If it weren’t for labels, you couldn’t tell a jar of mild salsa from a blow-your-head off-hot variety until it was too late. And, if there was no hang tag to alert a maintenance worker that a malfunctioning valve is on lock out, there could be serious consequences. From eye-catching prime labels to super-durable industrial applications, labels and tags readily adapt to evolving technology and emerging applications, and will remain viable, profitable products well into the future.
Some of the most successful label and tag suppliers are those with unique manufacturing capabilities resulting in innovative, value-added products that set them apart from the competition. Deanna Day, senior product manager of the custom resale group that includes Discount Labels, New Albany, Ind., and Lancer Label and DealerLabel, both located in Omaha, Neb., agreed this is advantageous. “A perfect example is our 11-color flexo press. With 11 print stations, we can print a combination of process color, UV varnish, up to two cold foils in one pass and embossing with a minimum of 500 pieces,” she said. “We also offer digitally produced labels, consecutive numbering and variable data. Customer feedback encouraged us to further expand our inline digital capabilities during 2007. This has allowed us to enhance our consecutive numbering and variable data offerings tremendously.”
Day reported the companies produce a wide variety of security labels, as well as destructible products, and said the scratch-off and scratch-and-sniff style labels are generating a great deal of interest. “We have offered these products for several years, and scratch-off has been very popular as a clear label that is flooded with the scratch-off material, and then machine applied to a separate print piece,” she added. “Our durable product line continues to show rapid growth, as well as process color, cold foil and embossing. In contrast, one-color work has been compromised by end-users who can produce these products on their desktop printers.”
In the last twelve months, the companies have introduced a wide range of new products, including double-sided labels, hang tags, self-laminating labels, postcards and magnets.
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Of course, the green movement is having a dramatic impact on manufacturing operations across the board, and Day explained the companies currently offer a recycled litho product. “We are seeing increasing requests for other green products,” she continued, “and we are also evaluating all of our production processes to determine how we can become even more environmentally friendly and responsible.”
End-users may be surprised to discover that one specialty substrate long valued in label and tag applications is actually an eco-friendly choice. DuPont Tyvek is manufactured from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which ranks second in the hierarchy of recyclable material. Said Carolyn Burns, global marketing manager for Wilmington, Delaware-based DuPont Graphics Business, “Tyvek doesn’t contain any plasticizers, which tend to give recyclers trouble. So, in its pure state, Tyvek is a very good recyclable raw material.”
However, Burns pointed out that recycling is a little more complicated with smaller items such as labels and tags. “It’s the collection step that’s the problem,” she said. “Who is going to save up all the little labels? But, that is at the end-of-life. At the front end, we are currently in the process of doing a life-cycle assessment, looking at the carbon footprint of the production process, and in a few months we will be making [our findings] available for peer review.”
Burns also observed that a roll of lightweight Tyvek has a much lower basis weight compared to a roll of paper and a lot of plastics, so less fuel is required to move the product around—an issue factored in when conducting a carbon footprint analysis.
In addition to its eco-friendly properties, HDPE makes Tyvek well suited for archival labeling of artifacts and documents. “There are no plasticizers that bloom to the surface over time, causing cracking, crumbling and yellowing, and plasticizers can also be damaging to whatever they are affixed to,” emphasized Burns. Still, Tyvek’s chief value proposition is lightweight strength, and it continues to be in high demand for applications involving high heat, low temperatures and rough handling, offering resistance to tears, abrasions, chemicals and moisture. The company is experiencing growth around pressure-sensitive applications, as well.
Burns went on to say the surface typography of Tyvek—areas of thick and thin throughout that are noticeable to the touch and visible when held up to the light—can prove challenging to print on. “So, we came out with versions that have a smoother surface and also added some whiteners to create our DuPont Tyvek Brillion brand,” she said.
“Tyvek is just one product in our portfolio of non-woven materials,” she continued. We will be rolling out two new products primarily targeted for the label industry. DuPont Laser HPP is suitable for very high temperature applications, and DuPont Tyvek XP can improve ink adhesion and drying times. And later in the year, there will be print enhancements, and in some cases fairly radical changes to products, to be used in digital printing.”
Into the Future
Although it has yet to enter the mainstream, other developments with label and tag products will certainly involve RFID technology. Raghu Das, CEO/MD of IDTechEx, Cambridge, Mass.—an organization providing independent marketing, technical and consultative services dealing with printed electronics, RFID and smart packaging—recently released a report on how RFID use grew in the marketplace during 2007. Not surprising, he asserted labels are the preferred RFID format in numbers sold.
“However, th[e] increase in market share by active RFID and the increased use of ruggedized passive RFID and passive RFID in the form of wristbands and casino chips has meant that the old plastic moulding format is back with a vengeance,” said Raghu. “In the case of active RFID, that almost invariably means having a lithium button battery inside. The penetration of the new laminar batteries was negligible in 2007. Plastic mouldings and wristbands leapt from 4.9 percent to 10.4 percent of all recorded RFID projects by year end.
For those seeking to prosper in RFID, he advised following applications where the government either makes it a legal requirement, or where the government foots the bill. “For example, military and much healthcare expenditure on RFID is really government money, and even the strongly progressing tagging of air baggage is usually backed by huge government grants to airports and airlines,” he offered.
What’s sound advice for those seeking to prosper in the independent supply channel overall? Hang with the winners and stick to label and tag sales, whether RFID-enabled solutions or more traditional products.
- Companies:
- DealerLabel
- Discount Labels
- Lancer Label