DIC Corporation
A Japanese chemical company supplying printing inks, pigments, polymers, specialty plastics, compounds, and biochemical materials.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
DIC Corporation is a Japanese chemical company whose businesses grew from printing ink manufacturing into a broad portfolio of color materials, polymers, specialty plastics, packaging materials, display materials, and other functional chemical products. The company traces its origin to Kawamura Ink Manufactory, established in 1908, and has changed names several times as its scale and scope expanded. It became Dainippon Printing Ink Manufacturing when incorporated in 1937, adopted the name Dainippon Ink and Chemicals after a 1962 merger with Japan Reichhold, and became DIC Corporation in 2008, marking the centenary of its founding. The company’s historical strength is in inks and color chemistry. Its product range includes offset, gravure, flexographic, metal-decoration, security, newspaper, and inkjet inks, as well as printing plates and related materials. DIC also develops pigments for printing, coatings, plastics, specialty applications, liquid-crystal displays, cosmetics, and health-related uses. Its DIC Color System Guide is a Japanese spot-color reference system based on Munsell color concepts and serves design, printing, and production workflows in a role comparable to other standardized color systems. DIC’s chemical activities extend beyond colorants. The company manufactures packaging adhesives, coextruded multilayer films, polystyrene products, alkyd and polyester resins, acrylic and waterborne resins, epoxy and polyurethane systems, ultraviolet-curable materials, fluorochemicals, plasticizers, metal carboxylates, sulfur chemicals, and textile colorants. Its composite-material activities include polyphenylene sulfide compounds, plastic colorants, industrial adhesive tapes, optical materials, hollow-fiber membranes, and medical diagnostic products. It has also maintained activities in display materials such as thin-film-transistor and supertwisted-nematic liquid-crystal products. International expansion has been central to DIC’s development. The group operates through subsidiaries and affiliates across dozens of countries and includes Sun Chemical, a major graphics and packaging-materials business serving the Americas and Europe. Acquisitions and business transfers strengthened DIC’s position in printing inks, pigments, and related materials, including the acquisition of Sun Chemical’s graphic arts materials department in 1986, Reichhold Chemicals in 1987, and Totalfina’s Coates printing-ink business in 1999. DIC later acquired BASF’s global pigments business in 2021, known at the time as BASF Colors & Effects, broadening its pigment platform. DIC operates manufacturing, research, and development facilities in Japan and overseas. Its Japanese network includes plants in locations such as Tokyo, Chiba, Hokuriku, Sakai, Kashima, Yokkaichi, Shiga, Komaki, Saitama, and Tatebayashi. The company’s principal Japanese research laboratory is in Sakura, Chiba, with development links to facilities in China and to Sun Chemical research laboratories in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom. DIC India has also expanded its production footprint, including a toluene-free and ketone-free liquid-ink facility in Gujarat designed to serve domestic and export demand. The corporate slogan, “Color & Comfort By Chemistry,” expresses DIC’s effort to connect chemical technologies with everyday products, visual communication, packaging, housing, mobility, and industrial applications. In addition to its industrial operations, the company has supported cultural activities, including the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art, established in 1990 to display art collected by DIC and affiliated interests. The museum was scheduled to close in February 2025 following a management decision. DIC remains an active, internationally oriented chemical group with particular expertise in inks, pigments, resins, and formulated materials.
History
DIC Corporation began in 1908 as Kawamura Ink Manufactory, a Japanese enterprise focused on ink production. In 1915 it was renamed Kawamura Kijuro Shoten. The business was incorporated in 1937 as Dainippon Printing Ink Manufacturing, formalizing its operations during a period when industrial printing and commercial publishing were becoming increasingly important. The company became publicly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1950. A major transformation followed in 1962, when it merged with Japan Reichhold and changed its name to Dainippon Ink and Chemicals. The new identity reflected a move beyond conventional printing ink toward a broader chemical-materials business. Over subsequent decades DIC developed and acquired technologies in pigments, polymers, resins, plastics, packaging materials, and display-related chemicals. International expansion accelerated in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1986 DIC acquired Sun Chemical’s graphic arts materials department. In 1987 it acquired Reichhold Chemicals, adding further international chemical and coatings capabilities. In 1999 the company acquired Totalfina’s printing-ink department, associated with Coates, strengthening its position in the global graphics-materials market. DIC later sold Reichhold in 2005 as part of portfolio restructuring. In 2008, on the centenary of its establishment, the company adopted the name DIC Corporation. The name change represented the group’s broader identity as a diversified chemical and materials company rather than a business defined solely by printing ink. In 2009 DIC established DIC Graphics, a joint venture with Dai Nippon Printing that integrated DIC’s domestic printing-ink operations with Dai Nippon Printing’s printing-ink business. DIC’s global structure includes Sun Chemical, which operates principally in the Americas and Europe, together with numerous subsidiaries and affiliates across Asia and other regions. The group’s Japanese manufacturing network spans multiple industrial locations, while its principal research laboratory is located in Sakura, Chiba. DIC also maintains development cooperation with a facility in Qingdao, China, and with Sun Chemical laboratories in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The group’s product evolution has included conventional and digital printing inks, industrial pigments, liquid-crystal materials, packaging adhesives and films, general-purpose and specialty polymers, high-performance plastics, compounds, optical materials, membranes, and diagnostic products. Its color expertise is represented by the DIC Color System Guide, a spot-color system widely associated with Japanese printing and design practice. DIC expanded its pigment activities further through its 2021 acquisition of BASF’s global pigments business, then known as BASF Colors & Effects. This transaction added international pigment brands, technologies, production assets, and customer relationships to DIC’s color-materials platform. Outside its core industrial businesses, DIC has supported cultural programs. In 1990 it established the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art in a park near its central research facilities, displaying art collected by the company and its affiliates. A later management decision scheduled the museum’s closure for February 1, 2025. DIC continues to operate as a listed Japanese chemical group with global activities centered on inks, pigments, polymers, specialty plastics, packaging, and functional materials.
- 2025
Museum closure scheduled
[1]The Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art was scheduled to close on February 1, 2025.
- 2021
BASF global pigments business acquired
[1]DIC acquired BASF’s global pigments business, then known as BASF Colors & Effects.
- 2009
DIC Graphics established
[1]DIC and Dai Nippon Printing formed DIC Graphics to integrate their domestic printing-ink operations.
- 2008
Adopted the DIC Corporation name
[1]The company changed its name to DIC Corporation during its centenary year.
- 2005
Reichhold divestment
[1]DIC sold Reichhold as part of portfolio restructuring.
- 1999
Coates printing-ink business acquired
[1]DIC acquired Totalfina’s printing-ink department, associated with Coates.
- 1990
Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art established
[1]DIC established the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art to exhibit art collected by the company and affiliated organizations.
- 1987
Reichhold Chemicals acquisition
[1]DIC acquired Reichhold Chemicals as part of its international chemical expansion.
- 1986
Sun Chemical graphics-materials acquisition
[1]DIC acquired Sun Chemical’s graphic arts materials department.
- 1962
Merger with Japan Reichhold
[1]Following its merger with Japan Reichhold, the company changed its name to Dainippon Ink and Chemicals.
Products and positioning
A global chemicals and materials supplier built around color science, printing inks, pigments, polymers, packaging technologies, and specialty formulated materials.
Packaging and graphic materials
Printing inks
DIC manufactures inks for offset, gravure, flexographic, metal-decoration, security, newspaper, and inkjet printing. These products serve packaging, publishing, commercial printing, industrial decoration, and other graphics applications. The portfolio also includes printing plates and related materials, allowing the group to address multiple stages of the print-production process.
Color and display materials
Pigments and color materials
DIC supplies pigments for printing inks, coatings, plastics, specialty applications, color filters, cosmetics, and health-related products. The company’s pigment platform was expanded through the acquisition of BASF’s global pigments business in 2021. DIC also maintains the DIC Color System Guide, a spot-color reference system associated especially with Japanese design and printing workflows.
Packaging materials
Packaging materials
The packaging-materials portfolio includes packaging adhesives, coextruded multilayer films, and polystyrene products such as general-purpose and high-impact grades. These materials are used in packaging structures and other applications requiring combinations of adhesion, barrier performance, processability, and mechanical strength.
Performance materials
Functional polymers and resins
DIC develops general and specialty polymers, including alkyd, unsaturated polyester, acrylic, waterborne, phenolic, epoxy, polyurethane, and ultraviolet-curable resins. The business also covers plasticizers, fluorochemicals, metal carboxylates, sulfur chemicals, and fiber and textile colorants for industrial and formulated-material applications.
Composite materials
Composite and high-performance materials
Composite-material products include polyphenylene sulfide compounds, interior and housing products, industrial adhesive tapes, plastic colorants, high-performance optical materials, hollow-fiber membranes, and medical diagnostic products. These offerings extend DIC into engineered materials and specialized industrial and healthcare-related applications.
Display materials
Display materials
DIC has developed liquid-crystal materials for display applications, including thin-film-transistor liquid crystals and supertwisted-nematic liquid crystals. These products form part of the company’s broader color-and-display materials activities.
Brand decisions
2025
Close the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of ArtOtherBackground
DIC reviewed its cultural activities, with the decision described in reference material as being partly associated with shareholder pressure.
Action taken
The company scheduled the museum’s closure for February 1, 2025.
Aftermath
The closure ended the museum’s operation as a DIC-supported cultural institution, although the reference material does not specify further consequences.
2021
Acquire BASF’s global pigments businessM&ABackground
DIC pursued a larger international position in pigments and color materials.
Action taken
DIC acquired BASF’s global pigments business, known as BASF Colors & Effects.
Aftermath
The acquisition expanded DIC’s global pigment technologies, operations, and customer coverage.
2009
Establish DIC Graphics with Dai Nippon PrintingStrategyBackground
The two companies sought to integrate their domestic printing-ink operations.
Action taken
DIC and Dai Nippon Printing established DIC Graphics as a joint venture.
Aftermath
The joint venture consolidated the participating domestic printing-ink businesses under a shared operating structure.
1962
Merge with Japan ReichholdM&ABackground
The merger broadened the company’s chemical base beyond its original printing-ink identity.
Action taken
Dainippon Printing Ink Manufacturing merged with Japan Reichhold and adopted the name Dainippon Ink and Chemicals.
Aftermath
The transaction marked a major step toward diversification into polymers, resins, pigments, and other chemical materials.
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