Published By: Domino

Amherst Label, an Inovar company, located in Milford, New Hampshire, USA, has added their third Domino N610i digital UV inkjet, with the installation of their second MPS EF SYMJET ‘powered by Domino’ hybrid press in February 2024.

“We have 55 full-time employees and we’ve added 250 new customers in the last two years. Our key objective is to take great care of our customers, provide great opportunities for our employees, and use technology to continue to grow. Today, we have four flexo presses, one Domino N610i digital roll-to-roll, and two MPS-Domino (flexo/digital) hybrids. So, it’s really exciting to see our growth. And last year, we merged with Inovar Packaging Group, which is a great fit for us,” says Nye Hornor, president of Amherst Label. With 11 current locations, Inovar Packaging Group is creating a world-class commercial enterprise by building a platform to drive scalable and sustainable growth.”

Digital Drivers

Katie Putnam, Prepress & Digital Print Supervisor says, “Several years ago we started to see more versioning, more SKUs, more specialty labels, shorter runs. Customers were looking for higher quality. Nye adds, “The other big thing was turnaround time. And customers started asking for variable information. So, everything was really pointing us in the direction to add digital.”

Amherst Label’s first digital press was the Domino N610i digital UV inkjet label press, installed in July 2016, followed by their first MPS EF SYMJET ‘powered by Domino’ hybrid press in March 2021. A driving factor for adding the MPS-Domino hybrid was not only needing additional capacity but also the desire to print and convert in a single pass, all inline, while being able to add embellishments, varnishes, cold foil, and more. Nye says, “With being able to print and convert inline, we are saving a tremendous amount of time by doing the process in one step versus two steps. So, we have more throughput, more productivity. All these benefits are a Domino effect.”

Is there a ‘Domino Difference’?

“The Domino has been a great addition to our fleet of equipment,” says Nye. “There are several key advantages of the technology. First is the opacity of the white. Second is speed. I have talked to converters that have other digital equipment running half the speed that we are. The other day, we were running at 65 meters/minute (213 ft/minute). And it’s not just speed for printing, but speed to the customer. Third is color gamut. With our CMYKOV+W, we can hit almost any color. And fourth, and most important, is the quality. When we sent out the testing for samples to be done, the Domino samples that came back to us were the best of any digital printing provider. Domino just really stood out, and we knew we would be excited to send that quality to our customers.” Katie says, “I agree. And another one I will add is color consistency. That is a huge factor. So, whether it’s running 20,000 feet of product this month for a customer or only 5,000 of the same label next month, we know it’s going to match.”

Beyond the Press

Nye concludes, “We have been very satisfied with Domino. We trust the Domino technicians, and they trust our people, and it’s a great back and forth in understanding each other’s needs.” Inovar is clearly one to watch over the next couple of years as the company continues to acquire, invest and expand its geographic footprint, capacity, and printing capabilities.

About Inovar Packaging Group

Inovar is one of North America’s premier label printing and packaging solution companies. From its headquarters in Dallas, Texas, Inovar produces packaging products for many of the nation’s leading brands across multiple industries. Inovar invests in the most current technology to help clients meet the demands of the marketplace and demonstrates a passion for providing unsurpassed quality and service. For more information, visit www.inovarpackaging.com.

Published By: ProMach

FORT WORTH, Texas, April 22, 2024 – ProMach, a worldwide leader in processing and packaging machinery and related solutions, announced today that it has acquired Etiflex, a leading producer of pressure-sensitive and RFID labels. The addition of Etiflex further expands ProMach’s labeling and coding capabilities throughout North America and represents the company’s first acquisition in the Mexican market.

Based in Mexico City, Mexico, Etiflex and its team of more than 500 employees will join ProMach’s Labeling & Coding business line led by Group President Alan Shipman. With go-to-market product brands that also include ID Technology, EPI, Panther, Code Tech, and Greydon, ProMach’s Labeling & Coding business line provides broad solution offerings to customers throughout North America. The company’s vertically integrated product portfolio includes both labels and machinery, which are supported by an extensive network that includes seventeen regional sales and service offices, as well as eight existing label converting facilities. The company’s label converting facilities provide decorative labels for both high volumes or short runs via flexographic and digital capabilities, blank and shell labels, RFID labels, specialty labels, and more.

“The Etiflex team brings a trusted industry reputation for providing exceptional quality products, and their geographic footprint will provide tremendous benefits to our current and future customer base in Mexico,” said Shipman. “This acquisition also increases the number of our label production facilities from eight to nine locations in North America. That, along with our six equipment manufacturing facilities, underscores our goal of providing a complete and comprehensive range of label products, equipment, and support to our customers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.”

Mr. Shipman continued, “With our growing international presence in Mexico, our Labeling & Coding product brands will serve our multinational customers in an even more responsive and comprehensive manner, while also providing them an ability to consolidate vendors for greater efficiency. The result of this is tangible bottom line benefits for our customers due to faster response times and shorter shipping distances.”

Founded in 1981 in Mexico City, Etiflex is one of the leading converters in Mexico for variable information-printed labels, tickets, and RFID labeling. The company has an extensive portfolio of label converting solutions that serve a broad range of industries, including food & beverage, textile, automotive, personal care, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and retail & logistics. Additionally, Etiflex produces tickets, badges, and bracelets for events and transportation.

Sergio Shor and Ari Vonderwalde, Co-Director Generals of Etiflex, will continue leading the Etiflex team. Shor will serve as VP and General Manager, and Vonderwalde will assume the role of VP of Operations.

“Joining ProMach’s Labeling & Coding group is an exciting opportunity to continue and expand our original vision that has guided us for over 40 years”, said Shor and Vonderwalde. “Our philosophy has always been rooted in being a true business partner with strong employee connections and development. We are also proud of our long-standing relationships with our customers and suppliers, and this opportunity will reinforce that effort,” they offered. “ProMach has a proven track record of success and a reputation of investing in its companies to leverage everyone’s strengths, offer more complete solutions, and better serve its customers.”

“We are very grateful for all of the support, passion, and dedication the entire Etiflex team has delivered over the past 43 years that took us to this exciting and promising moment,” Shor and Vonderwalde added.

For more information about Etiflex, please call them at +52 55 5354 1723 or visit them online at https://etiflex.com.mx

About ID Technology

Customers across North America depend on ID Technology to design, build, integrate, and install the most effective product, case, and pallet identification systems for their product lines. ID Technology is a leading provider of labeling, coding, and marking equipment that also supplies quality flexographic, digital, blank, and shell labels in run volumes of any size from numerous regional label converting facilities across North America. ID Technology is a product brand of ProMach, a global leader in packaging line solutions. As part of the ProMach Labeling & Coding business line, ID Technology helps our packaging customers protect their reputation and grow the trust of their consumers. ProMach is performance, and the proof is in every package. Learn more about ID Technology at www.IDTechnology.com.

About ProMach

ProMach is a family of best-in-class packaging and processing solution brands serving manufacturers of all sizes and geographies in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, and household and industrial goods industries. ProMach brands operate across the entire production line: processing, filling, bottling and capping, decorative labeling, flexibles and trays, pharma, handling and sterilizing, labeling and coding, and robotics and end of line. ProMach also provides systems and integration including turnkey solutions, design/build, engineering services, and productivity software to optimize production line design and deliver maximum uptime.

ProMach designs, manufactures, integrates, and supports the most sophisticated and advanced packaging and processing solutions in the global marketplace. Its diverse customer base, from Fortune 500 companies to smaller, privately-held businesses worldwide, depends on reliable, flexible, technologically advanced equipment and integrated solutions. ProMach is headquartered near Cincinnati, Ohio, with manufacturing facilities and offices throughout North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. For more information about ProMach, visit www.ProMachBuilt.com and for more information on ProMach Careers, visit www.ProMachCareers.com.

Media Contact

Scott Smith
Senior Vice President – Strategic Marketing & Growth
ProMach
scott.smith@promachbuilt.com
+1 (864) 419-1455

Grace Label was the first label converter in North America to add the NEW Domino N730i digital UV inkjet label press to their business. Installed in 2023, the N730i provides 1200 dpi printing at 230 ft/min. 7-Color CMYKOV+W covering 92% of the Pantone range, and white prints 76% opacity at speed. Already a Domino customer with the 600 dpi N610i installed in 2019, Grace Label’s business grew tremendously the next few years and they needed to add additional capacity. A visit to Labelexpo Americas 2022 was all it took.  It was their first glimpse of the N730i, and they decided at the trade show they wanted that press.  Now, having both the N610i and N730i in their arsenal, they call it their ‘Field of Dreams’ with these two presses, and their business continues to grow. 

We caught up with the team at Grace Label to learn more about their company and their growth utilizing digital printing. We were joined by Steve Grace (president), sons Kyle Grace (operations manager) and Ethan Grace (digital press operator), as well as Lou Thurston (account executive), Mark Brooks (account executive), Amy Bogle (customer service representative), and John Watsabaugh (digital press operator). 

Our visit was captured in this VIDEO: Grace Label & Domino

From humble beginnings, continuing to grow

Steve begins, “We’re located in Des Moines, Iowa. We’re a a medium-sized flexo and digital label printer started by my father in 1974. It started with 11 employees. Now, three generations later, we continue to grow. Being located in the Midwest, we work a lot in the food and beverage industries and we’re proud to remain independent after all these years. Although we’re not that big of a company, we have the capabilities of anybody out in the market. And our best thing we do here is that we take care of customers and we want to be able to stand toe to toe with any of the big guys and give them that higher sense of attention, that higher sense of importance to say hey, ‘we can fill your needs across the board’ and that’s the reason we got into digital in the first place.”

The addition of the NEW Domino N730i

So, what does the Grace Label team think of the new Domino N730i?  It was interesting to hear their responses, as it was evident that each person’s view is largely based on their role within the company.

Ethan begins, “For me personally, what’s exciting about having one of the first N730i presses in the world, is we get to watch the development and evolution of digital printing technology in real time.

Lou says, “It has really upped our game here at Grace Label.  Being in the digital game on our Domino N610i, we really had a solid workhorse delivering super results.  It just made it a lot easier when Steve went looking for that second press to go right back to Domino.  And with the N730i, we’ve got something that nobody else is delivering today and we couldn’t be more excited to take that to the marketplace.”

Mark adds, “From a sales perspective, Grace Label has the ability to make sure we’ve got our customers covered in any way, shape, or form. With Domino’s partnership, we’ve already had a great press. With the addition of the N730i, we’re able to enter the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical market. On top of that, we’ve got even quicker turnarounds and higher press speeds.”

Kyle says, “When it comes to scheduling, I’ve got flexo, and I’ve got the N730i, and I’ve got the N610i. And it’s really nice between the N730i and the N610i to have that flexibility between the two and I know I’m going to get great quality. And our nutraceuticals that really require that fine text works just a little bit better over on our N730i. It has been a game changer for us in that regard, and I’m getting orders out the door in a timely fashion.”

Steve provided an example of how it is a differentiator for their business. “We have a customer that required a really nice crisp white on a clear label. They had to go through their press three times to achieve the opacity that they wanted. Domino was able to do this label in one pass. So, we can sit down with a customer and just say ‘hey, we can fill your needs across the board’.”

John concludes, “The N730i runs color across the web very nicely, especially with very small graphics, very small type.  You can see type that doesn’t even look like type, and when you put a magnifier on it, you can read it. It does a beautiful job.”

Is there a ‘Domino difference’?   

Steve begins, “Yes, there is a Domino difference. They do what they say they’re going to do.  They help us out when we need help and anytime we’ve had a problem, it’s been solved and that’s why we decided to reinvest in Domino again.”  

Mark says, “The Domino difference really is capability.  It’s offering us to be very confident with our customers in our abilities to graphically meet their needs.”

Amy comments, “For me, the Domino difference truly is the quality that comes off of the press, as well as how quickly we can get the labels turned around.”

Lou adds, “The Domino difference for Grace Label is robust, high quality, high speed, quick to market with huge support from Domino. They’re not just a vendor, they’re a true business partner.”

Steve sums it up. “Domino is a great partner, and it’s nice to have somebody that’s got the technology and the service and the people that you can rely on to help you get through the next phase. With the additional capabilities of the N730i, there was really no other choice to be made.”

Domino is a leading manufacturer and distributor of digital printing and product identification solutions.  Celebrating its 46^th year in business, Domino is a global organization with world headquarters in the UK, and North America headquarters in Gurnee, IL.  Domino has 25 subsidiaries, representation in over 120 countries, and over 3,000 employees worldwide.  For more information on Domino digital printing, please visit dominodigitalprinting.com  

With the upcoming retirements of two widely loved and highly respected Domino Digital Printing North America Account Managers, Chuck Stone and Patrick LaMourie, Domino has promoted Matt Stein and hired Luke Schwan. Mary Fidge is promoted to Demo Room Manager, Max Spread joins as Key Accounts Manager, and the Service & Support Team continues to grow with the addition of James Sherrod.

Matt Stein has been promoted to Account Manager for the Midwest region and is based out of the Chicago area.  Matt joined Domino in 2018 as Demo Room Manager. “During his time in this role, he and his team have made the demo center an industry standard that has been instrumental to Domino’s success. During COVID, Matt developed a high-quality, cost-effective virtual demo platform that allowed us to continue product demonstrations during a time when travel was limited. This tool is still a key part of our success today. Matt brings to his new role passion and in-depth knowledge of the Domino inkjet portfolio that will make him a great account manager,” says Mike Barry, National Sales Manager.

Mary Fidge has been promoted to Demo Room Manager.  Mary joined Domino in June 2023 as Prepress/Press Operator and has quickly become a key contributor to the demo team and the overall business. “Combined with her previous inkjet demonstration and print production experience, Mary looks to continue the success that we have come to expect from the demo team and will work on continuous improvement. The demo team will be crucial to achieving our 2024 goals, and Mary will ensure the challenge is met,” says Mike Barry.

Luke Schwan joins Domino as Account Manager for the Central region and is based out of Texas.  Luke will be representing Domino’s digital printing products in the central US & Mexico. Says Mike Barry, “Luke comes to us with years of sales experience in the label industry working for both suppliers and label converters. We are excited in having Luke join the team and wish him success in his new role.”

Max Spread joins Domino as Key Accounts Manager and is based out of Indiana. “Max will be working to maintain and grow Domino’s presence in our largest, strategic digital printing accounts. Max comes to us with years of experience in both operations and sales working for printers/converters as well as packaging suppliers, and he will be working with the entire North American sales team,” says Mike Barry.

James Sherrod joins Domino with eight years of field service experience in both offset and flexographic technologies. Tom Grencik, Eastern Region Service Manager says, “Most recently, James was a senior PM/Field service technician for Mark Andy where he supported customers across the United States. Prior to joining Mark Andy, James spent eight years in the United States Marine Corp.  He is based in Lexington, KY and he will be supporting the N610i color press and K-series/Editor GT as part of the Eastern region service team.”  

Spotlight Interviews with each of these excellent individuals will be forthcoming in the weeks ahead, so stay tuned!

Domino is a leading manufacturer and distributor of digital printing and product identification solutions.  Celebrating its 46^th year in business, Domino is a global organization with world headquarters in the UK, and North America headquarters in Gurnee, IL.  Domino has 25 subsidiaries, representation in over 120 countries, and over 3,000 employees worldwide.  As of June 2015, Domino is a Brother Group Company.  For more information on Domino, please visit dominodigitalprinting.com