KALAMAZOO, MI—Impact Label was founded in 1964 by William Fogleson Sr. in Kalamazoo, MI. This high-quality custom label printer provides solutions for long-term durable labels and graphic overlays with a wide array of equipment that includes high-speed narrow web digital printing, high-speed multi-function finishing equipment, wide-format digital, doming, screen printing, flexographic printing, optical and mechanical die cutting, and laminating. Key sectors that they serve include outdoor recreational, agricultural, medical, automotive, electronics and food.
In October 2020, Impact Label installed the Domino N610i digital UV inkjet label press.
Domino recently caught up with the Impact Label team to learn more about its business, why it added digital to their label printing arsenal and why it chose Domino.
Tell us about Impact Label.
“At Impact Label, we take great pride in finding solutions and designing products for our customers by working with unique materials and adhesives. We produce everything from domed labels and graphic overlays for consumer products, to safety and warning labels for industrial applications. We’ve learned that success comes from having the knowledge and experience to truly exceed our clients’ expectations and to solve their unique challenges,” said Abdullah Alyousif, director of engineering.
What are your customers’ needs, requirements, and expectations?
Matt Berry, VP, said, “Our customers require high-quality, durable products with a short lead time. We are constantly improving our capabilities and investing in new equipment and technologies.”
Why digital? What were the drivers that made you decide “we need digital”?
Berry continued: “It was really based on speed, quality, consistency and cost. We knew that digital would address those key critical elements that would be a win-win for our customers and Impact Label.”
Why Domino? Why did you choose Domino versus any other digital provider?
“We researched various digital printing solutions and Domino was the best fit for our needs. Their speed, quality, white opacity, technical knowledge and commitment are world-class,” said Alyousif.
Berry added, “After meeting with all the different machine manufacturers, we could really tell that Domino wanted to be a strategic partner. They were, ‘What can we do, how can we do it better and we’ll be there to support you after we sell this press,’ and they have definitely held up their end of that.”
Have you seen any changes in the type of label jobs you run or projects you pursue?
Berry said, “Yes, absolutely. Since installing the Domino, we are more competitive in full-color labels. We are targeting a more comprehensive range of industries and partnering with other label providers who don’t have the same capabilities.”
What production and business benefits have you experienced from having the Domino N610i?
Lucas Adams, digital press technician, said, “Our throughput, our capacity, our uptime, our efficiency… all have increased.”
“Our makeready, our turnaround time, our delivery time to our customers… all have decreased,” added Bashir Toliver Sr., digital press technician.
Berry said, “And we’ve increased our profitability. Our sales and revenue have increased by 13 percent, we’ve gained new customers and we’ve entered new industries such as food, beverage and cannabis.”
“And the impact of COVID. We’ve noticed an increase in different industries such as medical and outdoor recreational, so being able to produce high-volume with the highest quality, efficiency and speed without overwhelming the system has been critical. With Domino, we are capable of handling more with less,” said Alyousif.
Describe the training, service and support from Domino.
Alyousif said, “We are very pleased and satisfied with the quality and service provided by Domino.”
“The training and service are exceptional and world-class. All our press operators are trained, and they all come ready to work on the press with confidence,” said Berry.
Adams said, “The prepress training by the Domino Digital Solutions team is incredible. We also had the Sales & Estimating training, which was outstanding.” Toliver Sr. added, “The training package that Domino provides is truly exceptional.”
Is there a ‘Domino Difference’?
Berry explained, “When we built this building, we were looking at investing in some new equipment and our technology and infrastructure to move forward, so we started talking with a lot of different digital press manufacturers…HP, Durst, Domino…the big players in the industry. And after a lot of reviewing and meeting with their sales teams and seeing what products they could produce, Domino was the best fit for Impact Label. And I think one of the things that really put them across the finish line was the support that we saw from them, the non-pressure that they weren’t just trying to sell us just to make a sale… they wanted to be there to be a strategic partner with Impact Label.”
Adams said, “The Domino Difference for me is the speed, the quality of the product, and their tech support is fantastic. It really makes a difference. If you have problems they’re resolved quickly and efficiently, and they’re fixed. It’s a nice piece of equipment.”
Alyousif summed it up. “I believe the Domino Difference is the commitment…the feeling of partnership. The quality that Domino delivers. The speed, the efficiency, the capacity. That is the Domino Difference for Impact.”
What do you foresee moving forward?
“We have a strategy in place, and we are planning to grow aggressively in the next five to 10 years. We are planning to install new equipment and of course more Domino presses,” said Berry. Alyousif added, “Thank you Domino for providing a world-class printing solution, and we are looking forward to partnering more with you in the future.”