Salem One Adds Third Komori Lithrone G40 to Support Business Growth
Salem One, a privately-owned business since 1987 based in Winston-Salem, N.C., has added its third Komori press, a six-color Lithrone G40 (GL640) to expand its ability to meet customer demands for fast turnaround time and unique packaging applications. Starting out with revenues of less than $1M and a small two-color press, the company has grown to be one of the largest print-based corporate communications companies in the Southeast with revenues of approximately $31M. Salem One attributes much of this growth to acquisitions that make it possible to offer a complete selection of print, direct marketing, data and analytic and fulfillment options, its decision to enter the packaging market and the support of its long-term partner, Komori.
“We made the transition to add packaging in the early 2000s and the timing was a real blessing because when the economy shifted in 2008 and 2009, we were able to power through those years with growth,” said Phil Kelley, Jr. president and CEO of Salem One. Today, Salem One’s packaging division is committed to producing high-quality, innovatively-designed and efficiently-produced packaging products that include folding cartons, inserts, lock-bottoms and point-of-purchase merchandising for top consumer-focused brands.
The new GL40 was purchased to replace a competitor’s 29-inch press to give Salem One even more capacity to take on the custom packaging that sets the company apart. Salem One now has three Komori GL40 presses operating around the clock. With speed to market being a driving factor in meeting the demands of its major-retail packaging business, the new GL640 also adds value to the creativity that continues to give Salem One an edge up in the marketplace and has made its 17+ percent year-over-year growth possible.
“These three 40-inch Komori presses can handle substrates ranging from .004 point to .040 point. We can do specialty coatings, raised coatings, coatings that have unusual effects and so much more,” said Kelley. “Printing is no longer just a flat sheet of paper. We can create a product that interacts with the five senses or one that reaches out to literally touch the consumer. While it’s our innovation and structural design capabilities that make it possible to produce the 3D products that are so exciting, it’s the Komori presses that make this high-end creativity possible.”
Salem One is loyal to Komori for not only the advanced technology that delivers the speed to market they require, but also for the service training and support they have received from Komori over the years, which Kelley cites as equally or more important than the technology.
“Salem One is part of the Komori family, and being a part of its tremendous growth over the years has been very exciting,” said Jacki Hudmon, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Komori America. “The company truly has a keen eye for quality and a passion for perfection and we are proud that Komori’s GL40 presses contribute to both.”
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