INX International Ink Co.
What: Makes ink used in packaging, magazines, books, aluminum cans and other products. Local plant to produce ink for flexible packaging customers.
Where: Building new plant on Homan Road in Lebanon; 15 locations in North America
President & CEO: Rick Clendenning
Website: www.inxinternational.com
Employees: 1,100 in North America; new Lebanon plant opening in 2014 will start with 33 workers
“Anything with color on it,” including potato chip bags, water bottle labels and fast food paper cups, might contain ink produced by expanding local business INX International Ink Co.
The ink producer, a division of Japanese company Sakata INX, is starting construction on a new 62,000-square-foot, $18 million manufacturing plant at the Lebanon Commerce Center business park. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday, Dec. 5, at the 11-acre Warren County site developed by The Schueler Group of Companies.
INX International makes ink used for packaging, magazines, books, aluminum cans and other products, said Rick Clendenning, president and chief executive officer, while in town to mark the start of construction work.
INX International says it is the third largest producer of inks in North America with 15 facilities.
Currently, INX International has a leased field operations office in Blue Ash, in Hamilton County, which will close when the new Lebanon plant opens. The new plant opening is planned for this time next year. The larger manufacturing plant to open in Lebanon will mainly produce ink with special properties used for flexible packaging, company executives said.
A laboratory is also being built as part of the plant for color management and development, quality control and testing purposes.
Plans are to start operations with 33 employees, including 10 production employees to transfer from Blue Ash, and increase to 46 employees within five years, Clendenning said.
“Our other facility that manufactures this type of ink is up north in Wisconsin and we needed some capacity down here to support our customer base in the Southeast,” Clendenning said. “We’re running out of capacity” in Wisconsin.
“It’s probably our biggest growth area, flexible packaging,” he said.
One reason INX picked this location to build a new plant was to retain its existing workforce in Blue Ash, he said.
This news outlet first reported in June that INX had plans to expand in the region when the project was awarded tax incentives. The Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved in June a 40 percent, six-year Job Creation Tax Credit for the project, contingent on plans moving forward.
To receive the tax credits, INX has committed to creating at least 30 new jobs within three years generating approximately $2 million in new payroll tax revenues.
INX brings Lebanon Commerce Center up to 21 tenants in the 552-acre industrial complex such as E-Beam Services Inc., FedEx Ground and Mane Inc., according to Schueler Group, the business park's developer and building contractor on the INX project.
“Having yet another ink manufacturer in Warren County and Southwest Ohio demonstrates this region’s expertise in consumer products,” said Martin Russell, Warren County economic development director.
Other ink makers with local operations include Flint Group, also located in Lebanon Commerce Center; Sun Chemical in Franklin; and The Braden Sutphin Ink Co. in Carlisle, Russell said. Moreover, Warren County businesses in the food and packaging industry include Burrows Paper Corp. and Huhtamaki Inc., both of which have Franklin operations.
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