Recipe for Success - Growth is Key

Growth is key to any converter's success, and Weber Marking Systems is flourishing.

TAKE ONE CONVERTER, add in Mark Andy presses and accessories from such companies as AAA Press International and RotoMetrics and stir. Sprinkle in a variety of label substrates and inks, and allow to grow. Following such a recipe has proven to be a successful mix for Weber Marking Systems, headquartered in Arlington Heights, Ill.

Weber Marking Systems, established in 1932 by Joseph Weber Sr., began with the production of stencils, addressing machines, and hand printers for print-and-apply labeling. But today, it has grown into a multi-faceted label and coding company serving the food, general manufacturing, health and beauty, and pharmaceutical markets.

Humble beginnings

Although its early roots were grounded in the production of manual and mechanical marking equipment, Weber Marking Systems found itself on the road to computer-based, electronic label printing as bar codes entered the packaging world. "That's when our business really exploded," says company Vice President of Manufacturing George Stieber. "And it has continued to expand."

Undergoing a huge growth spurt, the company introduced dot-matrix label printers, then thermal/thermal-transfer, laser, and label print-and-apply systems. In 1975, it purchased its first Mark Andy press to provide broader printing capabilities to support its expanding business.

It was only a short jump onto the label-printing bandwagon from there. Weber Marking Systems purchased its Florida-based subsidiary, Tape & Label Engineering in 1979, and began printing primary graphic labels. According to Stieber, the company just grew naturally into label printing.

"Today, we're printing text, graphics, and bar codes with our systems," says Stieber, who began his career with Weber 30 years ago. "We produce everything from blank labels to colorful prime labels for use at point-of-purchase, and we label everything from corrugated cartons to the products that are packed inside of them."