Steve Katz, Editor10.14.16
ADCRAFT LABELS
1230 S Sherman St, Anaheim, CA 92805
adcraftlabels.com
Adcraft Labels, a division of Adcraft Products Co., Inc., is a “Company to Watch” for so many reasons it’s difficult to pinpoint where to begin. Based in Anaheim, CA, the label and flexible packaging manufacturer supplies its customers with innovative, high-end embellished product decoration. It has invested heavily in R&D for the development of advanced security and brand protection technologies, and the company is in the midst of a rebranding initiative based on an understanding of today’s digital world and modern consumer. Furthermore, Adraft Labels has recently invested in a hybrid press and is leveraging this new technology to launch a proprietary, trademarked label converting workflow. But wait, there’s more. The company also has a rich history – its leadership literally grew up in the industry – and is using its vast knowledge and experience along with the new technologies to make its mark on the industry.
Adcraft was founded in 1977 by Dick and Bernice Mottram as a label and printed products broker. The company operated out of the family home in Tustin, CA, and focused primarily on selling medical and electronics labels. Dick sold, while Bernice handled the office work. Realizing a scarcity of high-quality 1, 2 and 3-color labels that could satisfy the markets he sold to, Dick purchased a Mark Andy 830 press. It was 1980, and Adcraft had begun label manufacturing in the family garage.
Joining the company in the early 1980s were the Mottram’s two sons. The brothers worked in the garage running the press and finishing equipment, and in the packaging of the labels. Steady growth ensued, and another Mark Andy 830 was added, as well as in-house platemaking. Following two moves to larger facilities in Santa Ana, CA, the growing company settled in Anaheim in 1992 and added a Mark Andy 4150.
In 1995, Keith Mottram started working with his dad in sales and became increasingly more involved with the day-to-day operations. Meanwhile, Adcraft was expanding into prime label markets, due to medical and electronic product manufacturers moving production out of the region. Seeing a growth opportunity, in 2002, the brothers encouraged their dad to add an 11" Nilpeter FB2500 dual web path press to manufacture high-quality flexible film products.
The year 2004 was pivotal. The brothers purchased the company from their parents, Dick and Bernice. The same year, Adcraft acquired a new Nilpeter FA3300 with a Stork drop-in rotary screen unit. Digital platemaking came in 2007 and in 2014 the company invested in a 10-color Mark Andy Performance Series P5 press with an on-rail rotary screen station.
What may prove to be Adcraft’s most significant equipment investment to date came this year, with the purchase of a Mark Andy Digital Series. The new press signals the company’s first foray into digital printing, and Adcraft is leveraging the hybrid press’ combination of digital and flexo printing to launch JetFlex technology. Explains Keith Mottram, “What we’re looking forward to is being able to offer short run and mid run products with many copies and changeovers with multiple SKUs. We’re targeting clients that want all the best embellishments in one pass – and we can now offer the best of both flexo and digital.”
The Mark Andy Digital Series features UV inkjet technology, and Mottram sees specific areas of great potential. He says, “We’re focusing on variable data applications and personalized smart labels – items that interact with end users in all markets. We are also making a push into the vast area of beverage labels, and I see potential growth in durable labels with our new UV inkjet capability."
Mottram takes pride in Adcraft’s position as an early adopter of this new technology, and the company is the only one of its kind with the configuration it has. “The need for differentiation is the reason we went with the Mark Andy Digital Series,” Mottram says. “There is a gap between the traditional digital press market and that of flexographic printing. We worked closely with Mark Andy to make this press the perfect addition to our product offering. We now have the ability to help our clients bridge the gap between what they wish they could do from a branding standpoint and what was available or what they could afford.
“We now offer all of the value-added embellishments many of our clients require in one pass. Additionally, we can just run digital for quick, short run solutions when needed,” Mottram says.
Today, Adcraft works two full-time shifts and has 34 employees spread out over two facilities in Anaheim that Mottram calls Adcraft East and Adcraft West. (They are a five-minute drive apart.)
Adcraft serves a variety of markets, from mainstays like food and beverage to niche areas, such as aerospace, E-juice and cannabis packaging, and pretty much everywhere in between. Mottram points out the personal care and nutritional supplement markets continue to grow every year. In particular, an Adcraft area of growth is coming from products that are based in natural ingredients – botanical-based products, for example. “And individuals in this space are starting their own businesses every day, and we can be an ideal partner, helping to grow brands every step of the way,” Mottram says.
Smart and interactive labels are also starting to show some traction across the board, according to Mottram. “Consumers – especially Millennials and those from Generation X – they want to play more with the items they purchase, making personalization or interactive packaging an ideal fit,” he says.
Above all, at Adcraft, the company looks to find discerning clients who are most interested in brand management and reliable consistent service at a fair, competitive price. “Many of our customers have used other label companies prior to finding us. They skip around from one company to the next, often due to service or consistent quality failures. But with our clients, we find they require partners – a team to help them grow their brand – not just manufacturers. And it’s regardless of the industry they may serve,” Mottram says.
He continues, “Brand owners today – no matter what size they are – are competing in a much larger, global market place, and it’s due to the Internet. They often need help in developing and strategizing with high quality, effective labels and packaging. This is where Adcraft comes in, as well as in the implementation and effective performance of their packaging concept. Our clients need fast responses, real time information and a team to help with building their brand and creating solutions that not only capture their market but are sensibly efficient going through production. We have found that if you give a customer consistently exceptional service and partner with them to overcome their real life struggles, you will organically grow your customer base.”
Adcraft takes pride in its ability to provide custom labels and packaging solutions. “We listen carefully to our customers needs and are nimble and flexible enough to find ways to meet those specific needs. There is no cookie cutter solution, and there are no rules that restrict our thinking,” Mottram says. “We ask many questions; we want to understand their business, why are they successful, and what are they trying to accomplish now and in the future. We recognize that our business is uniquely custom, and are growing because we adapt to our customers’ needs and offer solutions to help them grow. We do not make our clients conform to our business – we create a fit for them.”
Mottram jokes that how Adcraft gains new business is top secrect, though he says it’s generally from old fashioned sales calls, word of mouth and referrals. “However, many of our newer clients are finding us through the web,” he says. Adcraft has implemented a strong marketing effort that includes coordinated print and online campaigns. Marketing activities include social media, email and direct mail – and it’s all focused on helping to educate clients. One such area of education is where Mottram sees the future of packaging going. “We are interested in the development of augmented reality and smart packaging that is interacting with the software on your smart phone. This is going to be a real value added and marketable product to help our clients stand out,” he says.
Having been in the label business since the 1980s, Mottram has seen it evolve, and has deep knowledge on what it takes for a brand to succeed with great packaging. In 2016, Adcraft entered the PIASC awards competition and came away with 14 winners. “With a proliferation of product lines, color management has always been important, but we see it becoming a key requirement to not only big brand accounts, but many smaller clients are following the big brands’ lead. Many product lines are comprised of various types of packaging delivered to the end user with usage quanties ranging from single-dose to 90-day supplies, or various configurations, including samples. Consistency across substrates is of paramount importance when it comes to brand building.”
Mottram continues, “Clients need help managing color so that the end product line looks consistent on the shelf. With our clients labeling and branding requirements constantly changing, we must run smaller batches of packaging, and there are many reasons for this: regulatory changes, new fads, or growth in to new markets where multiple languages are needed. And digital printing is a perfect fit for this – another driver behind our adding the Mark Andy Digital Series.”
The passion and dedication Mottram shows in working with Adcraft customers is also reflected in his attitude towards his employees, many who have been with the company for decades. Adcraft is all about teamwork. “I believe in people,” he says. “I invest in my people and I think them as family. I’m also not easy on them – I expect the best they have. It’s because not only do my clients deserve their best but they deserve it. Partnership is the most important aspect of our success. We are a team and everyone here is each others client and partner.” –Steve Katz
1230 S Sherman St, Anaheim, CA 92805
adcraftlabels.com
Adcraft Labels, a division of Adcraft Products Co., Inc., is a “Company to Watch” for so many reasons it’s difficult to pinpoint where to begin. Based in Anaheim, CA, the label and flexible packaging manufacturer supplies its customers with innovative, high-end embellished product decoration. It has invested heavily in R&D for the development of advanced security and brand protection technologies, and the company is in the midst of a rebranding initiative based on an understanding of today’s digital world and modern consumer. Furthermore, Adraft Labels has recently invested in a hybrid press and is leveraging this new technology to launch a proprietary, trademarked label converting workflow. But wait, there’s more. The company also has a rich history – its leadership literally grew up in the industry – and is using its vast knowledge and experience along with the new technologies to make its mark on the industry.
Adcraft was founded in 1977 by Dick and Bernice Mottram as a label and printed products broker. The company operated out of the family home in Tustin, CA, and focused primarily on selling medical and electronics labels. Dick sold, while Bernice handled the office work. Realizing a scarcity of high-quality 1, 2 and 3-color labels that could satisfy the markets he sold to, Dick purchased a Mark Andy 830 press. It was 1980, and Adcraft had begun label manufacturing in the family garage.
Joining the company in the early 1980s were the Mottram’s two sons. The brothers worked in the garage running the press and finishing equipment, and in the packaging of the labels. Steady growth ensued, and another Mark Andy 830 was added, as well as in-house platemaking. Following two moves to larger facilities in Santa Ana, CA, the growing company settled in Anaheim in 1992 and added a Mark Andy 4150.
In 1995, Keith Mottram started working with his dad in sales and became increasingly more involved with the day-to-day operations. Meanwhile, Adcraft was expanding into prime label markets, due to medical and electronic product manufacturers moving production out of the region. Seeing a growth opportunity, in 2002, the brothers encouraged their dad to add an 11" Nilpeter FB2500 dual web path press to manufacture high-quality flexible film products.
The year 2004 was pivotal. The brothers purchased the company from their parents, Dick and Bernice. The same year, Adcraft acquired a new Nilpeter FA3300 with a Stork drop-in rotary screen unit. Digital platemaking came in 2007 and in 2014 the company invested in a 10-color Mark Andy Performance Series P5 press with an on-rail rotary screen station.
What may prove to be Adcraft’s most significant equipment investment to date came this year, with the purchase of a Mark Andy Digital Series. The new press signals the company’s first foray into digital printing, and Adcraft is leveraging the hybrid press’ combination of digital and flexo printing to launch JetFlex technology. Explains Keith Mottram, “What we’re looking forward to is being able to offer short run and mid run products with many copies and changeovers with multiple SKUs. We’re targeting clients that want all the best embellishments in one pass – and we can now offer the best of both flexo and digital.”
The Mark Andy Digital Series features UV inkjet technology, and Mottram sees specific areas of great potential. He says, “We’re focusing on variable data applications and personalized smart labels – items that interact with end users in all markets. We are also making a push into the vast area of beverage labels, and I see potential growth in durable labels with our new UV inkjet capability."
Mottram takes pride in Adcraft’s position as an early adopter of this new technology, and the company is the only one of its kind with the configuration it has. “The need for differentiation is the reason we went with the Mark Andy Digital Series,” Mottram says. “There is a gap between the traditional digital press market and that of flexographic printing. We worked closely with Mark Andy to make this press the perfect addition to our product offering. We now have the ability to help our clients bridge the gap between what they wish they could do from a branding standpoint and what was available or what they could afford.
“We now offer all of the value-added embellishments many of our clients require in one pass. Additionally, we can just run digital for quick, short run solutions when needed,” Mottram says.
Today, Adcraft works two full-time shifts and has 34 employees spread out over two facilities in Anaheim that Mottram calls Adcraft East and Adcraft West. (They are a five-minute drive apart.)
Adcraft serves a variety of markets, from mainstays like food and beverage to niche areas, such as aerospace, E-juice and cannabis packaging, and pretty much everywhere in between. Mottram points out the personal care and nutritional supplement markets continue to grow every year. In particular, an Adcraft area of growth is coming from products that are based in natural ingredients – botanical-based products, for example. “And individuals in this space are starting their own businesses every day, and we can be an ideal partner, helping to grow brands every step of the way,” Mottram says.
Smart and interactive labels are also starting to show some traction across the board, according to Mottram. “Consumers – especially Millennials and those from Generation X – they want to play more with the items they purchase, making personalization or interactive packaging an ideal fit,” he says.
Above all, at Adcraft, the company looks to find discerning clients who are most interested in brand management and reliable consistent service at a fair, competitive price. “Many of our customers have used other label companies prior to finding us. They skip around from one company to the next, often due to service or consistent quality failures. But with our clients, we find they require partners – a team to help them grow their brand – not just manufacturers. And it’s regardless of the industry they may serve,” Mottram says.
He continues, “Brand owners today – no matter what size they are – are competing in a much larger, global market place, and it’s due to the Internet. They often need help in developing and strategizing with high quality, effective labels and packaging. This is where Adcraft comes in, as well as in the implementation and effective performance of their packaging concept. Our clients need fast responses, real time information and a team to help with building their brand and creating solutions that not only capture their market but are sensibly efficient going through production. We have found that if you give a customer consistently exceptional service and partner with them to overcome their real life struggles, you will organically grow your customer base.”
Adcraft takes pride in its ability to provide custom labels and packaging solutions. “We listen carefully to our customers needs and are nimble and flexible enough to find ways to meet those specific needs. There is no cookie cutter solution, and there are no rules that restrict our thinking,” Mottram says. “We ask many questions; we want to understand their business, why are they successful, and what are they trying to accomplish now and in the future. We recognize that our business is uniquely custom, and are growing because we adapt to our customers’ needs and offer solutions to help them grow. We do not make our clients conform to our business – we create a fit for them.”
Mottram jokes that how Adcraft gains new business is top secrect, though he says it’s generally from old fashioned sales calls, word of mouth and referrals. “However, many of our newer clients are finding us through the web,” he says. Adcraft has implemented a strong marketing effort that includes coordinated print and online campaigns. Marketing activities include social media, email and direct mail – and it’s all focused on helping to educate clients. One such area of education is where Mottram sees the future of packaging going. “We are interested in the development of augmented reality and smart packaging that is interacting with the software on your smart phone. This is going to be a real value added and marketable product to help our clients stand out,” he says.
Having been in the label business since the 1980s, Mottram has seen it evolve, and has deep knowledge on what it takes for a brand to succeed with great packaging. In 2016, Adcraft entered the PIASC awards competition and came away with 14 winners. “With a proliferation of product lines, color management has always been important, but we see it becoming a key requirement to not only big brand accounts, but many smaller clients are following the big brands’ lead. Many product lines are comprised of various types of packaging delivered to the end user with usage quanties ranging from single-dose to 90-day supplies, or various configurations, including samples. Consistency across substrates is of paramount importance when it comes to brand building.”
Mottram continues, “Clients need help managing color so that the end product line looks consistent on the shelf. With our clients labeling and branding requirements constantly changing, we must run smaller batches of packaging, and there are many reasons for this: regulatory changes, new fads, or growth in to new markets where multiple languages are needed. And digital printing is a perfect fit for this – another driver behind our adding the Mark Andy Digital Series.”
The passion and dedication Mottram shows in working with Adcraft customers is also reflected in his attitude towards his employees, many who have been with the company for decades. Adcraft is all about teamwork. “I believe in people,” he says. “I invest in my people and I think them as family. I’m also not easy on them – I expect the best they have. It’s because not only do my clients deserve their best but they deserve it. Partnership is the most important aspect of our success. We are a team and everyone here is each others client and partner.” –Steve Katz