You and some of your key employees attended Labelexpo Americas in September and realized that there were so many opportunities out there that you did not know where to begin!

When you got home, you said to yourself: “I can’t sell my label business until I correct some things…my sales are flat to in-decline since the ‘go-go’ years of 2020-2023.”

That said, you may want to review some of our previous columns for L&NW – you may access them by visiting our website: www.printmergers.com/lnwcolumns.html

Remember this: Just because you have a new piece of equipment does not mean that sales are going to “roll-in-the-door” on day #1. That is unless this new piece can produce something that you have been outsourcing from another label company because you could not produce it.

For example, I recently visited one of our label clients prior to Labelexpo and noticed that they were producing a 60,000′ roll order of 4″ wide blank pressure sensitive labels as small rolls on cores with just a perf. They were doing it by taking a larger diameter (say 20″) supply roll and rewinding them one at a time on a table-top rewinder. I personally liked a couple of the turret rewinders I saw at Labelexpo Americas.

Question: Does your label company have an outside salesforce? I know that the majority of label converters in the USA sell direct – this is similar to the commercial printing industry.

Conversely, the business forms industry at one time was mostly direct (ie: RR Donnelley, Moore, Wallace, Standard Register, Uarco, Duplex, Reynolds + Reynolds, etc.).

Note that only one of the aforementioned business forms companies exists today, and it is a vastly different company than in the past. 

What happened to all these companies was that their best sales reps were not treated properly and left, taking their customers with them. These guys and gals did not want to be involved with “manufacturing,” so they found trade suppliers like Ennis, Wise, Highland, PDF Print Communications, etc. to produce product for them and allow them to do what they do best – sell! 

Have you ever considered selling to the trade? By “trade,” I mean the literally thousands of print distributors that exist in the United States. Some of them are quite large like HH Global ($2.5 billion), Proforma ($600 million), American Solutions for Business ($300 million), Smart Source ($250 million), SLWM (SupplyLogic/WebbMason-$150 million). That said, there aren’t nearly as many label converters selling to the trade as there could be given the size of the market.

One way you might consider entering the exciting world of being a trade label supplier is to acquire one and keep it standalone. For example, let’s say you are the owner of ABC Label Company based in Chicagoland, and you have historically sold direct. You call Corporate Development Associates (shameless plug, I know) and express an interest in acquiring a trade label manufacturer. We just happen to represent the XYZ Label Company based in St. Louis, which sells to the trade only.

Your company acquires XYZ, retaining their name, location, and marketing strategy, and end up running a lot of work in your suburban Chicago plant because you had more (and better) equipment than XYZ.

That is just one example of how you can increase your sales and make your label company more attractive to potential suitors when the time is right.

If that is not a direction in which you want to take your label company, you should try to figure out a way to increase sales organically or by hiring outside sales reps with a “following.”

These could be guys or gals not happy working for one of the larger companies but with no real desire to strike-out on their own. All they want to do is sell.

How much is one of these sales reps going to cost you? Well, the good ones are probably already making well into six figures – $100K to $250K and up.

This could be more than you are currently paying some of your top management employees – even some you took to Labelexpo Americas!

Top sales reps will want to work on straight commission (after a time) with no upper limit as to earnings. Some arrangements we have seen are either a percentage of sales (say 10%) or a percentage of gross margin (over fully-burdened manufacturing costs), say at 40%.

An example might look something like the chart at the bottom of page 36.  As you can see, the commission as a percentage of gross margin (at least at 40%) is more lucrative for the sales representative. Note: If you would like the source Excel doc for the charts shown here so you can “play-around” with these two different structures, simply send an email to [email protected]. Good luck to you with the above ideas, and there are plenty more where they came from!

Jim Anderson is the Founder & President of Scottsdale, AZ-based Corporate Development Associates (CDA). CDA is a boutique Merger & Acquisition consulting firm that has focused 100% on the printing industry since 1987. Website: www.printmergers.com. Contact Jim via email: [email protected] or cell/text: 602-432-0426


Maxcess announces acquisition of ICD
Maxcess International has announced the acquisition of International Cutting Die Inc. (ICD), a manufacturer of precision cutting solid dies and supporting tools based in Melrose Park, IL, USA. This strategic acquisition enhances Maxcess’ capabilities and strengthens its presence in the rapidly growing nonwoven industry.

With over 50 years of experience, ICD has built a reputation for excellence in producing high-quality cutting dies used in various industries, including nonwoven materials, packaging, and more. ICD has developed several exclusive technologies that can be utilized across Maxcess’ industry platforms to improve customers’ efficiencies and increase productivity. Their expertise and commitment to innovation make them a valuable addition to the Maxcess family.

“This acquisition marks an exciting new chapter for Maxcess International,” says Odd Joergenrud, CEO of Maxcess. “By integrating ICD’s cutting-edge innovations, including Tungsten Carbide and Powdered Metal solid die manufacturing, die station manufacturing and exclusive elastic entrapment technology, with our existing RotoMetrics brand global leadership position in narrow web diecutting, nobody can offer as comprehensive or complete a portfolio of solutions for both wide-web and narrow-web applications. Basically, our customers can cut and convert any material. As a result, we are well-positioned to deliver even greater value to our customers in the nonwoven sector, tag and label, and beyond. This acquisition aligns with our strategy to expand our product offerings and deepen our relationships within nonwoven and other critical and emerging industries.”


The nonwovens industry has experienced significant growth due to increasing demand for new products and solutions in medical, personal hygiene, automotive, and consumer goods. By acquiring ICD, Maxcess is poised to meet this demand with enhanced product offerings and increased manufacturing capabilities.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Maxcess International,” states Kevin McEnery, general manager of International Cutting Die. “This partnership allows us to leverage Maxcess’ global resources and extensive distribution network, enabling us to reach new markets and deliver superior solutions to our existing and new customers. ICD can also engage with Maxcess’ R&D resources to leverage software development, automation, guiding and vision solutions to enhance our products with Industry 4.0 technologies and create smarter cutting solutions. We look forward to contributing to Maxcess’ continued success and innovation.”

The acquisition of ICD will provide Maxcess with expanded manufacturing facilities and a highly skilled workforce in the wide web nonwoven market, further enhancing the company’s ability to deliver customized solutions and exceptional service and support to its clients. Additionally, Maxcess’ global footprint offers several opportunities to expand the ICD product offering globally in solid dies and die stations. Together, Maxcess and ICD will continue to push the boundaries of innovation and drive growth in the nonwovens industry, Maxcess says.