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A product’s label is one of the most important but often least-valued elements. consider a bottle, can, box, jar or any other package. What identifies it? the label. it is a vital component. Or is it? South Africa magazine talks to Rotolabel, a high quality self-adhesive label manufacturer, to find out. By ian Armitage
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Rotolabel focus mAnufActuring
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ape Town-based Rotolabel is both familiar and anonymous. Its high quality self-adhesive labels are all around us. From award wining South Africa wines to the aisles and shelves of top retailers, its creations are everywhere – packaging that cries out for our attention. It is a top producer in its niche. A frontrunner. “We specialise in high quality pressure sensitive label printing,” says sales director Grant Watson. “We supply the food, wine and hygiene industries predominantly and have built a reputation for total commitment, total dedication to service and absolute quality. “Labels are absolutely essential - What tells you who made it and what’s inside? The label. Where do you find the alcoholic content, the grape and the originating vineyard of a bottle of wine? On the label. It may also list ingredients, how to handle the product and how to store it for best results.” He says Rotolabel deals right across the spectrum. “We collaborate with top companies and brands of course but we deal right across the board, treating every client exactly the same where that’s a multinational blue chip or a guy off the street.”
The approach works. And it is one that founder Simon Gilbert developed way back in 1982. “We’ve always had a clear vision, solid plan,” says Mr Watson. “We wanted to lead the market in terms of quality, customer service and consistency. We’ve also been flexible in what has become a saturated market.” Indeed it has – there is very little organic growth in this niche industry. That’s a challenge, one that demanded flexibility. “It is a challenge,” Watson adds. “The organic growth is not there. But we never whinge. We simply face it. And we overcome.” Another issue is that many overseas players and new players have come into the South African market because they think it is a gateway to Africa. “It could be – in other forms of packaging definitely – but in self-adhesive labels I don’t see it,” Watson says. “Another trend or concern is that retailers are tending to go one layer, blindly believing it will reduce cost. That is not always the case – you have to consider the context, the whole life. There are instances where it is more expensive. Okay, some are doing that for green reasons. Whether it is greener or not is open to debate, but people see it as one less layer, and less material, so it must be www.southafricamag.com
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greener. The other reason is labour. “What I’m getting at is that it is very important to look at total cost, not just the cost of packaging but also the cost of issues like minimum quantities, stock and re-orders. With labels you can order less stock and have changeovers in design, product or legislation. “Yes a printed product could be a few cents cheaper than a label and a product, but look at the total cost implication. “Unfortunately though, we’ve lost a lot of labels to direct print.” So where might growth come from? And what is Rotolabel doing in response? A lot actually. Investment in new technology is enabling it to respond more effectively to customer needs and to maintain its leading position in a competitive market. “Technology and innovation are key, something we live by,” Watson says. “We are a world-class company when it comes to consistency and quality. Anyone can print a good label but doing it consistently is another ball game. “We have advanced printing technology and offer innovative finishing techniques such as foiling, varnishing and a range of other value-added processes to produce world-class labels. We’ve also been a pioneer and a frontrunner in digital printing. Digital of course can respond quicker to the market since it is competitive on smaller runs, stock is better managed and the quality is superb. It’s also interchangeable, which works great here in South Africa where a percentage of the average runs are less than 2,000 metres.” 4
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We are a world-class company when it comes to consistency and quality. Anyone can print a good label but doing it consistently is another ball game
Rotolabel focus manufacturing
So is the market demanding? “Very much so, especially on digital print where the lead times are incredibly short. It is driven by the economy and with things the way they are everyone is trying to keep inventory lower. Expectations of printers are almost like a mall now – everything is on the shelf and South Africa is over-traded. “People do not understand why lead times exist in manufacturing and they expect to pick up a phone and have labels within a day or two. We have to try and meet that. This need of the market is the prevalent one and lead times are becoming more demanding. You have to be hungry for the work or someone else will take it. “Our lead time in digital at the moment is three weeks because the demand is so high – yes it gets the job done quicker than conventional, but there is a queue of people in front of you. “The pressure is to get things out quickly and that is driven by the economy and the customer. “Our ability to interchange between conventional printing and digital has really served us well during this period where we have to adapt quickly to the client. “It’s about quality and reliability and also flexibility and adaptability.” A secret to success? Manifold. “It’s a few things. I’ve touched on our values – I think we have very good values. We are known to be professional, fair. We build long-term relationships. We like to play in a niche. “We are a business driven by a desire to please. I know it is cliché, but we really go out of our way for the customer to ensure their lives are hassle-free. They are demanding
but we always go out of our way to meet and exceed expectations. “But I come back to our people. They are a defining factor. We’ve a number of long servers and their grasp of the business is tremendous. They enjoy what they do and it tells. “We also keep it simple. Simplicity is the key to success. We try to stick to the basics, live by being honest and act with integrity and do things right. We are very professional and have superb expertise. Wherever you are coming from we are committed to you.” The market isn’t giving two-month orders any more; they’re ordering for two weeks – and don’t want to pay any more for it. Rotolabel is meeting the challenge head on and continuing to deliver the quality it is renowned for. END To learn more visit www.rotolabel.co.za.
Congratulations to Rotalabel on their 30th Anniversary. Synchron is proud to be associated with a leader in the label industry. With suppliers who are world leaders in their respective areas of expertise, Synchron will continue to source innovative products that differentiate the end users’ brands and provide tailor made solutions. We do not compromise on quality and offer consistently excellent service to our customers. JUST IMAGINE finding ONE company that can help build your brand in every visual space.
Tel: +27 21 5277100 Fax: +27 21 5525291 Website: www.synchron.co.za Email: info@synchron.co.za
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