Flint Group Provides Insight into Expected Raw Material Cost Developments in 2012

The price of crude oil in 2011 was, on average, higher than in 2008, when there was talk of a crude oil crisis. In 2012, prices have already crept almost silently past 2011 figures. Crude is the single largest cost driver for the ink industry, with many materials linked to it—such as mineral oils, hydrocarbon resins, carbon black and solvents in addition to many other chemicals that are also indirectly linked to crude.