The Next Generation

Relationships are critical in any business. Relationship building takes time, but the benefits of such investments pay huge dividends over time. These relationships are with your vendors, your customers, your suppliers, and your employees. Also critical for a successful mix is the best equipment for your operation. Valdese Packaging and Label’s (Valdese, NC) business is built on this philosophy. “Our operating philosophy has been to surround [ourselves] with the best employees and equipment on the market, and develop long-term partnerships with [our] accounts,” says Darren Little, president. On the equipment side, Valdese recently purchased its first servo-driven press, using technology that Little says represents the next generation in narrow web flexo.

Commercial origins

In business since 1993, Valdese Packaging and Label (VPL) was initially a printer of letterheads and business cards. The initial operation included two employees and a Mark Andy three-color 830 CI press. “We both came from a long history in printing and had many contacts in the textile industry,” says Little. Their knowledge of the printing industry helped them create a business plan, which included additional equipment and employees. “Before long, VPL developed into a printing company with both flexo and offset capabilities,” he says. “This changed our goals to become one of the premier custom packaging printers in the industry.”

Today, VPL is a completely vertical company with start-to-finish offset and flexo capacity, according to Little. The manufacturing facility includes a prepress/design department (design, proofing, film, platemaking), offset and flexo presses, numerous color matching systems, and full bindery department (diecutting, guillotine, folder/gluers, and slitter/rewinders).

Putting their textile contacts to use, Little states that the company’s key market has been the textile soft-line industry, mainly socks and hosiery. VPL has used its business model to penetrate the hard-line textile industry as well (i.e. chemical, food and beverage, cosmetic, and commercial).

VPL hasn’t been immune to competition from overseas companies and has had a few hurdles to contend with during the last few years, namely the influx of import goods. That doesn’t mean the company’s growth stymied. “To help counterbalance the overseas business, VPL has set up a very successful international program [offering] fast response time, competitive pricing, and air shipment to anywhere in the world within five to seven business days,” says Little. “We consistently are able to ship packaging anywhere in the world faster and more economically than the international printers/brokers, all while the U.S. accounts have the comfort of using a domestic printer that offers the highest quality packaging without sacrificing the accountability and communication.” This international business currently accounts for ten percent of VPL’s ­total business.

Using six presses, manufactured by Aquaflex, Mitsubishi, and Mark Andy, the company’s more than 60 employees produce both sheetfed offset and flexographic packaging. According to Little, this allows the company to produce entire arrays of packaging for the same brand. “We can print the bands and envelopes for a brand and keep color consistency between the packaging,” he says. “This is a huge advantage over any competition able to produce only one type of package.”

Additionally, VPL is an approved packaging source for most major retailers in the U.S. including Wal-Mart, JC Penney, Target, Sears/K-Mart, Kohl’s, and Mervyn’s. It is also a supplier of private label brands such as ­Dickies, Lee Riders, Wrangler, and New Balance.

Business model ensures distinction

Little states that many of the issues VPL faces on a regular basis come from the increased demand for just-in-time packaging caused by today’s buyers market. The company's business plan reflects this market reality. “Our basic business model is what makes our company distinctive,” says Little. “We believe our main goal is to offer a high-quality product at a competitive price with unprecedented reaction time and accountability.” Another focus is response time. “In today’s buyers market, reaction is one of the most important features a supplier can offer. Our business model is set up around this fact.” The company’s standard lead time is five to ten business days, but in reality, “we are continuously producing packaging within five days or less,” says Little. To maintain such performance, the company continues to upgrade/add to its equipment to improve its efficiency and capacity. It also emphasizes hiring quality people. “We have surrounded ourselves with some of the best employees the business has to offer. This combination allows us to remain a premier printing company to all our customers,” comments Little.

As a completely vertical company, one of VPL’s main focuses is building long-term partnerships with each customer to provide them with personal custom packaging and service. “Any printer can take one or two jobs, but we want the business for 20 [or more] + years,” adds Little.

Investing in the next generation

One recent upgrade/addition to its printing arsenal is an Aquaflex ELS Servo 1000 eight-color press. Servo’s impact on the package-printing industry is undeniable. Speed, accuracy, tighter registration, and increased automation are just a few enhanced features of servo presses. In the case of VPL, the press has allowed the company to grow its capabilities/capacity and improve quality for current and new markets. “Our customer base is continuing to diversify and this press allows us to print on a wider range of substrates,” says Little. The press’s servo technology gives VPL better registration throughout the run, allowing the press to run higher speeds without sacrificing quality. Additionally, set-up time and maintenance are much improved. “The press takes less set-up time, and [offers] faster run speeds, better registration, and high quality,” says Little. “It’s just as simple as that. We feel this is the press of the future.”

Keys to success

VPL’s business success has allowed it to sustain at least 10 to 15 percent growth during the last several years because of a simple focus—to meet each and every customer’s needs with streamlined communication, high quality, more than competitive pricing, and, most of all, unprecedented response time. “We believe if you can offer a high-quality product, faster, at a competitive price, success will come,” he says.

“All of the above has been possible because of high-quality employees, state-of-the-art equipment, and a major focus on meeting each individual account’s needs on an order-to-order basis,” says Little. The company recently almost doubled its offset and flexo capacity so it could grow its business in 2007 without compromising the level of service to its existing customer base—no small feat.

And the servo press? Put that in the “state-of-the-art equipment” category. “We thought, and now know, servo is the next generation in narrow-web flexo,” comments Little. “I would encourage printers to switch to servo so they can make a move up instead of a lateral move. Servo has proven its worth to us, and we plan on moving all our production to servo.” pP