The spread of the coronavirus from China is causing a lot of disruption in the industry, particularly in the ink manufacturing supply chain, where many raw materials come from the outbreak. The American ink manufacturer Sun Chemical wants to reassure its customers, although it acknowledges that the situation is unpredictable.
"For the moment, we have not encountered any stock problems", indicates the manufacturer of printing inks.
Sun Chemical has alternatives
Besides.., "We have many manufacturing sites around the world and we make sure that we maintain flexibility in the volumes manufactured to meet customer demands. (...) If one region or site is at risk relative to others, we are prepared to ship material from one region or site to another. The monitoring of raw material and finished product inventories is essential and carried out on a regular basis. We also continue to identify alternative suppliers around the world and even qualify other materials in ink formulations as required."
But the impact of the epidemic is unpredictable..
However, "the potential impact on the global coronavirus supply chain is vast and unpredictable", admits Jeffrey Shaw, Supply Chain Manager at Sun Chemical.
"Nevertheless, we remain committed to managing our supply chain in a very proactive and comprehensive manner. (...) The situation remains volatile and can change very quickly. That's why we've made sure our contingency plans are in place and ready to be executed if necessary."
