Wayne Trademark first opened its doors in 1938 in High Point, NC as a manufacturer of heat seal labels for the local hosiery industry.  Wayne Sullivan started the business and ran it for 30 years. Ray Burrow purchased Wayne Trademark in 1969. Today, his son, Gary, operates the successful business. In its 80-plus years in operation, Wayne Trademark has continued to open doors into different arenas in the printing business.

When Wayne Trademark needed an alternative to a wash-off product used in the restaurant industry, the company approached the Acucote Application Development Team for assistance.  The label is applied to containers with a date and time stamp for food rotation. The container then goes into an industrial dishwasher, and the label must remove cleanly in this process. 

Gary Burrow notes, “We came to Acucote with this challenge because of Acucote’s ability in the past to find solutions to our problems. We looked at competitive products, but other suppliers offered unacceptable lead times and inconsistent delivery.”

As the Acucote Application Development Team began the project, initial raw materials came with a large minimum order quantity (MOQ) and price tag. After additional research, Acucote was able to identify an alternative valued supplier with a reduced MOQ. 

Acucote ran successful trials and met Wayne Trademark’s requirements with its dissolvable DS1 adhesive and water soluble Matte Litho facestock. DS1 is a water-based acrylic emulsion mid peel removable adhesive designed to dissolve in water. Specifically designed to be used in conjunction with dissolvable papers or films, it adheres well to metal, HDPE and other LSE plastics.

This solution was an ideal fit for Wayne Trademark’s requirements. Burrow says, “It prints very well and our operators love the material. … Most importantly, our customer is thrilled because our delivery times have now improved. Acucote provided us with shorter lead times and consistent supply on-hand to produce the product needed.”

This dissolvable solution is, according to Burrow, one more example of Acucote’s benefits to Wayne Trademark. “They provide us with great lead times, innovation and responsiveness to our needs,” he states.

The long-term relationship with Acucote has allowed Wayne Trademark to have more customized solutions for their customers. In the future Burrow looks forward to partnering with Acucote to penetrate additional opportunities in household cleaning, piggyback products and food.

Burrow adds, “Acucote has always been a great partner with fair pricing and excellent response and service.  They help us to compete in multiple markets by using their expertise and problem-solving capabilities. “

Wayne Trademark boasts a rich history. Flexographic printing was still in its infancy when the company acquired its first flexo press in 1967. Additional flexo presses have been added through the years, and Wayne Trademark has expanded its capabilities with them. In 1982, the printer moved into the world of lithography, which grew its offerings exponentially.

As print has gone digital in the last several years, so has Wayne Trademark. Today, with flexo, offset, and digital printing capabilities, Wayne Trademark can provide its customers with a variety of print products to meet their needs. With these broad capabilities, the company is able to focus on food and beverage, clothing, industrial, automotive, cleaning products and dairy label markets.

Wayne Trademark prides itself on offering great service and reliability along with great sales and customer service. This prompted it to begin purchasing from Acucote over 20 years ago.  The longevity of this relationship is important to both companies. Burrow comments, “Acucote shares the same principle of excellence and is actually located within a half hour of our plant.”