Made in India: Pressroom chemicals from Hydro Chem Industries

The Hydro Chem product range is designed to stabilise print quality, extend equipment life, and reduce overall operational costs. The fountain solutions maintain a predictable ink-water balance, plate systems ensure clean image areas, and the washes and rollers products help presses run smoother with less downtime. Each product is engineered to improve consistency on press, whether the job is a high-run newspaper or a premium carton job, by supporting sharp reproduction, cleaner plates, and faster makereadies.

Hydro Chem has introduced several product series over the past 30 years, each tailored to evolving pressroom needs. The alcohol-free product series, launched in 2024, represents the company's latest innovation and is built using technology and modern manufacturing systems. This series was developed to support printers transitioning to alcohol-reduced or alcohol-free operations while maintaining the stability and efficiency required for modern offset printing.

“Our products serve a broad spectrum of the printing industry — commercial printers, folding carton converters, book printers, labels, and high-speed newspaper presses. The range is designed for both printers looking for consistent day-to-day performance and large packaging plants that demand high stability during long-run production,” Mukteshwar Velaga, CEO, Hydro Chem Industries, says.

The technology

Hydro Chem’s formulations are designed using a modern, technology-enabled development process that ensures consistency, efficiency, and global-standard quality. “Our products are backed by controlled blending systems, rigorous quality protocols, and real-time monitoring across production. While many manufacturers rely on manual processing, Hydro Chem integrates digital tracking, automated checks, and future-ready process control tools to ensure each batch meets predictable performance standards,” Velaga says.

Structurally, the company’s products incorporate well-balanced surfactant systems, controlled solvent profiles, and plate-safe additives engineered for Indian pressrooms, especially where water quality and climate vary significantly. This technology-driven approach ensures stable print performance across commercial, packaging, and high-speed newspaper presses.

For the Indian market

Velaga says Hydro Chem’s solutions are engineered around the realities of Indian pressrooms, where pricing, stability, and reliability determine success. “Our products work effectively across all water conditions —including hard water — which is a major challenge across India, ensuring stable behaviour without requiring treated water,” he explains.

By delivering higher dilution ratios, longer mileage, fewer reprints, and reduced downtime, the company’s chemistry significantly reduces the total operating cost per impression. Combined with local manufacturing, ready availability, and faster delivery, we help printers achieve cost efficiency while maintaining premium output — reinforcing the strength of Made in India solutions.

Hydro Chem serves customers across 12+ states in India, making it one of the significant Made in India contributors to the pressroom chemical segment. “Our products are trusted by newspaper houses, packaging converters, and commercial printers,” Velega says.

In recent years, Hydro Chem has gained traction in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, strengthening India’s presence in global printing markets. The key Indian customers include Hindi Milap Newspaper, Visala Andhra, VSR Packages, Vikram Publications and multiple regional commercial printers.

Applications

Velaga says printers increasingly seek chemistry that delivers stability, predictable colour, and lower operational costs. Indian customers prioritise high dilution capability, compatibility with local water, and quick technical response. Global customers often focus on compliance, safety, lower VOC levels, and predictable performance during long, uninterrupted runs.

“Hydro Chem’s technology-driven, made in India products meet both expectations through consistency, value, and technical support,” he explains.

Hydro Chem’s portfolio supports a wide range of applications: alcohol-free printing, high-speed newspaper production, premium commercial work, book printing, folding carton packaging, and pharmaceutical printing.

A notable application involved a pharmaceutical converter producing a demanding multi-pass carton job. Using the company’s fountain system and plate care products, the converter ran a long production cycle without toning or restart issues — a result previously achievable only with imported chemistry.

The USP

According to Velaga, Hydro Chem products deliver consistent performance across varying Indian water conditions; high dilution ratios for lower operating cost; APEO-free, silicone-free, eco-conscious formulations; strong local technical support; and batch-to-batch consistency due to controlled manufacturing.

“Hydro Chem’s chemistry is built for India’s unique water profiles — some regions operate at over 500-ppm hardness. Our fountain solutions maintain stable conductivity and pH, even under these extremes, which allows printers to avoid costly RO or softening systems. Commercial printers consistently report better mileage and fewer restarts, while packaging converters appreciate the stable dot structure during extended runs. These capabilities distinguish our Made in India solutions from imported alternatives,” Velaga explains.

Productivity

By enabling faster make-readies, stable ink–water balance, and fewer wash-up interruptions, Hydro Chem products meaningfully improve overall productivity. Printers regularly report reductions in toning, faster colour setting, and smoother long-run performance.

The newer generations of chemistry incorporate updated raw materials, better controlling agents, and improved safety profiles. “Over time, our focus has shifted from simply cleaning or wetting to optimising total print efficiency — reflecting a modern, technology-enabled, made in India approach,” Velaga says.

He adds that the company’s goal for 2025–26 is to strengthen India’s position as a global manufacturer of pressroom chemistry. “We aim to expand the reach of Made in India products to international markets, widen our distribution network within India, and introduce new high-efficiency product lines designed for global competitiveness. Hydro Chem is committed to making India a significant contributor to the worldwide pressroom chemical supply chain,” he signs off.