DIC was one of the first Japanese printing ink manufacturers to establish a presence in other parts of Asia. In 1986, Sun Chemical Corp., a leading manufacturer of printing inks, joined the DIC Group. Since then, additional acquisitions-including the Coates Group (the inks division of France’s Totalfina S.A.) in 1999- have reinforced DIC’s position as one of the world’s preeminent fine chemicals companies. At present, DIC is focusing its expansion efforts on promising growth markets in Asia, notably the People’s Republic of China (PRC), to strengthen core businesses, and is also establishing a presence in such emerging markets as Central and Eastern Europe, South America and the Middle East.