US printer to mark 20 years in business

Founded in Orange, California in the early 1990s by Dan Blair and Eric Shepard, Labeltronix began by selling printers and labeling supplies. A decade later, the company bought its first printing press so it could enter the label printing market and compete directly.

It is now a producer of wine, food and consumer product labels, as well as a supplier of on-demand label printers and supplies.

The company also employs a process known as Lean Labeling to cost effectively produce high-quality labels, which relies on five “pillars”: the use of state-of-the-art flexo and digital presses; certification, as to the quality management standard ISO 9001:2008; in-house capabilities, whereby it works with designs and suggests recommendations based on the capabilities it offers; job management, with assessment of the anticipated total quantity for the year and then putting together a plan to execute it in a “lean” fashion; responsiveness, with prompt enquiry feedback and on time project delivery.

Other developments have included high-definition flexo printing and its own labeling materials, Arctic Shield and Midnight Vellum.

In recent years, Labeltronix said it has grown at an annualized rate of 30 percent. As such, it outgrew its original Orange home and relocated in 2011 to a new 50,000 sq ft facility in Anaheim.

John Trail, Labeltronix president, and a partner with Shepard and Blair, said: ‘We started from scratch. This month will be another record month in manufacturing – a real milestone. Every one of our labels is custom, high-quality and requires fine printing, so great effort and care goes into making them.

‘Our 20-year milestone is a source of pride, as we have established ourselves as delivering the highest quality in printing in the industry with only 10 years doing label printing ourselves. It's also a launching pad, as we plan to “innovate forward”.’