www.labelsunlimited.net
By Erin Judge

Quality, service, and pricing: the three driving factors that have fueled Labels Unlimited’s success for the better part of 50 years. “We’re committed to doing whatever it takes to stay the industry leader in these areas,” says owner Rami Akhras. “Whether that means investment in new technology or staff development, our sole focus is on delivering the best possible experience for our customers.”

Labels Unlimited’s commitment to delivering the highest quality products began when Akhras’s father started the custom label manufacturing business in 1975. For more than 25 years, he produced his own pressure sensitive label material in the company’s facility near Chicago’s Midway Airport to ensure complete quality control over each customer’s finished product.

In 2003, after the passing of his father, Akhras, a computer engineer by trade, took over the family business. He promptly decided to exit the substrate business, which freed up both company funds and space in its 70,000-square-foot building. This decision also allowed Labels Unlimited to direct more of its resources toward improving the printing and converting aspects of its customers’ labels.

Despite no longer manufacturing its own materials, quality continues to be the central focus for Labels Unlimited, which now entrusts the expertise of Avery Dennison and UPM Raflatac for its substrate supply. The company also recently added 15,000 square feet of warehouse storage space to ensure materials are always readily available to meet client deadlines.

Today, Akhras, partner Michael Shiel, and their team of 45 employees produce flexographic and digital custom labels for the food and beverage, cosmetic, motor oil, and CBD industries.

According to Akhras, “We seamlessly blend the agility and personalized touch of a small business with the extensive resources of a large corporation.”

By utilizing only 40,000 square feet of its available space and renting out the remainder of its building, the company is perfectly positioned for future expansion.

By 2015, Akhras achieved another major milestone for Labels Unlimited by installing its first full HD digital flexographic platemaker from Esko. A late adopter of the technology, he says, “High definition, high-quality plate production was a ‘game-changer’ that took our quality to another level.”

The digital platemaker set off a wave of advancement for the company, which installed its first digital label press only a year later. The company then dedicated the following six years to optimizing the customer experience through investments in print and converting technologies, including four Grafotronic diecutters and a laser diecutter, which offer exceptional flexibility in producing an endless array of customized label shapes.

Over time, Akhras began seeing “more and more customers ordering less volume at more frequent intervals.” With customers “hyper focused on quality” and a growing percentage of its business shifting to digital production, Labels Unlimited needed a more robust, “premium” digital printing solution. In 2022, an investment was made in the company’s first Durst Tau RSC E. After investigating other digital options, Akhras says he was initially impressed by the machine’s high quality and easy-to-understand purchase and service contracts. Additionally, once he began using the machine, he says the cost per label and machine maintenance costs were lower than anticipated.

Akhras says, “Print speed, quality, productivity, and versatility are all critical for us. We were not willing to compromise, and with Durst, we didn’t need to.” Earlier this year, Labels Unlimited installed its second Durst RSC E to replace other aging digital assets and create redundancy in production.

While its business continues to trend toward digital production, 65% of Labels Unlimited’s work is still produced flexographically. The company currently boasts nine flexo presses from Mark Andy and Webtron, and Akhras believes that having both technologies in-house is critical for success in the label industry. He notes, “Many customers are still looking for six, seven, or eight color printing and specialty foils or finishing. As long as we maintain high quality, our customers are not concerned how their jobs get produced.”

Labels Unlimited’s most recent investments include inspection cameras, which will further enhance quality control. The company also just added Jetfx technology, which creates a variety of digital embellishments, including spot coating, digital foil, and 3D effects. “We’re really excited about the added value we’re going to be able to offer – taking our customers’ labels to the next level,” says Akhras.

The company continues to enhance the customer experience through recent improvements to its website. Customers can now request quotes and upload jobs through its online portal. Looking ahead, Akhras says Labels Unlimited will continue to find new ways to automate and streamline its processes, eliminating unnecessary manual operations. This automation will not only shorten lead times for customer jobs but also support the company’s goal of entering the B2C market. Currently, Labels Unlimited does not have the processes in place to cost effectively produce ultra-short runs for B2C customers.

As Labels Unlimited continues to streamline its production for the sake of efficiency, the company stays rooted in its core principle of providing its customers with the highest levels of quality and service while maintaining competitive pricing. Akhras concludes, “We might not be the biggest guy on the block, but we can produce at the same level. And as a smaller company, we offer the personalized attention our customers value. By continuing to excel in these two dynamics, we will be able to maintain the strong loyalty we enjoy from many of our clients.”