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In preparation for Brilliant’s seventh ECS we sat down with our Founder and CEO, Darren Bianchi who is an expert on all things fluorescent. He shared some fond memories of the show throughout the years, what’s new for Brilliant in 2023 and his favorite spot for a post-show drink in Nuremberg. How many ECS have you been too? Eight shows! My first one was in 2005. This will be our eighth show attended and seventh where Brilliant have exhibited. Do you have a favorite ECS in memory?  They get better each year, so I’d have to say 2019, where we had the largest booth to date and we were able to accommodate more visitors. But I’m going to reserve the right to answer this question until after the 2023 show. I think it’s going to be extra special to see friends and colleagues in person again. What are you most looking forward to for 2023 at ECS?  Following the pandemic, the ability to see our valued customers, distributors, and other friends in person. During the time since the last show, we’ve been building our team and I’m excited to have some of the newer team members, Chrysa, Julia and Odile, there to meet everyone. How does Brilliant look to stand out at tradeshows?  With a show stopping booth that lets everyone see the benefits of using fluorescent color to set their brand and products apart from the rest. What is new that Brilliant has for ECS 2023?  We’ll be showcasing newer products in the lineup such as Brilliant Fluorescent Emulsions for water-based applications where a sub-micron particle is required such as water flexo inks, marker inks, textiles; new products for UV ink applications and our long-afterglow phosphorescent pigments. Favorite place in Nuremburg for after the show? Must see site in the city for those visiting?  I’ve had some lovely meals at the Zum Albrecht Durer Hause and there is a cute little place called Hexenhaeusle for bier and classic German food. Finally, one must make the trek up the hill to the Imperial Castle for great views of the City. We are looking forward to a great show and catching up on all the latest happenings in our industry. For more information about Brilliant’s booth and who will be in attendance please check this link.

Over the past few years, companies have been forced to navigate container shortages and long lead times to move goods around the globe. Located in Greece, our EMEA Customer Service Manager, Chrysa Soulantoni, has been invaluable in our efforts to supply Europe with product and keep our warehouse in the Netherlands stocked. In addition to supporting our European customers, she has assisted in moving containers worldwide. We were able to speak with Chrysa about the current state of logistics, the outlook for 2023, and key decisions that helped Brilliant address significant challenges. What is the current state of logistics globally, and across Europe specifically? Globally, patterns are similar to 2021 before the 2nd major COVID lockdown. There are more containers available, which means shorter lead times. This allows for more avenues of shipment which create more efficiency, such as port clearances and transit times. For the EU, the logistics are running smoothly again with on-sea times leveling at pre-COVID levels. Why did Brilliant choose to warehouse goods in the Netherlands? We chose Holland for a few reasons. It is close to a major seaport, so times are shorter to get material into the warehouse. Also, its location allows us to serve the continent effectively with transit times around five to six days via truck. Another advantage: shipments from our U.S warehouse are significantly faster to reach us. Materials are able to leave the U.S. from the East Coast and hit the European continent in around two weeks. This has helped to shorten lead times for our fluorescent ink base customers. Why is having someone in Europe vital to the effective movement of goods? Having a Europe-based team offers us the ability to provide same-day service and support to customers across the region. We are able to respond to customer inquiries quickly and even ship goods on the same day. Also, the fact that I am located in Europe has helped us foster relationships with our logistics partners. The speed and ease of communication have been vital over the past two years to provide our customers with on-time deliveries and reliable service. Outlook on global logistics? Overall, I think the outlook for the future is positive. We have worked to create systems and processes that maximize how effective we are as a logistics team. Struggling through COVID lockdowns and shortages forced us to be creative and work to build new solutions. From this we have learned and modified our thinking to offer our customers the best possible service.

Fluorescent pigment buyers across the West, South and Eastern U.S. will now benefit from Terra Firma’ s sales and service expertise. February 7, 2023: Brilliant Group and Terra Firma, a DKSH company, announced today that the companies have entered into a partnership that will allow Terra Firma to sell Brilliant Group's industry-leading fluorescent and phosphorescent pigments. The agreement brings together Brilliant Group's fluorescent technology - used in a wide range of applications including paints, coatings, inks and plastics - and Terra Firma's extensive, expert sales and service coverage of the U.S. "We are pleased to join forces with Terra Firma to provide more localized support to our customers and realize the growing demand for our products," announces Darren Bianchi, Founder and CEO of Brilliant Group. Read the full story at Coatings World.

Fluorescent pigments in toys help marketers increase shelf appeal by catching the consumer’s eye in the store. You may think that neon green or neon yellow are the most vibrant colors. But fluorescent magenta or pink provide the same appeal, enabling toys to visually stand out, relative to the rest of the products on display. By offering a full range of colors, from the traditional neon yellow to the bright orange-red shades, we arm product companies with more ways to stand out. Why are fluorescent pigments so much brighter and easier to see than traditional colors? Daylight fluorescent pigments are the hardest-working pigments in the business. They convert invisible UV light from their surroundings into visible light that the human eye can detect. The result is intensely luminous, emitting as much as four times more light than that reflected from conventional pigments, invariably attracting more attention. Glow in the Dark Toys Who doesn’t love Slime or Goo – the green putty that will mold into any shape, and best of all glow in the dark! How about the action figure that has a slight green vest… that glows when your child takes it into the closet or turns out their light before bed? Magic doesn’t make those toys glow, phosphorescent pigment does. The phosphorescent-treated material absorbs short wavelengths of light radiation then remits longer-wavelength light out when the source is extinguished. But today’s phosphorescent pigment is not what you remember from your childhood. Recent advances in technology enable long-lasting glow times. Instead of only a few minutes of afterglow, modern phosphorescent toys can glow for 8 hours or more, with the right pigment and conditions. Toy Safety EN71 is a collection of regulations and standards that have been set in the EU for the safety of toys. Compliance factors include limits on heavy metal concentrations and hazardous organic chemicals as well as engineering safety requirements. With respect to fluorescent pigments in toys, EN71-3, 9, and 12 are the most asked about parts of the regulation. They deal with the metals and the chemicals that were present in toys in the past. Fluorescent pigments are safely used in toys and toy packaging. Our fluorescent pigment and phosphorescent pigment formulations are void of problematic heavy metals and hazardous chemicals. Fluorescent pigments are what we do every day. We only deal in the brightest shades to make the biggest impact. Our team is skilled at finding the right color and maximizing its qualities to offer the best value and impact. We are, defining the future of fluorescent pigments!