Millcraft In Stock Magazine Issue 2 by Millcraft

Insight into the paper, packaging and graphic arts industry

VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 2 • 2014

Recrafting Millcraft Kelly Farrell, president of designRoom Creative, shares insight into her studio’s process for remaking Millcraft’s logo

INSIDE

Print pricing trends Differentiating products with luxury packaging Forming partnerships to drive growth

welcome Welcome to the latest issue of IN STOCK magazine.

I am proud to share with you the exciting news that Millcraft has just completed a rebranding initiative reflecting the changes our business has gone through in recent years. We wanted to freshen our brand so that it represents the ways we are adapting to the new dynamics of the paper and packaging industry while still holding on to the core values we have maintained over our 94-year history. We are proud to be a fourth-generation, family-owned business whose commitment to our customers requires hard work, ingenuity and a constant emphasis on searching for creative ways to deliver greater value. We have updated our logo with energized colors and a more open representation of the well-known mill and waterwheel, now without the historic circular boundaries around it. The message: We are no longer bound by the constraints of the industry’s past and are free to explore and grow into new product and service areas including packaging, graphic supplies and nontraditional printing substrates. However, the core functions of the mill and water wheel – industrial ingenuity, craftsmanship, hard work and progress – are preserved. Additionally we have adopted a new tag line, “Just Ask,” which embodies Millcraft’s guiding philosophy of adopting a servant style approach to the relationships that have always provided the foundation for our success … a call to action, so to speak, to Millcraft employees, customers and vendors. We want our customers to know that if they need help with anything, they should just ask. We are organized to meet their needs and will make every effort to help them accomplish their goals. The “Just Ask” theme equally applies to our team of 250 employees. We encourage any individual in the company — regardless of job role — who has a question or needs help to perform his or her job better, to “Just Ask.” That help could come from anyone in any department, in any division, at any level. We hope you enjoy reading this magazine and that you will never hesitate to just ask us for anything you need.

Travis Mlakar President, The Millcraft Paper Company (216) 429-9823 mlakart@millcraft.com @mlakart

IN STOCK • Summer 2014

Volume 1, Issue 2 • Summer 2014

contents Cover Story 6

A fresh face A refreshed Millcraft identity faces the future while honoring its 94-year history

2 Letter from the president

Welcome to IN STOCK magazine

In brief News and trends in paper, packaging and design

Features

In the industry

Partnership-based relationships deliver value and efficiency

The effects of paper supply-demand and freight costs on paper prices

Long-term relationships at Millcraft are based on trust

Trends and industry outlook for the luxury packaging market

In the family

Embracing family ties is good business for Millcraft

10 12 13 14 15

6 10 Editor: Todd Shryock Associate Editors: Brooke N. Bates Beth Hertz Tom Crain Tom Leland Art Director: Lori Smith Project Manager: Erin Walker

6800 Grant Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44105 Phone: (800) 860-2482

mymillcraft.com millcraft.com

IN STOCK is published by SBN Interactive 835 Sharon Drive, Suite 200 Westlake, OH 44145 (440) 250-7000

Connect on

Printed on NewPage Sterling Premium – 100# Cover and 100# Text Cover Photography by Heather Campbell

Visit www.millcraft.com to sign up for Millcraft’s enewsletters PaperClips and FullCircle.

Visit mymillcraft.com to order online.

in brief Engaging with social media Social media can be a vital part of a print company’s strategy, according to print industry consultant Matthew Parker, writing on Xerox.com. Social media can help you gain new customers, maintain existing relationships and supplements — not replaces — traditional sales activities. It can also be used to create brand awareness and allow a company to get to know its customers and their needs. To get the most out of social media: • Identify a social media champion at your company. • Give that person time to focus on social media. • Set goals, whether it is engaging followers, getting hits on your blog or generating leads and converting those to sales.

> To get the latest in paper, packaging and graphic arts industry news, visit www.millcraft.com to sign up for Millcraft’s enewsletters, PaperClips and FullCircle.

IN STOCK • Summer 2014

Turning labels into interactive packaging Drync.com is using labels to make the wine-buying experience easier for its customers. Using state-of-the-art image recognition and a massive database of wines, Drync is bridging the gap between wine discovery and purchase. Drync allows wine drinkers to scan a wine bottle’s label, track and share their favorites with ratings and notes, and purchase wine instantly. Just snap a photo of a label using your smart phone, click buy and the wine is on its way.

PAPER Because Domtar launched its widely acclaimed PAPER Because campaign to draw attention to the communicative effectiveness and sustainable value of paper. The creative campaign, which highlights the key role that paper plays in people’s lives and why it is an environmentally sound choice, has been recognized with the Environmental Strategy of the Year Award and the Promotional Campaign of the Year – Environmental Message Award at the Pulp and Paper International Awards, and the Positively Print Award by the Graphic Arts Show Co. The innovative campaign has created a number of short films — featured on its website and its YouTube channel — that depict a world without paper, many of which end with the tagline, “Maybe this whole paperless thing is going a little too far.” For more information, visit www.paperbecause.com.

New luxury packaging Mohawk Dimensional has introduced a number of new products in the luxury packaging space, including pre-perforated and pre-scored packaging, promotional, photo and presentation products available in a range of premium papers. These highimpact dimensional products feature a proprietary micro-perforation, clean edge technology for superior runnability and virtually effortless assembly. Designed for high-value custom packaging and three-dimensional products, this line is available in Mohawk Superfine Eggshell iTone, Mohawk Via Linen i-Tone, Mohawk Color Copy Ultra Gloss and Mohawk Synthetics. Engineered to run on digital color production presses, the portfolio includes 18”x12” and 20.5”x14.33” sheets in cube box, gift box, table tent card, pocket folder, golf ball sleeve, wine bottle box, greeting card and door hanger designs. The new portfolio: • Offers a high-value solution perfect for custom packaging, events, merchandising and ad specialties • Eliminates costly and timely finishing operations • Has 50 sheet and 250 sheet packs available for small runs • Offers templates available for download

Sappi Fine Paper North America’s New Dual Purpose Opus® DX Digital Sheet Earlier this spring, Sappi Fine Paper North America launched OPUS DX — a cross platform #2 digital cut sheet for both dry and liquid toner presses, including HP® Indigo, Kodak NexPress, Xerox® iGen3® and Xerox® iGen4®, as well as Canon, Ricoh® and Konica Minolta bizhub® digital presses. The Opus brand now allows high-value bundling opportunities across the Opus digital, folio sheet and web lines, perfect for corporate paper programs that demand an optical match in one brand. It rounds out Sappi’s comprehensive digital sheet lineup, which also includes well-known and popular McCoy® and Flo®. The growing demand for high-quality digital cut sheet grades makes Opus DX a perfect solution for demanding digital and variable data print projects. Opus DX is FSC® and SFI® Chain of Custody certified, Lacey Act compliant, contains 10 percent Post-Consumer Recycled Fiber (PCRF) and is manufactured using electricity generated with Green-e® certified renewable energy.

> These high-impact dimensional products feature a proprietary micro-perforation, clean edge technology for superior runnability and virtually effortless assembly.

Visit mymillcraft.com to order online.

A fresh fac Kelly Farrell president, designRoom Creative

IN STOCK â&#x20AC;˘ Summer 2014

Travis Mlakar president, Millcraft

A refreshed Millcraft identity faces the future while honoring its 94-year history By Kelly Farrell

ace Photography by Megan Mlakar Photography

our brand is your face. People see it more than you think. They judge it, consciously or unconsciously, every time they look at it. And you communicate with every face you make. It tells a story. Especially over time. Research shows that most people form an opinion in the first few seconds of seeing a face, an ad, or an image. Once that happens, it’s difficult to change a perception. That may be why people are so obsessed with brand. Brands communicate like people in social media, but corporate brands aren’t as complex as people. Millcraft President Travis Mlakar and I have gotten to know each other pretty well over the last few years. He called me one day and said, and I’m paraphrasing, “Kelly, we have just made a large acquisition. It is going to change us, and the market we’re in, for the better. But now I think our Millcraft brand needs an update to support the changes we must make, internally and externally.” He felt the Millcraft brand was hanging too tightly on to the past. Staff talked more about what it was like “back in the good old days” than about the opportunities the future holds for positive change and growth. And he rightly figured that with the purchase of the new company, it was a good time for a brand refresh that everyone could rally around. Plenty of brands could use a makeover. Yet, the emotional bonds that tie an organization to its brand and its logo make it very difficult to change anything. On one side, you have the “brand change” group, and on the other, the “brand equity” believers. As branding partners, we stand in between, reassuring, knowing that equity can be leveraged even through changes to an established brand. The goal of any brand is to evoke the right perceptions and a positive feeling which, over time, becomes an attachment. These can be inspired through the use of image, color, shape, experience, history, event, music, words, or a tag line, such as Coke: It’s the Real Thing. The Nike Swoosh. Apple’s simple, sophisticated look and its challenging tag: Think Different.

Visit mymillcraft.com to order online.

All of these brands evolve as they go, yet remain remarkably consistent. Their change over time is incremental, purposeful and responsive. Brand evolution doesn’t ignore history, either. It builds on foundations because, while it might be relatively simple to create a new logo, it takes time and effort to create a new brand perception and make it stick. So when Travis called me about Millcraft’s rebranding, I congratulated him. Then I explained that our first step is always discovery and education. We gather all of the information we can about our client, its market and its competition, including personal interviews, before we do any design. We reviewed every piece of marketing available and talked to some of Millcraft’s customers, sales staff and executives. From our discovery review, we confirmed that the time was right for the Millcraft brand to move forward. Having been a designer for many years, I have known about Millcraft since I got into the design business. Millcraft = paper, right? That’s what I always thought. But today? Not necessarily. We learned that Millcraft was about more than paper. It’s about relationships, customer service and the personal touch. For us as designers, a brand is a lot more than a logo and a tag line. Those two things, the visual identity and the verbal identity, aren’t developed until after we figure out what a brand is all about — people, culture, history, perceptions, services, products, goals, aspirations and more. That’s why we dig as deep as we can to find the right foundation for a client brand and build upon it to attract engagement from outside and support from within. With a lot of information and history 8

IN STOCK • Summer 2014

“Millcraft isn’t my business. It’s my responsibility.” > Travis Mlakar, president, Millcraft

from which to draw, our design team started creating a more modern look for Millcraft, while embracing its history and tradition. The way to do that was to identify “keeper” elements in the existing logo and rework them. We identified the water wheel as a visual component to keep while determining that a logo deconstruction and streamlining were necessary. And the brand needed to be painted in updated colors and reveal fresh thinking about relationships. We knew if we did it right, the Millcraft

brand would achieve freedom from being identified as just a paper company. The water wheel, when the logo was originally created, represented a component meant to evoke a humble nod to those who work and create by hand, day after day after day. There was (and is) no owner’s name on this logo. Rather, it was designed to honor the art and craft of the millworkers. The water wheel is a symbol of constant motion and a never-finished job. The mill told a story of industrial ingenuity — using technology to work

smarter and faster. We know that the “carefully refresh the brand” idea is not a new one. Millcraft has done it at least four times before. Consumer brands such as Coke, Hershey’s and McDonald’s have done it well. Companies such as Olive Garden and JCPenney have done it not quite as well. And businesses such as CitiBank, Amex and even Ford are evolving their big brands through investment in and the commercialization of emerging transaction technology in Silicon Valley. We were (and still are) moved by Travis’ passion for Millcraft, its history, its people and its customers. He takes his leadership role very seriously. In his words (and I’ll probably borrow these someday), “Millcraft isn’t my business. It’s my responsibility.” Millcraft is, for its customers, a reliable resource, a trusted partner in the creative process and a valuable relationship.

Millcraft provides good answers and the right products. It’s refreshing that its focus on providing a high level of service to every customer is its preferred way to grow. For its customers, it is a port in a storm, safe and trustworthy after 94 years. As the owner of a design firm that still does a lot of print work, I know that we need people as much (or more) than we need paper. Our designers are pretty great at choosing the right stock for a particular job. But paper companies such as Millcraft are essential in educating us, helping us expand our thinking and ensuring that our creativity remains unbounded. Our creative team developed a renewed logo concept, freed from its former restraints, simply by removing the circle that surrounded the old mark. The water wheel remains as a primary symbol of motion, productivity and stability. The openness of the shapes symbolizes a renewed flow, the shaking off of the past and looking

forward into the future of the industry without traditional boundaries. The new colors, while not a big change, symbolize a new energy and a bold approach to business. The bold green, paired with black, reflects a modern style. At the same time, our writer began working on verbal identity ideas after digesting information gleaned from customers and meeting with Millcraft executives and staff. The line needed to work with the new logo and stand alone as a call to action to customers and staff alike. That’s where “Just Ask” came from. The line is immediate and invites engagement, speaks to personal relationships with customers (if you need anything, just ask) and also reminds staff to be actively engaged with customers and each other. We really love the refreshing change Millcraft has undertaken and its new logo and tag line. We’re proud of the work we did and grateful for the Millcraft people we were fortunate enough to work with. All good work comes from healthy collaboration, along with a desire to always improve and a process for creating with purpose. We believe that this project is more than a logo refresh — it is branding at its core. It represents an organization’s change in thinking, a change in the conversation and a change in how business is done. Today, the Millcraft brand is modern, responsive and in motion, yet stable and full of energy. And that’s a fresh face toward the future.

> Kelly Farrell is president of designRoom Creative.

Visit mymillcraft.com to order online.

in the industry

Long-term commitment

Partnership-based relationships deliver value and efficiency

orging partnership-based relationships with suppliers and customers has allowed Millcraft to deliver big-picture savings instead of focusing on per-transaction pricing. The company has found multiple benefits from building long-term relationships with single partners instead of shopping many vendors for each need. “How much does the time you spend contacting multiple vendors for each project cost you?” says Travis Mlakar, Millcraft’s president. “What about the time spent maintaining relationships with all of them?” Instead, he works with fewer suppliers to deliver maximum value for both vendors and customers. “There is a difference between price and cost,” Mlakar says. “We are committed to working with fewer companies but being more important to them, so together we create value and solutions such as optimizing freight and delivery costs, adjusting inventory around the consistent patterns of our partners and integrating systems to better serve each other. How much better use of their time could buyers have if they weren’t pricing every job separately? How much are they really going to save, particularly in our

IN STOCK • Summer 2014

industry, where margins are already some of the lowest of any type of distributor?” Partnerships also help vendors stock products customers need — when they need them — allowing for more nimble turnaround times. Here are a few examples of core partnerships Millcraft has forged to help create long-term value. Domtar Paper Millcraft has partnered with Domtar Paper since 1993 to sell Domtar products and works closely to share ideas so that both companies benefit from a long-term solution. “We collaborate to achieve the best possible solutions for our customers,” says Greg Strand, director of U.S. sales, business papers, at Domtar. “We share information instead of keeping it to ourselves and leveraging it individually. This flow of information is the cornerstone to the partnership.” As both companies have evolved, they have been open about their plans, allowing them to grow together despite changes in the industry. And that sometimes means plugging away at a problem until a solution is found.

“If you don’t hit a homerun on the first try, you can keep trying,” Strand says. “With a transactionbased relationship, it works the first time, or you move on. Patience is a key part of partnership. Solutions don’t always present themselves overnight, but if you work together, they do eventually.” Clysar A successful relationship requires a commitment from both parties. For Clysar, which sells specialized shrink films, working with sales reps who really understand its products is essential. That’s why the company recently hosted an intensive training workshop for several Millcraft reps in Iowa to review Clysar products and their specific applications. “Successful selling of shrink wrap requires good knowledge of the equipment and the suppliers,” says Eastern Sales Manager Bob Thogersen. “This is not a commodity. We want our distributors to be the best at what they do and work together to create value for the end users. If the distributor grows, we grow.” Shrink wrap has a longer selling cycle than paper because customers need to first learn about the product. Few will buy on the first sales call, so Clysar’s experts go with Millcraft reps to educate potential customers, taking the time to understand what the customer does and looking for ways to help improve packaging. International Paper International Paper’s partnership with Millcraft is built upon the companies sharing information to optimize product flow and supply chain efficiency. Working together helps them reduce costs and deliver quick turnarounds with a level of strategic alignment not found in purely transactional relationships. “We work closely with them to keep trucks full, reduce freight costs and improve turnaround times, enabling them to help their customers turn jobs faster,” says Mike McKinney, an International Paper senior account manager. “And we have a consistent sales team that routinely reviews their business and looks for ways to work with them better.” McNaughton & Gunn Inc. The book publisher buys a great deal of paper from Millcraft, and the companies have partnered for about

40 years, evolving together. “We all need to lower costs, but we also need to be consistent across all platforms, and Millcraft helps us achieve that,” says purchasing agent Sandra Platt. Millcraft helped develop a just-in-time inventory system that assures McNaughton has what it needs, when it needs it. Together, the two continuously re-evaluate the processes for ways to improve and maximize service levels and minimize costs. “It takes a partnership, built over years, to allow you to understand the other person’s business enough that you can begin thinking outside the box to solve each other’s problems,” says Doug Spencer, Millcraft account manager for McNaughton & Gunn. “Over the years, as our knowledge of McNaughton & Gunn’s business, workflow, customer demands and business needs has grown, we have become a better partner and advocate for them. But it was only because they committed to building the relationship that we have become so much more effective.” “Millcraft has been very important in helping us do new things better,” Platt says. “They understand our business, pay close attention to all of our needs and help us keep up with changes in the printing industry. It is a great partnership.” Consolidated Solutions Millcraft has helped this Cleveland printing, direct mail and warehouse fulfillment firm identify products that meet customers’ needs for packaging and printing, and Consolidated Solutions works with Millcraft whenever possible. “They have been a great partner and have been there when we needed them, with open dialogue, creative solutions and a good management relationship,” says Matt Reville, Consolidated’s Chief Operating Officer (COO). “We don’t have to take additional steps to meet our customers’ needs. Millcraft offers competitive pricing, but they also bring value, efficiency and ease, and we are able to meet the needs of the market together.” Millcraft and its partners both up and down the supply chain have realized that moving beyond price and addressing costs drives the bottom line and lowers total procurement costs. These partnerships have allowed the company to grow for five consecutive years in an industry that has seen nothing but decline.

Visit mymillcraft.com to order online.

in the industry

Print pricing: What’s ahead The effects of paper supply-demand and freight costs on paper prices

ith a complex nexus of factors affecting paper (and therefore, print) prices, breaking things down can help businesses be better prepared for every twist in the paper industry road. Two primary factors are driving paper and print prices. The first is the ability of paper producers to get and keep their supply in line with demand. This is important because without a good balance, prices for manufacturers will continue to be below sustainable levels. Eventually, this leads to massive mill closures (similar to the 1 million tonnes taken out of the system when International Paper closed its Courtland, Ala., mill earlier this year). This causes disruptions in supply, eliminates choices altogether, raises prices quickly (even after a printer has quoted a job and is bound by those prices) and impacts the industry’s ability to produce the profit levels necessary to reinvest in building new capabilities. Some segments have done a better job than others. Coated free sheet producers, in particular, have faced challenges matching supply with demand, due in large part to the number of players involved, as well as the volatility of coated demand. Uncoated free sheet producers have done a better job of matching their supply/capacity with what they have forecasted demand to be. However, both have struggled, resulting in some of the larger acquisitions and mergers that have been announced. (See Verso’s impending acquisition of NewPage as an example.) The second factor is the cost of freight and logistics. “Things are dramatically different than they were just five years ago,” says Greg Lovensheimer, vice president of operations at Millcraft. “We have a declining driver base — young people don’t view the trucking life as a desired career. Further, today’s drivers don’t want to go from, say, the Northeast to the Northwest. They want to be home more. Add to that increased traffic congestion, which

IN STOCK • Summer 2014

results in slower runs, and federal legislation — such as the number of hours a driver can be on the road — and the result is that drivers are getting paid less. This further exacerbates the challenge in recruiting them.” These and other factors have strengthened the leverage of drivers, resulting in higher wages, which, in turn, escalate freight costs. Future pricing trends What does that mean for the average print job? Quite a bit, says Lovensheimer. “As driver shortages and other freight issues have emerged, we have seen a measurable increase in prices,” he says. “We have suppliers who have seen freight rates from New Jersey skyrocket from roughly $1,000 for a container load to as high as $4,000 this past winter. Those costs are directly passed along in the supply chain and dramatically impact the overall costs of any print job.” To varying degrees, these factors will affect all segments of the print market. “These kinds of rates make it harder for merchants to move LTL shipments or ‘specials’ in a timely manner,” he says. “If someone doesn’t have it on the floor, many customers may find that the time or costs associated with moving that order are prohibitive. “To survive, customers should align themselves with mill and merchant partners who are prepared for the long haul. By committing to their partners, customers will find that a local merchant can optimize freight and adjust their inventory to better support them. But a customer who bounces orders from one merchant to another may find that none of them has the product on the floor when they need it and where they need it. This results in higher prices and additional freight costs, and ultimately makes that customer less competitive.”

in the industry

The business of loyalty

Long-term relationships at Millcraft are based on trust

f you visit dozens of corporate websites, again and again you’ll see the same claims: They’re passionate, they’re dedicated, they listen and they’ll be your business partners. However, evidence suggests that many companies aren’t practicing what they preach, as those that have done business together for even a decade are few and far between. Occasionally, business relationships survive longer, thanks to the loyalty of a long-serving CEO, only to be dissolved when new management comes in. Business relationships that span generations are rare, but Millcraft is one exception. For example, Oak Printing has been a Millcraft customer since Oak opened in 1922 – the year the White House got its first radio and Einstein won the Nobel Prize. Oak Printing got its start printing stationery, business cards and other general commercial work, including labels for Glidden Paint; Millcraft had been in business just two years longer. Today, both companies are owned and operated by the fourth generation of the original families. “It’s a business/friendship relationship,” says Bill DeSantis, vice president of paper sales for Millcraft. “Over the last 92 years, we have learned their business and what they need to do to be successful. Likewise, they have learned our business and what we are trying to do. That allows us to spend time finding win-win solutions versus dancing around issues.” Maintaining professionalism is critical in long-term relationships, and companies must be careful not to lapse into a dynamic so loose and comfortable that the partnership suffers. But that’s not a concern with this relationship, says DeSantis. “Our Millcraft team is always looking ahead on behalf of Oak,” DeSantis says. “By understanding their business, and their customers’ businesses, we can work to make sure they’re properly prepared for shifts in the

marketplace and new technologies. Because we have worked together so long, we know what time of year they get busy, how we need to adjust inventories to better support them, when we can expect large quotes/ orders, and oftentimes, we proactively call them to ensure we are staying on top of things.” The advantages of trust In addition to Oak Printing, Millcraft has long histories with a number of companies, including SP Mount and Sherwin-Williams. “These relationships are special because each is based upon a deep level of trust — and when you have that, it makes doing business so much easier,” DeSantis says. “Because we trust each other, we spend less time focusing on price and more time focusing on what we can do to help increase the net profit of that order. We view our customers’ customers as our customers. That makes us invested in ensuring they provide the same quality and service that has kept all of us in business for generations.” Jim Helms, president of Oak Printing, says that Millcraft’s knowledge of Helms’ company is priceless. “Millcraft understands the ins and outs of our business, and that’s worth a lot to any company,” he says. “We have 100 percent confidence that when we have a need to be fulfilled, Millcraft will answer correctly and on time.” Ongoing and open communication is critical, even if the companies have been working together for 92 years. “I tell Oak not to wait until the project is in crisis mode to get me involved,” DeSantis says. “Don’t come to me when the wrecking ball is about to hit the building; engage me early, and we’ll get a leg up on serving the customer, which helps both of us. Millcraft truly does view Oak’s success, as well as the success of all of our customers, as our success. For without them, we couldn’t continue to grow and survive.” Visit mymillcraft.com to order online.

in the industry

Personal

packaging experience Trends and industry outlook for the luxury packaging market

tanding out on a crowded retail shelf is more

of holiday or special edition packaging. Personalized

challenging than ever, as tech-savvy consum-

packaging is trending across the market, prompted in

ers demand a personalized brand experience

part by Absolut Vodka’s release of 4 million unique bottle

that meets their expectations for luxury. Brands that master the trend will win big, as a new study by indus-

“The personalized packaging trend is relevant to

try analysts at Smithers Pira forecasts that the luxury

luxury packaging, as it engages with consumers and

packaging market will grow into a $17.6 billion industry

allows the product to be unique to that particular

by 2019.

consumer, which is considered a luxury experience,”

“Generally, consumers are willing to spend more if the packaging looks luxurious,” says Shelley Malham, market analyst at Smithers Pira, who is authoring the study “The Future of Luxury Packaging to 2019.” Because luxury packaging looks a little different to

Malham says.

Branding

Racki sees differentiation opportunities in the luxury packaging basics, from premium materials to the qual-

everyone, the overriding trends encompass personal-

ity of printing techniques such as embossing, embel-

ization, interaction and engagement with consumers.

lishing and foil stamping. Those core elements allow for

Interaction

Some brands encourage digital interaction through

unique shapes, colors and textures that set products apart on the shelves. Luxury packaging is a great way for designers and

QR codes and social media prompts on packaging.

printers to showcase their design and print capabili-

This year, Pernod Ricard began printing QR codes on

ties. Designers can use innovative designs to not only

alcoholic drinks that consumers can scan with smart-

differentiate products but to put their full artistic abilities

phones to learn how products were made.

on display. Printers can show how their technologies

But packaging doesn’t have to be immersed in technology to be interactive. Byron Racki, vice presi-

can help brand owners take a unique approach to selling products.

dent of sales and marketing for specialty products at

Whether colors and textures are extravagantly

Neenah Paper, defines interaction as “the unboxing

attention grabbing or sleekly minimalistic, innovative

moment,” which Apple refined with iPhone packaging.

packaging must resonate with the overall brand experi-

The box was purposely designed to open slowly, build-

ence to be effective.

ing anticipation — a much different experience than

“Make sure whatever you’re doing is true to your

having the hassle of cutting open the plastic sheath

brand,” Racki says. “The brands that are successful

around a new toy.

understand that connection. If you’re charging a pre-

Personalization

designs, each marked with a number like a work of art.

mium price for a premium product, the consumer sees that packaging as part of that product. When they’re

New digital and 3-D printing technologies make per-

not consistent with one another, that’s when you miss

sonalization easy by allowing customized production

the opportunity.”

IN STOCK • Summer 2014

in the family

Band of brothers Embracing family ties is good business for Millcraft

t Millcraft, the term family-friendly is more

regional manager. Chris – one of the company’s

than just lip service. Hiring employees from

senior account managers – and Erwin Jr. joined the

the same families has always been an impor-

company a year after Eric.

tant tool for enhancing the relationship the company

The Michel brothers work closely on the same proj-

has with many of its customers while furthering loyalty

ects and carry forward relationships with companies

and creating satisfied workers.

that their father called on throughout his career.

The Grubich, Michel and Orlando brothers are three

“Millcraft has always been a family business,” says

thrving examples of how Millcraft embraces family ties.

Eric Michel. “We have the good fortune of working

Steve and Bill Grubich are both account managers.

with customers with whom we have developed such

Steve arrived in 1986, Bill in 1988.

close relationships that they feel like extensions of our

“Working with my brother, Bill, at Millcraft has been fun and rewarding,” says Steve Grubich. “We grew up together and were always very competitive, and that trait has followed us into the workplace.” There is also a son who followed in his father’s footsteps. From 1971 to 2001, Johnny McCoy was a legendary Cleveland warehouse associate, responsible for the successful Nighthawk run. After his retirement, his son, Mike, accepted a position at Millcraft as a warehouse associate, beginning in 2003. Meanwhile, brothers John and Tony Orlando have been together at Millcraft for 13 years. John arrived in 1996 and was responsible for opening stores across Michigan. Four years later, Tony joined the company, reporting to John as manager of the new stores. “I didn’t want Tony to feel obligated to come to Millcraft just because I did,” says John Orlando. But when the timing was right, Tony made the move. Tony became the top employee that John hoped. The Michel brothers, Eric and Chris, went one better with the addition of their father, Erwin Jr., who worked at Millcraft before retiring 13 years ago. For

own families.”

Family ties at Millcraft BROTHERS John Orlando – Vice president/regional manager, based in the Detroit area, 18 years Tony Orlando – Director of all Millcraft Stores, also based in the Detroit area, 13 years Eric Michel – Vice president/regional manager, based in Columbus, 23 years Chris Michel – Account manager, Columbus, 22 years Bill Grubich – Account manager, Cleveland, 19 years Steve Grubich – Account manager, Cleveland, 29 years Brad Carey –Account manager, Cleveland, 7 years Michael Carey – Driver, Cleveland, 7 years FATHER/SON Gary Gill (father) – Driver, Indianapolis, 14 years Scott Gill (son) – Business development, 8 years Johnny McCoy (father) - Warehouse, Cleveland, worked for the company for 29 years Mike McCoy (son) – Warehouse, Cleveland, 11 years HUSBAND/WIFE Angie Hicks – Customer service, Indianapolis, 1 year Jesse Hicks – Operations manager, Indianapolis, 1 year

the past 23 years, Eric has moved up the management ranks to his current role of vice president/

Visit mymillcraft.com to order online.

PRSRT STD U S POSTAGE PAID CLEVELAND, OH PERMIT NO 1940 6800 Grant Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44105

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