Manisa to produce Toyo’s ink for 3 continents

Japan-based Toyo Ink Group, which last year acquired the majority shares of DYO Matbaa Murekkepleri increased its exports by 100% in the first six months of 2017. In addition, the company has increased the number of countries it exports to from five to 15. On the back of that success, Toyo Ink Group has now taken the first steps to make its factory in Manisa the production base for Eastern and Western Europe, Africa, Russia, Turkic Republics, Western Asia and the Middle East region.

Toyo Ink Group’s 80 companies operate in 24 countries and employs more than 10,000 people worldwide while 85% to 90% of its activities are conducted in Japan and Asia. As for Toyo Matbaa Murekkepleri, its Chief Executive Yakup Benli said the company has 44 distributors in Turkey, sales offices in four cities and produces in four different sectors including newspapers and magazines, sheet offset, flexo and rotogravure inks, and metal packaging systems. It also carries out the sales and distribution activities of lamination glues and UV inks within the Toyo Ink Group.

Stating that the Turkish packaging sector grows by an average of 5% each year, Benli said: “We expect our growth to increase by a minimum of 10%. We have also established an R&D center in our factory in Manisa and thus lead the way in our sector.” He pointed out that the Toyo Ink Group has broad geographical growth targets in all its export regions. “It considers Turkey as a production base for these regions. Our growth rate in 2016-17 actualized as 21% while this figure was 12% in 2015-16,” he said.

Benli explained that Toyo conducts its work on a regional and country basis, rather than a sectoral one. Sheet-fed, liquid and web offset inks are its highest-selling product lines. “Currently our biggest markets are the Turkish Republics, Iran and Egypt. We increased the number of countries xwe export to 15 by adding Greece, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and the UAE to our portfolio,” he said. While exports accounted for 5% of Toyo’s total sales last year, this figure increased to 14% in the first six months of this year. The company plans to increase this figure to 17% in 2018 and 20% in 2019, with Europe, Russia, North and West Africa its targets. “We intend to export Tunisia, Russia, Algeria and the Ivory Coast next year,” Benli said.