Lancer Group to unveil new Silicone ink system at FESPA

Ink manufacturer Lancer Group International has announced a major breakthrough in the development of a new silicone ink system for fabric printing.

It doesn’t seem that long ago that specifiers started to express concern about the toxicity of phthalates and their use in textile screen inks and photostencil emulsions. Ink manufacturers went through a challenging time reformulating their products in order to provide equal performance without excessive price increases. 

Ahead of their appearance at FESPA 2017, we spoke with Lancer Group Sales Manager Morgan Young to find out more about how the company is meeting those customers' demands and what sets it apart from the competition.

What is Lancer Group's focus for FESPA 2017?

Our focus is going to be the same as always. We want to make contact with potential re-sellers and end users of our products. FESPA always does a great job of drawing people to this “flagship” show. We expect to see a lot of new faces and welcome the opportunity to present our ink systems to people who may not know what we offer.  

Are you launching any new technology or products? 

We are launching our new Silicone ink system at the show.  It is a bit different in comparison to other silicone systems currently on the market.  We have developed a version that will work well when printing heat transfers.  

In the past, wash fastness of these types of transfers has been relatively poor. Our R&D department has been able to overcome these challenges. In addition to that, transfers printed with our silicone system show no issues with dye migration when applied to 100% polyester fabrics. 

We are very excited about this new technology. So far the initial reaction from those who have tested it has been very positive. 

What else have you got up your sleeve in terms of product offering?

Our next big release will be automatic machine printable water-based ink. We consider ourselves to be front runners in regards to the PVC free ink market. We were the first to develop and launch PVC free plastisol. We are now offering silicone inks and soon we will have top quality water based ink that will be comparable to the top products on the market.

This is significant because we will be able to offer re-sellers and end users everything they may require, from PF Plastisol (Excalibur) and PVC Free Plastisol (Evolution) to Silicone (STI Evolution) and Water-based (Aqua).  I can’t think of any other ink manufacturer that has the entire system. 

Why would you recommend people attend FESPA 2017? 

FESPA is a great opportunity to meet with a large amount of people in a short amount of time. I personally work with customers located in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and North America.

There is not enough days in the year to be able to travel and meet with everyone. Having a central spot where I can introduce new products and discuss ink related business with a large amount of people is extremely important. 

I also like to keep an eye on the field as a whole. Walking the floor at FESPA to see what other companies are doing is not only interesting but essential in understanding where the industry is and where it is going. 

What sets you apart from your competitors?

I think the fact that we offer a full range of textile printing inks sets us apart. We offer all the PVC free products as well as standard phthalate free plastisol.  It is one stop shopping. Also the fact that we invest heavily in research and development sets us apart from many ink manufacturers. I have noticed recently that there are many producers who are copying rather than developing. 

They enter the market with lower prices but don’t really contribute to the textile screen print industry. We at Lancer Group take pride in the fact that we are always striving to be the trend setters.

What does the future hold for the company looking forward? 

We consider ourselves to be a global player in the textile screen print industry. We have market share in many regions. Moving forward, we are looking to expand that market share and move into areas where we don’t currently have representation. We are hoping that an international trade exhibition like this one in Hamburg will assist us in reaching our goals. 

Register today to attend FESPA 2017 and save 70€ entry fee

Industry members that are keen to learn more about the latest ink textile solutions from Lancer Group International, can visit the firm in Hall B6, Stand D106 at FESPA 2017. 

Taking place from May 8-12 at the Hamburg Messe, in Hamburg, Germany, the exhibition will play host to many major brands from across the global market. 

For more information on the event, the companies that will exhibit and to sign up to attend as a visitor, please visit: www.fespa2017.com

Delegates can save 70€ entry fee to the exhibition by registering via the website and quoting reference code: FESG702. Discover how a visit to FESPA 2017 can benefit your business and register today.