Epple Druckfarben AG: Very positive business performance in 2017 and successful start to 2018

Epple Druckfarben AG, the market-leading producer of sheet fed offset inks and varnishes, is very satisfied with the business year 2017. Against the industry trend, the company has shown very positive developments.

Epple Druckfarben Italia S.r.l. located in Milan, has started very successfully. The organisation has been able to establish itself very quickly alongside its partner, the exclusive and renowned, Printgraph. Events such as the international sales partners meeting in April 2017 and newly introduced customer events as the recent Epple Packaging Experts Event in Hamburg, show a clear strategic direction: a strong sales network and customer focus are what Epple sees as its base for long term economic success. A visible sign of this is the renovation of the company´s headquarters in Neusäß, near Augsburg, performed in 2017.

Epple has made a successful start to 2018: the turnover and production volumes are already exceeding those of the comparable prior year period. In 2017 the ink systems Stability and Premium PSO were in particular demand from all-round printers. UV AtmosFair, the ink series for UV Low Energy and UV LED systems, achieved a dramatic increase in volumes. Due to the numerous new installations of these systems, Epple foresees further growth in UV inks in 2018. BoFood Organic, which is worldwide the first patented ink to boast printing of packaging interiors, is being used by many printing houses. The printing results, for example in direct food packaging printing for sweets, are already available in retail. Very promising was the market launch of PURe. The pure ink system dries quickly and doesn’t use any metal dryers and photo initiators. As a result PURe has awakened great interest on the market. The first long production runs, e.g. in Belgium, are very convincing.

The Epple company, which is 100% family owned, follows a path of sustainable development in all corporate sectors. Gunther Gerlach, Chairman of the Executive Board: "We foresee a very challenging market environment for the year 2018 and beyond in the field of sheet fed offset printing, characterised by a stagnating market, increasing competitive pressure, price pressure as well as scarcity of raw materials. We have aligned our production, our European sales activities and our range of products, to these challenges." Michael Berz, Chairman of the Supervisory Board continues:" We are set up very well for the long term with our continuous development in product innovation and targeted investments in the operational structures. The shareholder families fully endorse and support the strategy of the Board. They view the business development very positively. These facts, coupled with the innovative products, assure the company's independence for the long term, in a volatile environment."

Picture caption: Epple's headquarters shines with new luster © Epple Druckfarben AG

COMPANY INFORMATION

Epple Druckfarben AG stands for unique perfection in every detail. Since 1889 Epple has embodied permanent further development and the highest quality demands. Epple has demonstrated its innovative power with the early development of the mineral oil-free Eco series (Öko-Farbe) and special ink types designed for very long washing intervals in perfecting printing.

This is also demonstrated in the sector of inks for foodstuff packaging, with the patented products BoFood MU and BoFood Organic. New benchmarks are being set by PURe, as a new offset ink system, which obviates completely the need of metal dryers or photo initiators.

Both sustainability and flexibility in business are given very high priority by middle European family owned Companies. Epple is almost uniquely in the position of offering customised solutions for individual requirements to its' customers, worldwide.