2550 Haddonfield Road
Pennsauken Township, NJ USA 08110
www.modtek.net


Shawn Borman and his mother, Vicki Wilkinson, established ModTek as a small family business. The company might be small in stature, but it has experienced tremendous growth despite the challenges of the past few years. ModTek has seen its label orders soar as it continues to invest in new equipment and people.

In addition, Borman and Wilkinson executed a transfer of ownership in 2019, not long before the pandemic. Wilkinson initially eased into partial retirement before a buyout allowed her to fully retire. Now the sole owner, Borman has relied on his decades of experience in the label printing business to guide this booming label converter through a considerable time of uncertainty. In the time since Borman has taken over the helm, he has been faced with numerous challenges. From the pandemic to the ongoing obstacles with the supply chain, Borman has leaned on the company’s culture and work ethic, which is evident on a daily basis.

“I’ve always said, ‘Enjoy the moment for what it is and then move on to the next one.’ No matter how tough it is, you’ll get through it,” says Borman. “That’s been the mindset day-to-day. We’re just working to get through whatever the current crisis is, and we want to be transparent with our customers. This industry is about relationships. It’s not an order, it’s a relationship, and I take a lot of pride in doing what you say you’re going to do.”

While ModTek has certainly been challenged by the industry’s uncertainty, there have been numerous positives. “All these challenges have definitely tightened the team,” explains Borman. “When you’re under lockdown and one of your employees has been exposed to Covid and you lose them for two weeks, the rest of the team has to step up. We’ve had people working weekends, overtime, and doing whatever they need to do to get the job done. It’s been great to see.”

The ModTek owner practices what he preaches, too. He can often be seen on the shop floor, equipped with work gloves, chipping in to help his team get orders out the door to customers. “I love what I do,” states Borman. “I did everything when I started in this business, even mowing lawns. I was a platemaker and learned how to use a Mac, got into prepress for years, and then learned how to run presses. You’re either in the fetal position in the corner worrying about what’s going to happen or you do what you’re best at and be really good at it.”

Currently, ModTek has nearly 30 employees and a strong management team that has helped guide the company through this period of growth. During the pandemic, ModTek also named Jessica Egan its new general manager. Scott Egan, director of sales, has also helped in a leadership role.

“Jess and Scott were brought up in the industry, so they know it from the inside out,” comments Borman. “With our old general manager leaving, we’ve actually improved just because the team has gotten tighter. We were forced to, but it’s happened in a good way.

“Our core philosophies have really carried us,” adds Borman. “None of us were prepared to deal with what’s going on, but high levels of transparency, honesty and communication are important factors in our day-to-day success. When I started the company, I based a lot of what we did on our bigger vendors and how they communicated and worked with us. This was especially true when we were just starting out, and I like to spread that with my customers. This time period has actually been good for the team.”

This mantra has been a successful one at ModTek. The company’s growth has been evident with an influx of orders and the decision to add a significant amount of equipment to keep propelling ModTek forward. Just since the start of the pandemic, ModTek has invested in two digital presses – a Dantex PicoColour and, most recently, a Dantex PicoJet – to go alongside a 16″ Mark Andy 4150 flexo press and two rewinders.

“We just installed the Dantex PicoJet and have been running it for about a month,” notes Borman. “We just finished training on it, too. You can see how much faster and more effective the new press is. The original press was good for getting us started with digital, but this new press runs at three times the speed and is 40% wider, so we get a lot more throughput out of it.”

ModTek’s printing arsenal consists of seven flexo presses, three hot stamping units, and the two Dantex UV inkjet digital label presses. “For a little mom and pop shop, we have a lot of capabilities,”
comments Borman.

The growth has not been limited to equipment and orders, either. ModTek operates out of a facility that has grown to 33,000 square feet. The original owner of the building, who had been renting space as a tenant, vacated that section of the facility during the pandemic – freeing up 6,000 square feet. The move was a boon for the ModTek team, as it has provided extra storage of materials that have been hard to come by due to the supply chain challenges.

The Dantex decision

Digital printing has played a significant role in ModTek’s growth. Starting in the days when HP bought Indigo, Borman was keeping a close eye on the technology. He knew that it would eventually become viable for ModTek, but he was waiting for the right time.

Borman is not a newcomer to digital printing, either. He’s dabbled with the technology, having invested in several tabletop printers and even converting a Webtron 750 to a hybrid press by adding a CMYK inkjet system.
“I knew digital was going to be big and take over the industry,” notes Borman. “And in the back of my head, I was always preparing for that moment when the world would shift to digital. I didn’t know how or when it would happen, but I knew it would.

“As soon as digital went to over 100 fpm, then it was time to start really focusing on this technology,” he adds. “In this instance, I can use the same materials I use for flexo. I’m not changing anything for the customer other than how the ink goes down.”

ModTek first entered the digital printing game with the Dantex PicoColour UV inkjet digital label press, which was installed in 2020. The entry-level PicoColour helped ModTek navigate challenges it had been experiencing with press durability, lightfastness and the lack of an opaque white. ModTek experienced great initial success with the PicoColour press. However, the press quickly became swamped. To get out of  “the weeds,” Borman realized it was time to add another digital press. He returned to Dantex and invested in the PicoJet.

“Dantex fits right into our organization and what we want our presses to do,” explains Borman. “The new press is on a press frame, so it’s a legitimate press manufacturer’s frame. The PicoJet is very well made and very intuitive to run. Plus, we have a flexo station on it, so we can varnish now. That was important for many of our wine customers who want more of a matte look, especially with UV ink because it has to look shiny. The flexo station adds a lot of capability, and we can also do unsupported laminations.”

For ModTek, Dantex has been the ideal partner on this journey with digital printing. The communication has been strong, and the Dantex team has been active in dialing in the presses to meet the NJ-based converter’s needs, especially as it pertains to color. The Dantex PicoJet also boasts substantial modularity for ModTek. Borman knows that this machine can evolve as the company continues to grow.

“The partnership we have with Dantex will continue to make us better,” notes Borman. “They listen and have a good crew, so they’ve been really good to work with. I’ve dealt with some digital manufacturers where they’re just trying to sell you the next machine, citing the old technology. So, I’ve just paid six figures for a paperweight.

“What Dantex has done is sold me a machine that is a legitimate press that is made in such a way that if the technology does change, it’s an internal change. I don’t have to throw the machine away,” he adds. “That’s what was happening with some other manufacturers. For a smaller company, what Dantex offers is huge, and the way they have gone about designing their presses has been pretty smart.”

I’ll drink to that

ModTek has become a leader in delivering labels for a wide range of beverages. The company’s skills have been helpful to local breweries, distilleries and wineries. The challenges in providing a creative and sophisticated beverage label have been rewarding for Borman and his team, as well.

“This has been a fun market for us,” he says.” The graphics are demanding, but the end result is a happy group that you know personally and they thank you for it. I’m glad I’m in this industry because they’re just a great group of people to work with. I’ve grown to appreciate what we do even more.”

ModTek’s book of business is led by beverage, which accounts for roughly 40% of the company’s work. Meanwhile, food makes up another 30%, and the remaining business is spread through a variety of other areas. ModTek’s versatility extends from eye-catching wine labels to complex multi-ply labels for the health and beauty sector.

“Our biggest growth sector has been the beverage industry, but we’ve done up to a 5-ply label for the cosmetic industry,” explains Borman. “We have a lot of capabilities here, and that keeps our skills sharp.”

By boasting digital and flexo capabilities, ModTek can use the right press for the right job. For example, some of the beverage orders are too complex for a digital press, as brands might want a matte look with spot varnishes, complete with hot stamping and embossing. However, digital provides a great option for a CMYK film label with gloss or matte lamination.

Going green

In addition to emphasizing company culture and strong communication, ModTek has been instrumental in driving sustainability. The company’s environmental goals have been on display with a recent partnership with UPM Raflatac. ModTek has emerged as a leading partner in UPM Raflatac’s RafCycle program, which is geared toward promoting a circular future. The program involves collecting label release liner waste and transforming the waste into either new label materials, paper or PET products, or other circular solutions.

According to UPM Raflatac, the release liners can be de-siliconized and recycled into pulp and paper with RafCycle.

“UPM Raflatac has been quite helpful, and the environmental initiative we’ve worked on together has really gone well,” remarks Borman. “I think this program was really geared toward some of the larger label converting companies, but we’ve proven there’s a way and it just takes a little bit of effort. We spent about $7,000 to $8,000 last year on storage and gaylord containers for shipping, but it’s not a huge investment for what you’re getting back out of it. Hopefully it opens all of our eyes. The waste doesn’t need to go in a stream in the back of a building.”

ModTek has also emerged as a hub for this program, where it will take back liner from surrounding companies – even companies with which ModTek does not conduct business – all in an effort to drive these sustainable practices. UPM Raflatac will then send a truck to pick up the materials, which just need storing in the meantime.

“The whole idea is we’re in this together as an industry,” says Borman. “We’re taking that extra step. And then if the company across the street decides to get involved, then they can become a hub. The more people do it, the easier this process is going to be. Recycling and sustainability should get easier as more people start subscribing to that philosophy. There’s no perfection out there but if you wake up and try every day it’s better than not trying every day. We have knocked our UV waste down quite a bit, and it just comes down to being more aware. We’re not going to change the world ourselves, but if everybody did this, the world would be a little bit better.”