Leveraging Technology

Schreiber Specialties uses the latest in folding/gluing technology 
to diversify its product offerings and win new business.

June 2009 By Tom Polischuk

multipage

Providing trade-shop finishing services to the printing industry can be a difficult proposition, even in the best of times. The services and capabilities offered to customers have to be provided in a way that beats competition and offers advantages to customers that can often perform the work in-house.

Schreiber Specialties (www.schreiberspecialties.com), located in Sussex, Wis., got its start in 1993 and today, provides capabilities including hot stamping, embossing, folding and gluing, diecutting, and UV coating. The company initially focused on the needs of commercial printers. This changed in 1997 when it bought a Kluge (www.kluge.biz) folder/gluer to supply pocket folders. According to John Becker, president of Schreiber Specialties, he quickly saw the opportunity to leverage this capability and venture into the packaging arena by supplying video boxes and disc packaging.

This move was indicative of a general trend throughout the industry for companies in the commercial printing arena to expand into packaging. For Schreiber, this proved to be a very good move. With the addition a Bobst (www.bobst.com) folder/gluer in 2001 and a state-of-the-art Bobst Masterfold folder/gluer installed in November of 2008, Becker says that about 50 percent of the company's business is now in packaging.

Service and quality

Schreiber operates out of a 30,000-sq. ft. facility with 42 employees and runs a 2-shift, 5-day operation to support its diverse customer base. Becker says the company focuses on providing superior service and quality. "We specialize on high-end applications and can cost-effectively meet our customers needs for either low- or high-volumes—from 5,000 pieces to 2.5 million," he says. "And we make sure we treat all our customers the same—big and small."

Schreiber manufactures a range of products using both paperboard and plastic substrates for markets including media (video and cassette sleeves and CD packaging), home fragrance, general retail, and point-of-purchase (POP) displays. About 90 percent of its business supports the local region, with some additional national and international business.

Becker believes the best way to be successful in any competitive environment is to use state-of-the-art technology, and he attributes much of Schreiber's success to this approach.

"We decided to buy the Bobst Masterfold because of its high degree of automation," he says. "It's more than just a folder/gluer, and with its productivity enhancements, we can now run upwards of 60,000 pieces per hour."

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