Industry News
Stop by weekly to catch up on the latest news about products and people in the marking industry.
News for March 2, 2010
A New Look for the Cosco Website
Cosco Industries announces the completion and launch of its newly redesigned website. The site's aesthetic appearance has been upgraded from the previous version and features more user-friendly navigation. The website now offers links to marketing tools such as Build-A-Flyer, the company's customizable marketing solution; the Index Card Designer, allowing manufacturers to customize their index cards instantly; and a Microban® video that can be used to promote Cosco's latest stamp innovation.
For more information please contact Cosco Industries, Inc., 7220 W. Wilson Avenue, Harwood Heights, IL 60706; 800/323-0253; Fax 800/323-0275; Web: www.coscoindustries.com
PSI™ Blue
MMC's PSI Blue utilizes Low Emissions Manufacturing (LEM) for making the printing plate, along with water-based ink. Once the printing plate is exposed and ink is added, the stamp is ready in less than one minute. The bottom portion of the stamp, die box and dust cover are made from recycled ABS plastic. The stamp housing can be reused when the copy is changed by replacing the printing portion that slides in and out.
This stamp does not use a pad, thus reducing waste. It re-inks in seconds, and re-ink cartridges are available for each size. MMC offers these refill cartridges to protect the stamp manufacturer's revenue stream. Should a stamp maker prefer to sell a larger bottle for "one size fits all", that is certainly possible.
These are a few of the environmental benefits of LEM:
- No water is used in finishing the printing plate.
- No chemicals are used to finish any of the products.
- No offensive odors are produced. No charcoal filters are needed, nor is burnt rubber ash emitted into the atmosphere.
- There is no effluent to go down the drain.
- Less power is required to process a batch of LEM stamps than to leave on a 100-watt light bulb for one hour.
For more information, contact Millennium Marking Co. at 847/806-1750; Fax: 847/806-1751; Web: www.dedicatedtothestampmaker.com
Taking Care of Labeling Needs
Missouri Stencil now offers its customers a wide range of labels, including transfer, direct thermal, ribbon and printer labels. They will print custom labels for large and small orders.
The company provides shipment labels such as "Fragile," "This Side Up," and "Do not Double Stack" as well as custom labels to help reduce damage sustained in shipment.
Also available from Missouri Stencil are supplies for label printers, including ribbons and rewinders. You can even order the label printer itself. Call Dina Cheek if you would like a quote or have any questions.
For more information, contact Missouri Stencil Product Inc., 101-B Production Dr., Park Hills, MO 63601; 573/431-3381; Fax: 573/431-3383; E-mail: dina@missourstencil.com; Web: www.missouristencil.com
Indiana Stamp Promotes Olivia L. Warner
Third-generation family business Indiana Stamp Co. Inc. announces the promotion of Olivia L. Warner to the office of president. Warner is the daughter of former president and CEO Thomas J. Beaver, who will continue on as CEO and chairman of the board.
Warner has been employed with the company for more than six years, beginning with odd jobs while finishing a Bachelor of Science in Finance degree at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. After graduating from college, she worked for a locally owned bank in a management-training program. She then left the world of finance for a position in the family business, where she spent several years gaining experience in various departments before working as the manager of the accounting department.
"I chose to leave banking because I felt called to be a part of the family business and wanted to have an opportunity to continue the legacy started by my grandfather, Millard Beaver, and his brother Don Bieber."
Warner is optimistic about the future of the company and looks forward to continuing the tradition of growth and innovation. She says that one of Indiana Stamp's strong points has always been looking for new products and ways to improve existing product lines and services.
For more information, contact Indiana Stamp, 1319 Production Rd., Fort Wayne, IN 46808; 206/424-5395, 877/424-5395; E-mail: sales@indianastamp.com; Web: www.indianastamp.com
Acme Sign Co. Expands
It was 1954 when a magazine ad caught Max Trell's eye: "Make $8 and hour in your spare time with the Warner Stamp Machine." And so, Stamford, Connecticut's Acme Rubber Stamp (so named to secure top billing in the Yellow Pages) was born in the basement of Max K. Trell's Hobby Shop. As luck would have it, bookstore chain Waldenbooks (now Borders) brought their corporate offices to Stamford at the same time and became Acme's largest and most loyal buyer of rubber stamps for the next 25 years.
Son and current owner Steve Trell graduated from college in the late 1960s and was working at Clairol in Stamford when Max called him in to help fulfill a large special order from Waldenbooks. The temporary assignment turned into full-time work, and in 1977 Steve formally incorporated the company name Acme Rubber Stamp to seal the deal.
Steve left Clairol in 1980 to work in the business full time, running the venture out of the 900-square-foot basement of the retail hobby shop. Quick-print shops and stationery stores made up most of the customer base and led to the next step in Acme's expansion: manufacturing interior signs, a natural extension of the rubber stamp business—and in 1989, Acme bought and moved into a 6,500-square-foot building in a prime area of Stamford, surrounded by a growing list of Fortune 500 companies. The new structure allowed for more manufacturing space, and Acme expanded its line of products to include exterior signage, all in a wider variety of materials, designs and sizes.
In 1998, Steve's son Jeff joined the company, and, as has always been the hallmark of the Trell family, combined efforts with his father to take the business to another level, marketing to a wider variety of customers. Currently, the business consists of 98 percent signage (now including monuments), plaque and award products—and only 2 percent stamps.
In December, 2008, Acme bought and expanded into a custom-fitted 12,000-square-foot building and in June 2009 moved into their new, modern space—and officially changed the name of the company to Acme Sign Co. Today, more than 55 years later, Acme employs a staff of 20 and the rubber stamp department is in an 8-foot x 8-foot room.
For more information, contact Acme Sign Co., 12 Research Dr., Stamford, CT 06906; 800/426-2263, 203/324-2263; Fax: 203/324-5181; Web: www.acmesignco.com
New Comet and Pullman Packaging
Cosco Industries introduces new Comet and Pullman packaging. Comets and Pullmans will continue to offer the same quality, durability and variety, but with an updated look. The new packaging is bold and patriotic, but continues to give the sense history that this line is known for.
For more information please contact Cosco Industries, Inc., 7220 W. Wilson Avenue, Harwood Heights, IL 60706; 800/323-0253; Fax 800/323-0275; Web: www.coscoindustries.com