For some end users, shrink sleeve label production has become the stuff of "nightmare stories," says Jim Dwyer, president and CEO of The R.B. Dwyer Group, an Anaheim, Calif.-based manufacturer and distributor of tamper-evident bands and shrink sleeves. Dwyer typically hears the most hair-raising tales about complication-plagued conversions of existing label designs to a shrink sleeve format, or thorny transitions to a new shrink sleeve label supplier—experiences that have, at times, been scary enough to strip away much of the shrink sleeve label's appeal. He's even got one end-user contact "who doesn't even want to talk about shrink." But Dwyer doesn't shy away from what he describes as the potentially "problematic" nature of shrink sleeve applications. To the contrary, a deep understanding of those challenges has been a central factor in the steady growth of The Dwyer Group's operations. "Our goal," emphasizes Dwyer, "is to remove those obstacles." Specifically, he explains, "We can compress the timeline of bringing products to market."
And "can" is the operative word here. It could be said, in fact, that an eye for possibilities was behind The Dwyer Group's beginnings in 1988. Dwyer and his father, Ray, who both had previous long-term shrink sleeve market experience, took note of the product's strong demand, relative lack of domestic suppliers, and prohibitively long lead times for delivery and founded the company in Anaheim as a nationwide tamper-evident band and shrink sleeve sales organization focused on quick response and turnaround. The fundamental delivery goal that still governs the company today is a 48-hour turnaround for stocked products, which include preformed shrink bands, flat bands/printed flat bands, roll stock tubing, and seamed roll stock.
After gradually gaining a foothold in importing (The Dwyer Group currently operates four distribution facilities—in Austin, Texas; Des Plains, Ill.; Orlando, Fla.; and Ontario, Can.), the company turned its attention to another area of growth possibilities in the shrink sleeve market—domestic converting. Initially, The Dwyer Group's converting capabilities were housed solely in its 125,000-sq. ft. facility in Anaheim, and sleeve printing needs were outsourced. However, quality gaps led Dwyer to believe that the challenges of printing sleeves could be more effectively surmounted in-house. "It's difficult to trust others with your printing work," he relates.
In light of the headaches that can come with California's stringent manufacturing requirements, Dwyer opted to pursue the setup of a printing operation on the opposite coast with the 2003 acquisition of Ideal Sleeves, which operates out of an 80,000-sq. ft. facility in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Today, The Dwyer Group offers offset, flexo, and digital sleeve printing (common substrates include PETG, PET, and PVC). The company's four presses include an HP Indigo digital press and a Comco flexo press. Inks of choice are UV offset, along with UV and water-based flexo.
