It was Spring 2020. The world was experiencing the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and every business was faced with pivoting and adjusting to unprecedented times. It was during this time that Mammoth Labels & Packaging had just added the Domino N610i digital UV inkjet press to its label printing arsenal, bringing digital work in-house that it had been farming out. And the result? With Domino training, service support, and a driven and enthusiastic team at Mammoth, the Domino N610i enabled the Columbus, OH label manufacturer to grow its digital sales 93 percent in 2020. And that’s just the beginning.
Mammoth Labels & Packaging has a great story to tell. As the homepage of its website indicates, it provides “Larger than life packaging solutions.” Domino caught up with several team members including the president and CEO, digital pressroom supervisor, business development manager, and finishing and press operator to learn more about their business. The interview was captured in this video:
“Mammoth is nothing without our customers”
Stuart Reeve, president and CEO of Mammoth begins. “At the end of the day, Mammoth is nothing without our customers. We have a wonderful base of customers, where our dedicated employee owners go the extra mile every single day to give the customers what they need on time, at the quality level they expect.
“We’re based in Columbus, OH and we have about 40 employees. We’re a special company first and foremost because we are a 100 percent ESOP. What that means is that every person you’re going to see today owns a piece of this company. I’m the lucky person that gets to lead this extraordinary team and this special company. One of the things that make us special is our flexibility. We have customers all over the country, so we can distribute anywhere in the United States of America. We can go from graphics design to our digital press, print it and then deliver that to the customer. We then work with the customer to supply them with a label applicator that can then put the label onto the wine bottle, in this instance, put it in a box, coding the box for you, and it goes out the door. And that’s why customers love doing business with Mammoth.”
Adding Digital
“Our flexo customers were looking to shorten their runs, add SKUs. So, in order to satisfy those customers, we took the work and farmed it out to another digital supplier. The choice to bring digital in-house became very simple for us”
“I hit the road with our two senior salespeople to really see who could be the right partner that we could use. We went to Labelexpo, we walked on every booth, we visited various headquarters and it very quickly became apparent that Domino was going to be the right choice for us.
“With the addition of the Domino, our prime label business grew exponentially… specializing in the wine, beer and candle industries. So, the Domino has really given us the flexibility to be able to service those customers.
“When I look at the team we have here at Mammoth, I’m please to say that my finance director and my marketing director both worked for two of our largest customers. And the reason they came here is they saw what we were trying to do, the change we were creating, the forward thinking, investing in new technology to be the leader in the marketplace. So, I’m thrilled, and Domino’s helped us do that,” said Reeve.
Matt Daugherty, digital pressroom supervisor at Mammoth Labels & Packaging, describes his perspective on what Domino has meant to their business. “Since we’ve had digital, we’ve had so many customers tell us how pleased they are at basically the “wow factor.” The timeframe that we were able to deliver such a high-end product, it blows their mind. It’s absolutely phenomenal and the customers couldn’t be happier with us.”
That has translated to success not only in exceeding expectations of existing customers, but in creating greater opportunities with prospective customers as well. Curt Powell, business development manager at Mammoth, explains. “I think the thing that the Domino has done for us from a sales perspective is it has really given us confidence. So, when we go in and meet with a new client, we have the confidence to say ‘Yes, we can do that.’”
Mammoth knows that to be successful, it’s not just about capabilities. It’s about people. And they have done a great job in building their team focused on growth. Edmund McKinney, better known as ‘EJ’, is the main Grafotronics operator for finishing the printed labels, and the second Domino operator. EJ joined Mammoth simultaneously when the Domino N610i arrived at their facility. “We actually came here together, me and the Domino,” said McKinney.
The Domino Difference
At the conclusion of the visit, Domino wanted to know… is there such a thing as ‘the Domino difference’?
McKinney said, “I believe ‘the Domino difference’ is the ability to reach out and get the help that you need and get the answers that you need. We went through our training right before the lockdown happened. They were still available during the entire pandemic. So, Domino… they were on top of their game the whole way.”
Daugherty provided his thoughts. “To me, ‘the Domino difference’ is success… on every level. And that’s one of the best things that I like about Domino is the way it’s set up for you to succeed.”
To sum it all up, Reeve provided insight to the past as well as a look to the future.
“For Mammoth, ‘the Domino difference’ really started from the beginning with their outstanding salesforce who really listened to understand what we needed. And then the support team who helped you with the proformas, helped you do your analysis to make sure your ROI would happen. So, to start up two new pieces of European equipment in March 2020, probably wasn’t the best idea. Obviously, that’s when COVID hit the world. But during that process, Domino really came through with their service support and they safely trained us on the equipment. The amazing thing is through that period, our digital work grew 93 percent in 2020. We have big goals. We’re going to quadruple the size of the company in the next five years and partnering with Domino is one of the main things that is going to allow us to accomplish that goal. From all our employee owners at Mammoth… Thanks, Domino.”