What Sun Chemical does

Sun Chemical is a global manufacturer of printing inks, coatings, pigments, adhesives, color materials, and advanced materials, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan's DIC Corporation. The company serves brand owners, printers, and converters across four business divisions: Packaging and Graphic Solutions (covering flexible packaging, labels, folding cartons, corrugated, metal, glass, and plastic substrates), Color Materials (pigments, masterbatches, and effect pigments for cosmetics, coatings, plastics, and agriculture), Advanced Materials (liquid and solid compounds for electronics, automotive, and biosensors), and Security Solutions (banknotes, passports, IDs). Sun Chemical operates 17 R&D centers worldwide with over 3,000 granted patents and approximately $100 million in annual R&D investment, supported by a combined DIC Group workforce of more than 21,000 employees and consolidated annual sales exceeding $7-8.5 billion.

The company's product portfolio spans water-based (SunVisto), UV/EB curable (SunCure, SolarFlex, SunBeam), solvent-based (SunSpectro, SunUno), lamination adhesive (SunLam), and digital inkjet (DigiVisto, DigiStrato) ink systems, along with the SunColorBox color management platform that integrates with SAP through SunQ. Distribution is conducted through a direct enterprise sales force with regional manufacturing and technical support across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific, complemented by partnerships with industry bodies such as APR, CEFLEX, EuPIA, CEPE, FINAT, and FTA. Recent strategic focus centers on sustainable packaging solutions — bio-renewable inks (AquaGreen, AquaHeat), nitrocellulose-alternative portfolios, direct food contact technology, and the "5Rs" framework (Reuse, Reduce, Renew, Recycle, Redesign) targeting recyclability and regulatory compliance (German Ink Ordinance, Swiss Ordnance, Nestlé standards, Cradle to Cradle Platinum).

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time product sales of inks, coatings, pigments, and advanced materials across eight end-markets, supplemented by technical services and regulatory compliance consulting. The company is pursuing growth through capacity expansions in high-performance pigments (quinacridone in Newport, Delaware; perylene in Ludwigshafen, Germany), industry partnerships (Cyngient for narrow web, Techkon USA for quality software), and digital printing workflow integration, while maintaining close integration with parent DIC Corporation for raw materials and Asian market reach.

Name

Sun Chemical

Legal name

Sun Chemical Corporation

Website

https://sunchemical.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1818

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Sun Chemical is a global manufacturer of printing inks, coatings, pigments, and advanced materials, serving brand owners, printers, and converters across packaging, graphics, color materials, and security applications as a subsidiary of DIC Corporation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Printing Inks and Coatings

NAICS

Printing Ink Manufacturing (325910), Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510), Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Textile, Leather & Paper Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Display & Optoelectronics Chemicals (OLED/LCD materials, polarizer chemicals) (IMAEAKAN)

Keywords

• Printing inks manufacturing
• Packaging coatings adhesives
• Color pigments materials
• Advanced materials electronics
• Security printing solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Parsippany

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Printing Inks and Coatings: Core revenue from manufacturing and selling printing inks, coatings, and adhesives for packaging, publication, commercial, industrial, and digital printing applications. Products include flexographic, offset, gravure, UV-curable, and water-based formulations.
2. Color Materials and Pigments: Pigments, masterbatches, and color materials for coatings, cosmetics, plastics, printing, agriculture, and specialty markets. Includes classical, high-performance, inorganic, metallic, organic, pearlescent, and synthetic mica pearl pigments.
3. Advanced Materials: Liquid compounds, solid compounds, and application materials for printed circuits, printed electronics, solar modules, digital inkjet printing, automotive components, adhesives, magnetic tapes, and degasification modules.
4. Security Solutions: High-security printing solutions for banknotes, passports, ID documents, revenue collection, plastic cards, and security documents.
5. Technical Services and Support: Technical support teams, troubleshooting services, color management services, and regulatory compliance consulting.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sun Chemical manufactures and sells printing inks, coatings, adhesives, pigments, masterbatches, and advanced materials for packaging, graphics, and industrial applications. The company also provides high-security printing solutions for banknotes, passports, and identity documents, along with electronic materials for printed circuits, biosensors, and solar modules. Its product portfolio is organized across Packaging & Graphics Solutions, Color Materials, Advanced Materials, Digital Printing, and Security Solutions divisions, serving brand owners, printers, converters, and industrial manufacturers globally.

Product overview

Sun Chemical offers a comprehensive portfolio of printing inks, coatings, adhesives, color materials, and advanced materials organized into four main divisions: Packaging and Graphic Solutions, Color Materials, Advanced Materials, and Security Solutions. The Packaging division includes water-based (SunVisto), UV/EB curable (SunCure, SolarFlex, SolarWave, SunBeam), solvent-based (SunSpectro, SunUno), lamination adhesives (SunLam), and digital inkjet solutions (DigiVisto, DigiStrato, DigiSolar, DigiPak). The SunColorBox platform provides integrated color management tools. The company serves diverse markets including flexible packaging, labels, folding cartons, metal decorating, glass, industrial printing, and security applications. Sustainability focus includes bio-renewable inks (AquaGreen), nitrocellulose-alternative solutions, direct food contact technologies, and recycle-ready products organized around the Five Rs framework (Reuse, Reduce, Renew, Recycle, Redesign).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SunGraphics: Flexographic plates and pre-press services for North American market
• SunJet
• SunColorBox
• SunSpectro
• SunVisto
• SunDuo/SunTrio/SunAltec
• SunVetro
• SunLam
• SunPak
• SunBeam
• SunCure
• SolarFlex/SolarWave
• SunChemical Rycoline
• Sun Chemical Security

Products and services

• SunCure UV Light-Curing Inks and Coatings Energy-curable UV light-curing inks and coatings for packaging, labels, and folding carton printing, offering superior adhesion, vibrant prints, and wide color gamut across diverse substrates including paper, board, and flexible film.
• SolarFlex and SolarWave UV/UV LED Curing Flexo Inks UV flexo printing inks (SolarFlex) and UV LED curing flexo inks (SolarWave) offering precision, clarity, versatility, and energy efficiency for tags and labels applications.
• SunVisto Water-Based Inks pH-stable water-based inks for corrugated, paper, and paperboard printing. Includes SunVisto AquaGreen (bio-renewable), SunVisto Aquapak, SunVisto AquaSafe (direct food contact), SunVisto Hydroking pHS, and SunVisto Advantage variants.
• SunSpectro High Performance Inks High-speed surface and reverse printing inks for flexible film applications. Includes SunSpectro Solvaplast (solvent-based), SunSpectro Sunsharp (high-speed), SunSpectro SolvaGreen (organic/natural food), and nitrocellulose-alternative variants.
• SunBeam Electron Beam Curing Inks Electron beam-curing inks for film and plastic substrates offering unmatched wet trapping capabilities, superior print quality, high-speed efficiency, and VOC-free formulation.
• SunUno Solimax Ink System Workhorse ink system with widest versatility in terms of films and adhesive compatibility, offering converters benefits of ink consolidation on multiple presses. Includes compost-certified Solimax AP variant.
• SunLam Lamination Adhesives Solvent-free and solvent-based lamination adhesives for flexible packaging applications from general performance to high-end retort. Includes ultra-low monomer polyurethane alternatives.
• SunStrato Inks High-performance solvent- or water-based ink series for laminated packaging applications. Includes SunStrato Duraline (recycle-ready) and SunStrato DuraCycle (NC-alternative).
• SunPak Sheetfed Inks Sheetfed ink solutions for paper and board printing including SunPak FSP EcoPace (Cradle-to-Cradle Platinum certified), SunPak DirectFood Plus (direct food contact), and SunPak LMQ (low odor/migration).
• SunDuo, SunTrio, and SunAltec Metal Decorating Inks Metal decorating inks for two-piece cans (SunDuo), three-piece cans, crowns, pails, aerosols, food cans, drawn fish cans (SunTrio), and monobloc aerosol cans, drink bottles, aluminum collapsible tubes (SunAltec).
• DigiMet Inkjet Inks for Metal Inkjet inks for digital printing on metal cans and packaging, available in UV and LED cure formulations, optimized for two-piece and three-piece cans.
• SunColorBox Color Management Platform Comprehensive color management toolkit for brand color consistency across global production facilities. Includes SunConsulting, SunDigiProof, SunDigiGuide, SunMatch, SunColorQC, myColorCloud, PantoneLIVE, SunCMYK, and SunECG tools.
• SunQ Quality Software Quality software platform co-developed with Techkon USA integrating with SAP for ink production testing. Combines color and physical testing in one interface with automated batch traceability.
• SunEvo Digital Coatings Analog applied coatings for digital printing including primers, overprint varnishes, adhesion promoters, and lamination adhesives. Developed in alliance with HP Indigo for digitally printed labels.
• SunBar Aeroblic Oxygen Barrier Coatings Oxygen barrier coating technology for extending shelf life and preserving packaged goods in sustainable packaging applications.
• SunInspire Specialty Coatings Sensory experience coatings engaging consumers with visual effects, glitter, tactile experiences, and shelf-popping appeal for packaging differentiation.
• Direct Food Contact (DFC) Inks and Coatings Interior pack printing technology enabling direct printing without laminates or plastic inserts. Compliant with EU food packaging regulations and supports EPR fee mitigation.
• Nitrocellulose-Alternative Solutions Portfolio Comprehensive portfolio of nitrocellulose-alternative inks, coatings, primers, and adhesives for flexible packaging designed for recyclability. Includes SunSpectro Solvacycle, SunStrato Duracycle, SunUno Solicycle, SunSys OPVs, primers, and SunLam adhesives.
• AquaHeat Bio-Based Inks Food-safe, bio-based printing inks for high-temperature food packaging tested at 220\u00b0C with up to 60% bio-renewable content. Ten base inks with broader color gamut.
• SunCure EcoPlast Direct print ink technology for rigid polypropylene packaging that attained APR Design for Recyclability Recognition from the Association of Plastic Recyclers.
• SunGame Inks and Coatings for Gaming and Trading Cards Inks and coatings for high-speed trading card, gaming, and board game manufacturing with optimal press performance and toy specification compliance.
• SunSHINE Peach Bronze Effect Pigment Warm metallic-like effect pigment in synthetic mica range designed for inclusive radiance across various skin tones in cosmetic applications.
• DigiVisto Inkjet Inks for Corrugated Water-based inkjet inks for corrugated packaging including UPB (paperboard UV), EPB (paperboard EB), AQP (aqueous pigmented), APB (hybrid), and OPB (oil) variants.
• DigiSolar Inkjet Inks for Narrow Web and Labels Digital inkjet inks for narrow web and label printing on various substrates including PP, PE, PET, aluminum foil, and paper. Includes ULF, ULM, ELM, AQP, ALF, and ALM variants.
• DigiPak Inkjet Inks for Folding Carton Digital inkjet inks for folding carton packaging in water-based aqueous pigmented formulations for sustainable digital printing.
• SUNFOODS Natural Colorants Natural colorants for food and beverage applications inspired by nature, supporting clean label and natural ingredient trends.
• Paliocrom Aluminum Effect Pigments Extreme chromatic flash aluminum effect pigments for automotive, industrial, and cosmetic coatings delivering permanent color effects.
• Lumina HD Pearlescent Pigments High-definition mica-based interference pigments extending color space for premium visual effects in coatings applications.
• Chione Electric Effect Pigments Electrifying bright, vegan effect pigments for color cosmetics creating special visual effects in multi-use foil palettes.
• Sun Chemical Security Solutions Global security solutions business unit providing high-quality security solutions for banknotes, passports and IDs, revenue collection, plastic cards, security documents, and recycling protection against counterfeiting.
• Sun Chemical Advanced Materials Advanced materials including liquid compounds, solid compounds, application materials for printed circuits, printed electronics, solar modules, digital inkjet printing, automotive components, adhesives, magnetic tapes, and degasification modules.
• Streamline Eco Solvent Ink Series Eco solvent ink series with GREENGUARD Gold certification for low-odor formulations in wide-format graphics applications.
• SunGraphics Flexographic Plates Flexographic plates and pre-press services for North America, offering end-to-end integration from artwork to plate production with sustainable solutions and nationwide coverage.
• SunChemical Rycoline Pressroom Consumables Complete suite of pressroom consumables including fountain solutions, pressroom wash, silicones, conditioners, blankets, and anilox roll cleaning products.
• PantoneLIVE Metal Packaging Color Libraries PantoneLIVE color libraries for metal packaging targeting beverage industry. Supports gloss and matte finishes with over 4,000 color options. Integrated into X-Rite color management solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25%-30% savings in press make-ready time with SunColorBox
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability5 records

Feature13 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Techkon USAcoreTechnology or Integration · 6 February 2026Co-developed and launched SunQ, a custom quality software platform integrating with SAP for ink production testing, combining color and physical testing in one interface. Implemented in 30 Sun Chemical plants across North America.
• CyngientcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 November 2025Partnership to develop joint-branded specialty product line for narrow web, tag, and label markets, focusing on inks, coatings, and adhesives to enhance product offerings and market responsiveness.
• DIC CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSun Chemical is a prominent member of the DIC Group, the leading provider of inks, pigments, and synthetic resins across Asia. Through this parent-subsidiary relationship, Sun Chemical has access to comprehensive product portfolios and global reach, with combined annual sales exceeding $8.5 billion and over 22,000 employees.
• APR (Association of Plastic Recyclers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPR recognition for SunCure EcoPlast direct print ink technology and SunSpectro SolvaWash inks for recyclability. Sun Chemical works with APR to advance plastic recycling through recognized materials and testing protocols.
• CEFLEXcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to advance circular economy in flexible packaging through design guidelines and recycling-compatible solutions.
• X-Rite and PantonecoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership on PantoneLIVE cloud-based color management for metal packaging, specifically for beverage industry, enabling accurate visualization of Pantone and brand colors on two-piece aluminum cans.
• HP IndigomajorTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration with HP Indigo on UV varnishes that improve durability of digitally printed labels and offer eco-friendly alternative to traditional lamination.
• SunJetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSunJet is the inkjet division of Sun Chemical developing cutting-edge water-based inks for digital printing applications across corrugated, flexible packaging, labels, and graphics.
• SunGraphicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Sun Chemical team specializing in flexographic plates, bridging the gap between printers and brand owners from art design to pre-press and plate production.
• EuPIA (European Printing Ink Association)minorOthersEuropean industry association membership ensuring compliance with EuPIA guidelines for printing inks in food contact applications.
• CEPE (European Council for Paint, Printing Ink and Artists' Colours Industry)minorOthersEuropean industry association membership representing printing ink and pigments manufacturers.
• FINATminorOthersEuropean association for self-adhesive label manufacturers, supporting narrow web and label industry standards.
• FTA (Flexographic Trade Association)minorOthersTrade association membership supporting flexographic printing industry excellence and sustainability awards.
• RadTechminorOthersAssociation for UV and EB curing technology, supporting energy curable ink and coating standards.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hubergroup: Hubergroup is a German-based printing ink specialist focused on offset, flexo, and gravure inks for packaging and commercial printing. The company competes directly with Sun Chemical in sustainable inks, food-contact compliant formulations, and European packaging markets.
• Flint Group: Flint Group is one of Sun Chemical's largest direct competitors, supplying printing inks, coatings, and pressroom consumables for packaging, commercial, and publication printing globally. Both companies compete head-to-head in flexo, offset, and gravure inks for packaging converters worldwide.
• Siegwerk: Siegwerk is a German-headquartered global printing ink manufacturer with a comparable portfolio in packaging inks, labels, and flexible packaging. Both companies compete directly in UV-curable, water-based, and solvent-based ink technologies for the packaging supply chain.
• Sakata INX: Sakata INX is a Japanese-based global printing ink manufacturer with overlapping product lines in offset, flexo, gravure, and digital inks. The company serves similar packaging and graphics end markets and competes with Sun Chemical across Asia, the Americas, and Europe.
• Toyo Ink (artience Co., Ltd.): Toyo Ink, now part of artience group, is a Japanese competitor producing printing inks, pigments, and coatings with comparable product breadth. Both companies compete in packaging inks, color materials, and have expanding advanced materials businesses.
• Wikoff Color Corporation: Wikoff Color is a North American printing ink manufacturer specializing in flexo, gravure, and energy-curable inks for packaging and label converters. The company directly competes with Sun Chemical in narrow web, flexible packaging, and folding carton ink segments.

Broad incumbents

• DIC Corporation: DIC Corporation is the Japanese parent company of Sun Chemical and also operates as a major ink and pigment producer in Asia-Pacific. While Sun Chemical operates under DIC, the parent competes in similar printing ink and pigment markets across Asia, providing both synergy and competitive overlap.
• ALTANA (ECKART Division): ALTANA's ECKART division produces effect pigments and metallic inks used in cosmetics, coatings, automotive, and packaging applications. The company competes with Sun Chemical's Color Materials division in pearlescent and metallic effect pigments for cosmetics and industrial coatings.
• Fujifilm Holdings: Fujifilm is a diversified Japanese conglomerate with significant operations in digital printing, inkjet inks, and graphic arts. Through its Ink Solutions Group, Fujifilm competes with Sun Chemical's digital inkjet offerings (SunJet, DigiVisto, DigiSpectro) for packaging, commercial, and industrial digital printing applications.

Regional players

• Marabu GmbH & Co. KG: Marabu is a German-based specialty ink manufacturer focused on screen printing, pad printing, and digital inks for industrial graphics applications. The company competes with Sun Chemical in industrial printing, toys, promotional products, and glass/ceramic decoration inks primarily in Europe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/lifeatsunchemical
• Xx.com/SunChemCorp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sun-chemical

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sun Chemical