WARREN PACKAGING
1722 E Grevillea Ct, Ontario, CA 91761
www.warrenpkg.com


The mantra at Warren Packaging is, “A Great Product Deserves Great Packaging.” And for this Southern California-based family owned and operated company, packaging takes on many forms, with pressure sensitive labels being a relatively new addition to the product portfolio.

Phil Warren, the company’s owner and president, established Warren Packaging in 2001, bringing to the business 30 years and three generations of corrugated box industry. Running the company alongside Phil is his son, Philip Warren Jr., who serves as vice president. Rounding out the leadership team is Phil Warren’s daughter, Christina Dittenber, director of accounting and human resources; and her husband, Mike Dittenber, director of operations. It’s a true family business.

During its first decade, the company specialized in corrugated and folding carton packaging. Noticing a demand for labels from his long list of loyal customers, Warren felt he could better satisfy their needs by becoming a one-stop-shop, thus adding label manufacturing capabilities. The first press was purchased out of a barn – a 3-color Mark Andy 810, along with a tabletop rewinder, and a separate 1,700 square foot label converting facility was established.

By having close relationships with many corrugated and folding carton customers with a need for labels, growth came rapidly. “We realized that the lone Mark Andy 810 was not going to be enough to sustain the growth trajectory we were on,” Warren recalls.

To meet demand, the company invested in a 7-color Webtron 750 flexo press, which became what Warren describes as the “workhorse” of the pressroom. “It brought us into another realm of printing,” he says. But with success came the need for more space and more equipment. A second Webtron was purchased along with the move to a 5,000 square foot facility, yet they quickly outgrew that building in only two years time.

The next move to an 8,000 square foot plant coincided with the addition of a Nilpeter FB-2500 press and label production was ramped up significantly. Two years later, Phil Warren purchased the current 22,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Ontario that is the company’s current home. Here, the growth rate is exploding, and Warren Packaging –with its 16 employees – is entering a new phase of development.

For its PS label offering, the company manufactures anything from blanks to 4-color process and all that lies in between. Most of its customers are in the Inland Empire and Los Angeles area, and are in a wide range of markets. Growth markets in particular are produce, food, and auto parts labels. The sales effort is handled by a dedicated, educated sales team. In addition, business comes in through brokers, referrals, lead generator sites, social media and walk-ins.

For Warren Packaging, 2016 has been extremely active. “It’s been a tremendous year for us,” Warren says, “We have a new building that’s been completely revamped and remodeled. And we’ve added two brand new presses – one being a state-of-the-art digital press, allowing us to enter the digital label market for the first time. We’re also in the process of installing a Label Traxx MIS system – there are a lot of exciting things happening here all at once.”

The company’s new flexo press is a 13″ 8-color Mark Andy 2200. “Due to the rapid growth of our company the Mark Andy was a perfect fit for us. We have moved from smaller runs to large, high-quality runs, which at times we had to purchase out,” Warren says. “We no longer have to do that.”

As for the new digital press, it’s a Konica Minolta bizhub Press C71cf, a machine specifically designed for narrow web applications. A new entry into the competitive digital press market, it is designed to handle personalization, short runs and multiple SKUs efficiently while shortening lead times and reducing make-ready time and waste. Brand new to the industry, the press made its North American debut at September’s Labelexpo in Chicago. The bizhub Press C71cf does not require pre-coating of substrates and prints full CMYK color, at 1200 x 1200dpi supporting a 13″ maximum web width. Feeding speeds range from 62 fpm to 31 fpm with variable data printing and both PPML and PDF/VT formats available. Substrate compatibility includes pressure sensitive paper in gloss, semi-gloss or matte finishes to wine stocks, white BOPP, PET and polypropylene. The C71cf is designed for ease-of-use, a short learning curve and easy maintenance. This makes it an ideal fit for a first time digital press investment such as the one taking place at Warren Packaging.

The deal with Konica Minolta makes Warren Packaging an early adopter of a new technology from a well-established supplier just entering the label market. “Going forward, digital printing is going to play a huge role in the printing and packaging industries, and we saw a great opportunity with Konica Minolta. They approached us to be one of the first label manufacturers to purchase this new press,” Warren says. “After much discussion, we decided that not only was the press a perfect fit for us to get moving into digital printing, but Konica Minolta as a company fit perfectly into our future in this industry.”And speaking of the future, Warren Packaging sees itself playing a key role. Concludes Warren, “Not only in labels, but also corrugated boxes and folding cartons.” –Steve Katz