics processing. Its go-to-market combines direct phone/email sales from headquarters with regional distribution partners — Bubinga LLC for North America and Printman Romania for Romania — alongside a contract manufacturing (Lohnfertigung) service that fills and packages third-party ink, lacquer, and chemical products at scales ranging from laboratory samples to 1,000 kg IBC containers. Revenue mechanics are quote-based with no public list pricing, supported by minimum order quantities and a tiered container offering (5/10/25 kg pails, 100/200 kg drums, 500/1,000 kg IBCs), indicating a custom-formulation, consultative sales motion rather than standardized catalog distribution. With 11–50 employees and operations confined to three markets, printec operates as a high-expertise-density Mittelstand specialty chemical SME.

Name

printec

Legal name

printec GmbH

Website

https://printec-gmbh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

printec GmbH is a German specialty chemicals manufacturer that formulates printing inks, liquid colorants, and surface-treatment products for niche industrial customers, including sausage casing manufacturers, adhesive tape producers, furniture suppliers, and pharmaceutical packaging converters in Germany, the USA, and Romania.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Printing Inks and Coatings

NAICS

Printing Ink Manufacturing (325910), Printing Ink Manufacturing (32591)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Printing Inks (IMAEAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Printing inks
• UV curable inks
• Liquid colorants
• Solvent-based inks
• Specialty coatings

Headquarters

HQ city

Friedrichroda

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Printing Inks and Coatings Sales: Direct sales of proprietary printing inks (UV, water-based, solvent-based), liquid colorants, lacquers, and specialty chemical products to customers in specialty markets including food packaging, furniture, and industrial applications.
2. Contract Manufacturing Services: Custom manufacturing and filling services for printing inks, lacquers, and chemical products. Services range from small lab samples to large IBC containers, including raw material storage, formulation manufacturing, and packaging.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

printec GmbH develops, formulates, and manufactures specialty chemical products for industrial printing and surface finishing applications. Its portfolio spans UV-curable, water-based, and solvent-based printing inks, liquid colorants, lacquers, and custom chemical formulations supplied to industrial converters, printers, and manufacturers across Europe and North America.

Product overview

printec GmbH is a chemical formulations company specializing in printing inks, lacquers, and liquid colorants for specialty markets. The product portfolio consists of five core ink product lines (Test Ink 38 Dyne for surface testing; UV Inks in Series 30 and 70 for different substrates; Water-based Inks in AD-2K and WK series for various applications; Solvent-based Inks in EH, DZ-HOKO, PC, DZ-NT, and DE-2K series; and Liquid Inks in Series 90 for plastic coloration), complemented by Special Products for the Furniture Industry covering primers/adhesion promoters, cleaning solutions, and surface protection agents. The company also offers contract manufacturing and filling services for printing inks, lacquers, and chemical products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UV Printing Inks
• Water-based Printing Inks
• Solvent-based Printing Inks
• Liquid Colorants
• Lacquers and Coatings
• Custom Chemical Formulations

Quantifiable outcome

• Test Ink 38 Dyne provides permanent readable test results for documentation purposes
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 regional.

• Bubinga LLC (Division)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for the North American market. Located in Owings Mills, MD 21117, USA. Provides local sales and distribution of printec products in the USA and Canada. Contact via [email protected] or www.printecna.com.
• Printman RomaniaregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for the Romanian market. Located at 9D, Ardealului Street, Otopeni, Ilfov, 075100, Romania. Provides local sales and distribution of printec products in Romania. Contact via +4021.350.00.26, [email protected], or www.printman.eu.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sun Chemical (DIC Corporation): World's largest printing ink manufacturer with broad packaging, commercial, and specialty ink portfolio. Overlaps with printec in food packaging and specialty inks, but competes from a global, multi-billion-dollar scale and platforms.
• Huber Group: Large global printing ink and specialty chemicals manufacturer (private, family-owned, Germany-based). Serves overlapping specialty print and packaging markets including food-contact inks; broader portfolio but comparable formulation approach and European compliance focus.
• INX International Ink Co. US-headquartered global printing ink manufacturer with strong packaging ink portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent in food-contact and packaging inks, especially relevant to printec's North American distribution footprint.
• Toyo Ink (Artience Co., Ltd.): Japanese-headquartered major printing ink and coatings manufacturer with packaging and specialty ink offerings. Comparable as a broad incumbent in specialty packaging inks, though regional focus differs.
• Flint Group: Global printing inks and consumables major with operations across packaging, commercial, and digital printing. Competes with printec in UV and water-based systems for packaging, but at much greater scale and broader geographic reach.
• Siegwerk Druckfarben AG & Co. KGaA: One of the largest global manufacturers of printing inks, with a strong focus on packaging and label applications. Directly competes with printec in food-contact and specialty packaging inks, but at substantially greater scale and broader product portfolio.

Direct peers

• Zeller+Gmelin GmbH & Co. KG: Mid-sized German manufacturer of specialty printing inks, lubricants, and chemicals. Comparable in size, German mid-market positioning, and focus on specialty ink formulations across industrial applications.
• Wikoff Color Corporation: Privately held US-based specialty printing ink manufacturer focused on packaging and industrial applications. Comparable as a mid-sized specialty ink compounder with custom formulation capabilities and niche segment focus.
• Epple Druckfarben AG: German specialty offset and UV ink manufacturer with strong niche focus in food packaging and labels. Closely comparable to printec in food-contact compliance expertise, country of origin, and mid-market specialty positioning.
• Marabu GmbH: German specialty printing ink manufacturer with a strong focus on screen, pad, digital, and liquid inks for niche industrial applications. Directly comparable to printec in size profile, country of origin, custom formulation model, and vertical specialization outside commodity packaging inks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/printec-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 printec