The “New” Siegwerk: A Long-Term Committed Partner for Customers and Employees

“The intensive consolidation processes over the last two years have fundamentally changed the printing ink sector,” says CEO Herbert Forker. “By acquiring the packaging printing inks business division from SICPA, we have helped to shape this transformation and have completely reoriented our expanded company to the requirements of the market and customers."

With annual sales of 830 million Euros (2005), Siegwerk has climbed to number three on the world market and become Europe’s biggest printing ink manufacturer. But the company does not see size as an end in itself. “Worldwide presence and professional structures are only the starting point for business in our global industry. Siegwerk differentiates itself through the deep-seated values of a family company that is oriented to the long-term, and focuses on customers and employees – not on rapid success at any cost,” stresses Forker.

That lay behind the management’s early decision to integrate the US printing ink manufacturer Color Converting, acquired in 2003, and SICPA's packaging ink business, and not to operate them as independent organizational units. As Forker says, “Many customers in the packaging industry are internationally oriented and therefore interested in a printing ink supplier who can offer uniform service and product quality worldwide. That is why we decided that the Siegwerk Ink Packaging brand should stand for high-quality, globally standardized products and services, “Our offering is also available locally to our nationally oriented business partners, who often focus on particular packaging sectors.” In a business division structure that is oriented to various product groups and specific customer needs, Siegwerk’s own experts and those of its customers can come together without too much friction.

Siegwerk has also consistently oriented itself to market requirements in the print sector. Siegwerk Ink Publication focuses strongly on Europe, where Siegwerk has been the leader in publication gravure for years. Following a thorough reorganization in 2004, web offset ink business (coldset and heatset) is now growing significantly faster than the market.

Siegwerk, as a family-owned, professionally managed company, has been an established presence in the printing industry for more than 175 years. The foremost goal of management and the owners is to preserve corporate independence. According to Forker, “We will continue to uphold the traditional values of a family company as our guiding principle. We want to work together with our customers on a long-term and trusting basis – to our mutual benefit. At the heart of our policies are always people, not the short-term maximization of profits.”

Siegwerk Ink Packaging and Siegwerk Ink Publication are both represented on stand G55 in Hall 5 at IPEX. The Birmingham tradeshow is an important milestone before drupa 2008 in Dusseldorf.

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