The British Coatings Federation (BCF) has warned that a shortage of raw materials used in the processes for manufacturing printing inks would "continue to be a major concern" for 2011.
Tony Mash, chief executive of the BCF, said: "The global availability of raw materials for printing inks continues to be of major concern to our member companies and procurement has become a daily nightmare."There is little or no clear view as to how long the shortages and product allocations are likely to last."
He added that as a result, ink manufacturers faced a situation in which they had only minimal control over the cost and supply of the raw materials they needed to manufacture their products.
"The printing ink industry needs to raise awareness of these difficulties to both suppliers and customers," he said.
Examples include the availability of gum rosin in China, which the BCF said is "seriously constrained" leading to a fourfold increase in the cost of the material.
Elsewhere, the European Printing Ink Association (EuPIA) has also reported that the supply of pigments has been hit by mounting environmental challenges and increasing intermediate costs.
The availability of a key intermediate in the manufacture of Violet 23 has been seriously limited, leading to reduced availability of the pigment itself.
