David Savastano, Editor05.15.17
Whether it is printing cutting-edge labels or providing cradle-to-grave solutions for its customers, Great Lakes Label, Comstock Park, MI, thrives on innovation. The company prints labels using digital and flexographic presses, and prides itself in the precision it is able to capture using its flexo presses and state-of-the-art printing technologies, including foils, embossing, tactile effects and rotary screen.
“Our capability to innovate is important to our success,” said Tony Cook, the founder of Great Lakes Label. “We have a commitment to innovation. We have a lot of fun working with new creative technologies.”
History of Great Lakes Label
Cook, learned virtually all aspects of the label industry right out of college, and has been applying what he learned ever since.
“My first job out of college was with a label company,” Cook said. “I was supposed to be in sales, but that position wasn’t open, and as a result, they put me into every department for 12 months, from purchasing and the art department to running a press and then sales.”
When that label company changed businesses, Cook founded Great Lakes Label, his own business, in June 1994.
“We started brokering labels, and also had a Mark Andy 50 tabletop press,” he recalled. “In 1998, we bought a Webtron 650. I sold labels during the day and ran labels at night. I averaged four hours of sleep. We started on the industrial side, with Steelcase, GE and others, then moved into food packaging and horticulture.”
Over the years, Great Lakes Label has grown steadily into a high quality premium label converter. Within four years, the company had four Webtron presses, and added a Mark Andy 4120 in 2005. The company also moved into its state-of-the-art 26,000 square foot plant that year.
“There were a lot of changes in the flexo industry,” he noted. “Plate technology and ink technology were improving, particularly water-based inks.”
A major turning point came in 2008, when Cook began utilizing Lean Manufacturing principles.
“Once we implemented Lean Manufacturing, we turned our whole plant around and greatly increased our production capabilities,” he said. “There was a lot of margin erosion, and Lean improved our margin significantly.”
With the improved margins, Cook invested in the company’s first P Series press, the P5, to go with its two Webtron 750s and 4120. Today, the company has five flexographic presses – two Webtron 5-color presses with UV capabilities, and three Mark Andy presses, with up to 14-color capability. On the digital side, Great Lakes Label has a Primera CX1200 Digital Label Press with an FX1200 Digital Finishing System.
Great Lakes Label focuses on providing quality products, innovative techniques and remarkable customer service. The company offers a wide range of approaches, whether it is foiling techniques such as hot stamp, cold foil or MiraFoil; raised effects such as embossing, tactile coating and rotary screen; Cast & Cure, creating a holographic and colorful technique; and MotionCoat, another holographic style technique that uses texture and light to add depth.
Innovation is key to driving Great Lakes Label’s growth.
“We compete against larger companies, and one of the ways we succeed is by running beta sites for the largest ink and coatings companies, working together with all facets of the supply chain,” he said. “The global leader in coatings had us print their product catalog, because we could print all of their coatings. We are also working with conductive inks, experimenting with new systems in RFID.”
In addition to developing application-specific materials, the company provides creative and marketing expertise. For example, Great Lakes Label designed its Label Gator print and apply labeling system and WetStick waterproof label for the horticulture industry.
“We are a cradle-to-grave label supplier,” Cook added. For Cook and Great Lakes Label, interest in eye-catching techniques is paying off.
“Brand owners are moving advertising money into the prime label market. That is a huge shift that is exciting. They have to catch people at the shelf through first and second impressions, first the look of the package and then through texture, which we can enhance through our screen, foil, water-based and UV capabilities. There are some exciting things that are going on.”
Selecting an Ink Supplier
Quality is of great importance to Great Lakes Label, and ink plays a huge role. The company has numerous certifications, including ISO 9001:2008, AIB International, Graphic Measures International (GMI), Safe Quality Foods (SQF), and National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), and its suppliers must follow the same set of standards and produce a quality product.
“When we look at mainstay inks, everyone has to have quality and price,” Cook noted. “We have to see consistency. Some ink manufacturers have it and some float a bit.
“We are certified and audited on press and have to prove what we do, and if we have variations in the ink, we have to be doctors to get it right on press,” he added. “It creates a whole lot of extra work and may not be repeatable. It is also important that ink suppliers bring new ideas to the industry.”
Cook sees excellent opportunities ahead for labels and flexible packaging.
“The label and flexible packaging industry will continue to see growth,” he said. “I see digital as a large opportunity for expansion, but the large commercial presses will not be going away. Converters are making decisions on processes and equipment based on what space they want to play in with processes and equipment. This is a really exciting time.”
“Our capability to innovate is important to our success,” said Tony Cook, the founder of Great Lakes Label. “We have a commitment to innovation. We have a lot of fun working with new creative technologies.”
History of Great Lakes Label
Cook, learned virtually all aspects of the label industry right out of college, and has been applying what he learned ever since.
“My first job out of college was with a label company,” Cook said. “I was supposed to be in sales, but that position wasn’t open, and as a result, they put me into every department for 12 months, from purchasing and the art department to running a press and then sales.”
When that label company changed businesses, Cook founded Great Lakes Label, his own business, in June 1994.
“We started brokering labels, and also had a Mark Andy 50 tabletop press,” he recalled. “In 1998, we bought a Webtron 650. I sold labels during the day and ran labels at night. I averaged four hours of sleep. We started on the industrial side, with Steelcase, GE and others, then moved into food packaging and horticulture.”
Over the years, Great Lakes Label has grown steadily into a high quality premium label converter. Within four years, the company had four Webtron presses, and added a Mark Andy 4120 in 2005. The company also moved into its state-of-the-art 26,000 square foot plant that year.
“There were a lot of changes in the flexo industry,” he noted. “Plate technology and ink technology were improving, particularly water-based inks.”
A major turning point came in 2008, when Cook began utilizing Lean Manufacturing principles.
“Once we implemented Lean Manufacturing, we turned our whole plant around and greatly increased our production capabilities,” he said. “There was a lot of margin erosion, and Lean improved our margin significantly.”
With the improved margins, Cook invested in the company’s first P Series press, the P5, to go with its two Webtron 750s and 4120. Today, the company has five flexographic presses – two Webtron 5-color presses with UV capabilities, and three Mark Andy presses, with up to 14-color capability. On the digital side, Great Lakes Label has a Primera CX1200 Digital Label Press with an FX1200 Digital Finishing System.
Great Lakes Label focuses on providing quality products, innovative techniques and remarkable customer service. The company offers a wide range of approaches, whether it is foiling techniques such as hot stamp, cold foil or MiraFoil; raised effects such as embossing, tactile coating and rotary screen; Cast & Cure, creating a holographic and colorful technique; and MotionCoat, another holographic style technique that uses texture and light to add depth.
Innovation is key to driving Great Lakes Label’s growth.
“We compete against larger companies, and one of the ways we succeed is by running beta sites for the largest ink and coatings companies, working together with all facets of the supply chain,” he said. “The global leader in coatings had us print their product catalog, because we could print all of their coatings. We are also working with conductive inks, experimenting with new systems in RFID.”
In addition to developing application-specific materials, the company provides creative and marketing expertise. For example, Great Lakes Label designed its Label Gator print and apply labeling system and WetStick waterproof label for the horticulture industry.
“We are a cradle-to-grave label supplier,” Cook added. For Cook and Great Lakes Label, interest in eye-catching techniques is paying off.
“Brand owners are moving advertising money into the prime label market. That is a huge shift that is exciting. They have to catch people at the shelf through first and second impressions, first the look of the package and then through texture, which we can enhance through our screen, foil, water-based and UV capabilities. There are some exciting things that are going on.”
Selecting an Ink Supplier
Quality is of great importance to Great Lakes Label, and ink plays a huge role. The company has numerous certifications, including ISO 9001:2008, AIB International, Graphic Measures International (GMI), Safe Quality Foods (SQF), and National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), and its suppliers must follow the same set of standards and produce a quality product.
“When we look at mainstay inks, everyone has to have quality and price,” Cook noted. “We have to see consistency. Some ink manufacturers have it and some float a bit.
“We are certified and audited on press and have to prove what we do, and if we have variations in the ink, we have to be doctors to get it right on press,” he added. “It creates a whole lot of extra work and may not be repeatable. It is also important that ink suppliers bring new ideas to the industry.”
Cook sees excellent opportunities ahead for labels and flexible packaging.
“The label and flexible packaging industry will continue to see growth,” he said. “I see digital as a large opportunity for expansion, but the large commercial presses will not be going away. Converters are making decisions on processes and equipment based on what space they want to play in with processes and equipment. This is a really exciting time.”