Fujifilm Imaging Colorants, Inc., a global inkjet ink technology partner to equipment manufacturers, integrators, and ink formulators, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the official opening of its first of two new facilities in New Castle, Delaware dedicated to the production of aqueous ink inkjet dispersions.

The New Castle site is Fujifilm’s first dispersion manufacturing facility in the US. The new facility, a $19 million investment, will create more than 21 new professional, managerial, engineering, and skilled labor jobs. The newly added space, at approximately 8,100 square feet, includes state-of-the-art manufacturing and process control equipment, adding to the current 40,000 square feet of occupied manufacturing space at the site, which employs 90 people.

Fujifilm leadership, employees, and community partners were joined at the celebratory opening event with remarks given by the Honorable Bethany Hall-Long, Lieutenant Governor of Delaware and the Honorable Mike Quaranta, Mayor of New Castle, Delaware, and President of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s an exciting day for Fujifilm,” says Ian Wilkinson, president and chief operating officer, Fujifilm Imaging Colorants, Inc. “I am proud that we have been able to deliver this brand-new production facility according to our original plan, despite the challenges that the pandemic presented us with, and we’re here to celebrate that today. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all who were a part of this project, from our own teams to our vendors and local and state dignitaries. I have no doubt that this expansion will continue to create significant growth opportunities for both Fujifilm and the customers we serve.”

“This expansion would not have been possible without the exceptional efforts of our global project team both here in New Castle, and the UK,” comments Melissa Toledo, general manager, Delaware, Fujifilm Imaging Colorants, Inc. “The excitement of our team regarding this expansion is palpable, and we are looking forward to continued growth both in our production capacity and job creation here in New Castle.”

Fujifilm’s high purity reactive dispersant (RxD) pigment dispersion products are important to the development of aqueous inkjet inks for a variety of fast-growing inkjet markets, including packaging, textile, and commercial printing. They use a proprietary cross-linking technology to lock each pigment particle in a secure polymer cage, resulting in a highly stable dispersion that enables the design of ink formulations that can meet demanding performance requirements. Fujifilm supplies aqueous inks to digital printer Original Equipment Manufacturers and RxD pigment dispersions to ink formulators.

In addition to this new facility, the construction of a second facility, which will add 11,000 sq. ft. of new operational space to the overall site, began this spring and is expected to be operational by summer 2023. Upon completion, the two plants will double Fujifilm’s production capacity of pigment dispersions in the US to meet the fast-growing demand for inkjet printing globally.