INX History

Serving the Printing Industry for Over a Century

Sakata INX History

INX International's name has existed since 1992, following a merger with Midland Color and ACME Corporation. The company has a long and varied history of growth, spanning three centuries. INX International was founded in 1896 in Osaka, Japan, culminating into a $1.8 billion company today. INX is owned by Japan-based Sakata INX.


INX Historical Timeline:

  • 1896 Founded in Osaka under the name Sakata Ink Seizousho
  • 1909 Acme Printing Ink Company founded in Chicago
  • 1910 Roberts & Porter, Inc. founded in Chicago
  • 1916 Sakata Tokyo office established
  • 1948 Sakata’s Export Import Division established
  • 1959 Sakata Osaka plant opened
  • 1960 Sakata's first overseas office setup in the Phillippines
  • 1969 Sakata Tokyo plant opened
  • 1979 Sakata’s Joint Venture plant started in Taiwan
  • 1980 Graphic Arts Laboratory established in Tokyo
  • 1984 Sakata’s Funabashi plant opened
  • 1986 Sakata INX and Acme sign Technology License Agreement
  • 1986 Roberts & Porter changes name to Midland Color Company
  • 1987 Sakata’s Joint Venture plant in Spain established
  • 1987 Name changed to Sakata INX Corp.
  • 1988 INX Group Ltd. established
  • 1988 Sakata INX acquires Acme Printing Ink Company
  • 1989 Sakata’s Joint Venture plant in Indonesia established
  • 1989 Sakata INX acquires Midland Color Co. & CPS Corp.
  • 1989 Sakata INX acquires Knight Colors & Chemicals
  • 1992 INX International Ink Co. formed -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 opened
  • 1994 Sakata Hanyu plant opened
  • 1995 Established Sakata Inx (India) Limited) in India.
  • 1995 INX Santa Fe Springs plant opened
  • 1996 INX Appleton plant expanded
  • 1996 INX R&D State-of-the-Art facility opened
  • 1998 CPS plant expanded
  • 2002 Sakata INX Shanghai established
  • 2002 Established Eternal Sakata INX Co. Ltd.
  • 2003 Sakata INX Vietnam Co. established
  • 2004 Maoming Sakata INX Co. Ltd. established
  • 2004 INX International France S.A.S. formed by 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 acquires Triangle Digital, LLC forms Triangle Digital INX Co.
  • 2007 INX acquires Innovative Solutions Inc., forms Innovative Solutions INX
  • 2008 Triangle Digital INX Co. acquires Megaink Digital of Czech Republic and Anteprima SRL of Italy
  • 2008 INX Homewood, IL plant opened
  • 2009 Triangle Digital INX Co. changes name to INX Digital International Co.
  • 2009 Innovation solutions INX merged into INX International Ink Co.
  • 2010 Megaink Digital changes name to INX Digital Czech a.s and Anteprima S.r.l changes name to INX Digital Italy S.r.l. 
  • 2010 INX establishes INX International De Mexico
  • 2013 INX Digital International Co. is merged into INX International Ink Co.
  • 2014 INX International UK Ltd. new plant opened
  • 2015 INX Lebanon, OH plant opened
  • 2015 INX Digital Czech new plant opened
  • 2016 INX Charlotte, NC plant expanded
  • 2016 INX do Brasil ltd. acquires Creative Industria e comercio Ltda.
  • 2017 INX Edwardsville, KS plant expanded
  • 2017 INX International Ink Co. West Chicago Plant Expansion Started
  • 2018 Sakata INX Espana S.A. rolled under INX Europe Limited 1/1/2018 making INX Europe Limited sole shareholder.
  • 2019 INX International Ink Co. R&D Expansion Completed
  • 2020 INX International Ink Co. acquired RUCO USA, Inc., a Delaware corporation with its corporate location in Wood Dale, Illinois on June 1, 2020; and
  • 2020 INX Europe Limited acquired A.M. Ramp u. Co., a private limited company existing under the laws of Germany with its corporate location in Eppstein, Germany on June 2, 2020.