INSIDE INX: History

Serving the Printing Industry for more than 100 years

The INX International Ink Co. name has existed since 1992, but our overall company track record is now in its third Century — dating from 1896.

1896 Founded in Osaka under the name Sakata Ink Seizousho
1916 Sakata Tokyo office established
1948 Sakata’s Export Import Division established
1959 Sakata Osaka plant started
1960 Sakata’s first overseas office setup in the Philippines
1969 Sakata Tokyo plant started
1979 Sakata’s Joint Venture plant started in Taiwan
1980 Graphic Arts Laboratory established in Tokyo
1984 Sakata’s Funabashi plant started
1986 Sakata INX and Acme sign Technology License Agreement
1987 Sakata’s Joint Venture plant in Spain established
1987 Company name changed to Sakata INX Corp.
1988 INX Group Ltd. established
1988 Sakata INX acquires Acme Printing Ink Co.
1988 Sakata INX acquires Packaging Ink Corp. and 50% of Acme Ireland
1989 Sakata’s Joint Venture plant in Indonesia established
1989 Sakata INX acquires Midland Color Co. & CPS Corp.
1989 Sakata INX acquires Roberts & Porter, Spectrum Ink, Seabord Ink, Roberts & Carlson, Braznell Co., Ink Technology
         & Unigraphics
1989 Sakata INX acquires Knight Colors & Chemicals
1992 INX International Ink Co. formed by merger of Midland Color and Acme
1992 INX West Chicago plant opened
1992 Established INX United Kingdom
1992 Established CDI Sakata INX Corp. Philippines
1993 Established Sakata INX Malaysia
1993 INX Edwardsville, Kansas plant started
1994 Sakata Hanyu plant started
1994 INX Milwaukee Plant Expansion
1995 INX Santa Fe Springs Red Label plant established
1995 INX Acquisition of Marathon Ink
1995 Established Sakata Inx (India) Limited) in India.
1996 INX Appleton Liquid Ink manufacturing plant expanded
1996 INX R&D State-of-the-Art facility built
1998 CPS plant expanded
1999 INX implements ERP/SAP information system
1999 Sakata INX forms strategic alliance with Toyo Ink Mfg.
2000 INX reengineering effort organizes the company by division
2000 Sakata INX and Toyo merge logistic companies to form a joint venture in Japan
2000 Sakata INX and Toyo agree to a capital alliance — equal ownership in each other
2002 Sakata INX Shanghai established
2002 Established Eternal Sakata INX Co. Ltd.
2002 ISO 14001 Certification at Funabashi Plant
2003 Sakata INX Vietnam Co. established
2003 Formation of INX Ireland
2004 Maoming Sakata INX Co. Ltd. established
2004 INX International France S.A.S. formed with acquisition of Holliday Encres
2004 Established INX Europe Limited
2004 INX opens world’s largest 2-piece metal decorating ink plant in Charlotte, NC
2005 INX and Triangle Digital, LLC form Triangle Digital INX
2007 INX acquires Innovative Solutions Inc., forms Innovative Solutions INX
2008 Joint Venture between INX and Megaink Digital of Czech Republic
2008 Joint Venture between INX Group and Anteprima SRL of Italy

INX International links to the Sakata INX global network in areas such as raw material purchases, manufacturing, logistics and collaborative R&D — continually enhancing our products, systems and services.