Reflecting on 2024 So Far: Century Printing and Packaging’s Milestones and Observed Market Trends

As we stand at the midpoint of the year, Century Printing and Packaging takes a moment to reflect on the milestones achieved, strides made, and advancements moving our industry. CP&P has seen great progress and has established strategic initiatives that set the stage for the next six months to improve and innovate for every client.

Century Printing and Packaging has achieved remarkable success this year, having sold over 85 million labels and fulfilled over 3,000 orders. This substantial volume highlights CP&P’s ability and dedication to meeting high demand while maintaining top-notch execution. The presence of a well-organized team working in unison has been instrumental in reaching these impressive milestones.

Let’s uncover some direct impacts to better understand what led to Century Printing and Packaging’s success in the year’s first half.

According to an article on LinkedIn, the Chemical Resistant Labels Market is projected to grow by 13.6% from 2024 to 2031. CP&P has focused on the chemical segment, which has led to their growth and expertise in providing specialized labeling solutions for this industry. Keeping up with this rapidly growing market shows their ability to meet the specific needs of chemical manufacturers, ensuring safety and compliance through durable and long-lasting labeling solutions.

Another reason for the remarkable success witnessed in 2024 is the sale of RFID labels. Century Printing and Packaging has taken the necessary steps to integrate itself into the new world of RFID labeling, not only to understand the industry’s changes but also to position the team as experts in the space. CP&P also intends to invest in encoding equipment for RFID labels within the year, bolstering its capability to stay current with future RFID trend needs.

In line with technological advancements, CP&P is exploring the purchase of a second digital press by the end of the year. This investment will empower the team to proactively assess and respond to customers’ evolving needs. By incorporating additional production bandwidth through introducing new presses, CP&P will have the capacity to accommodate a broader range of customer requirements.

Next, let’s examine market dynamics and customer trends that are significantly contributing to CP&P’s 2024 growth.

We are all experiencing the impact of inflation in one way or another, but one positive effect is the growing favor for store brands over name brands. A significant number of CP&P’s customers produce store brands, and this change in consumer preference has directly boosted sales. You may have already observed the trend of store brands occupying more space in shopping carts as consumers actively seek budget-friendly alternatives to name brands. Read more about this trend in the Wall Street Journal.

In contrast to last year, when supply chain disruptions presented significant challenges, 2024 has witnessed more stable supply chains. Century Printing and Packaging has taken proactive measures by expanding its pool of materials suppliers. This move ensures cost competitiveness and swift production timelines without any delays. The newfound stability has enabled CP&P to prioritize delivering consistent quality and reliability to their customers, even amid ongoing uncertainties in global supply chains.

Lastly, let’s dive into some strategic initiatives that CP&P has taken that will lead them into a flourishing 2025.

Century Printing and Packaging has conducted extensive studies on setup costs in response to customers’ heightened price sensitivity. This research has allowed them to refine existing pricing models, ensuring competitive quotes while maintaining profitability. By understanding the detailed costs of each production run, CP&P can provide customers with the best possible pricing without compromising quality.

Century’s workforce remains a cornerstone of their yearly success. CP&P takes pride in having a stable and dedicated team with the right people in the right positions, driving operations forward without interruption. A unified team, all pushing in the same direction, will fortify CP&P against any challenges that come their way in the second half of the year.

Looking ahead to the second half of 2024, Century Printing and Packaging is confident in its ability to continue providing high-value labels at every price point to its customers. The strategic investments mentioned above, strong production capabilities, and stable supply chains position CP&P well for future growth.

Century Printing and Packaging wouldn’t be here today without the support of its customers, partners, and team members for their continued collaboration and dedication. Together, CP&P is looking forward to achieving even greater milestones in the coming months and years.

Thank you for being a part of the journey.

Rollstock Film

Rollstock film is a popular flexible packaging option with multiple applications. Roll stock is a manufacturing and printing term to describe an engineered film that is used on “form, fill & seal” packaging machines. There are a variety of films that are engineered in regard to the specific properties of the content it will contain and if it is sensitive to light, moisture, air, and fragility. Typically you will find roll stock film used in granola and trail bars, nutrition bars, cookies, and potato or other kinds of chips.

This type of application involves flexographic printing which allows vibrant color and design details. The plates are made onsite cutting down wait times for proofs and getting to production as soon as possible. The film is blown from resin into film and then converted to blank film to printed roll stock. The printer is able to work their magic creating a finished bag that meets or exceeds the customer’s specific graphic, design, and layout content.

Roll stock film has many benefits. It can be food safe. It lowers production costs by producing less waste as the bags are made in line. The film provides producers vibrant colors and distinct clarity through flexographic printing enhancing end-user appeal and increasing brand awareness by standing out from the competition. Depending on the film usage context it can provide an oxygen barrier and the manufacturer can inject an air mix to prolong the life of the product ensuring freshness at the point of sale. It also speeds up the producer’s manufacturing process using the “form-fill & seal” machine.

Low Country Kettle (pictured here) is a good example of a pressure-sealed application. The bags are form-fill & seal. There is a barrier layer and the film side is printed with a laminate that is heat sealable so when the manufacturer creates the finished product bag and seals it, it heats to the right temperature and seals the bag. When filling the bags with product Low Country Kettle introduces an air mix that is food grade rated and helps preserve the chips so they stay fresh longer. This prevents the product from going stale before the end-user purchases the product.

There are certain requirements for food printed film with various grades of thickness and barriers depending on the customers manufacturing requirements and specifications.

Century Printing & Packaging is experienced in roll stock printing in diverse product contexts. We can print in quantities ranging from 5,000 to 1M ft. We use content-specific and diverse materials.

Ben Waldrop
President
Century Printing & Packaging
800.344.7509

Film/Packaging Options Abound

Manufacturer’s have so many options in today’s label packaging and printing industry. Depending upon the product application or context there is more variety than ever before in choosing the packaging option that best suits your product. Constant improvements, changes, updates and creation of new kinds of film packaging options offer less waste and increase sustainability.

Among the recent film packaging options are:

Polyethylene bags provide strength, square bottoms, side gusseted, side welded, and wicketed bags for everything from dog food to dishwasher, or laundry pouches. These bags offer multiple printing options whether it is food, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, agricultural grade and more.

Standup Resealable pouches. Think like a Roo! These pouches offer flexibility and innovative storage opportunities that no longer require glass, or larger plastic containers. Resealable pouches can also be food grade for pet treats, pickles, baking ingredients (e.g., sugar, flour), or dry pharmaceutical products. powder, sugar and other products. Both of these options can be punched to allow for hooked sales display.

Rollstock film offers flexibility and printing options for a variety of product and packaging applications. It can be manipulated and printed to conform to several packaging options. The most critical aspect of rollstock film is beginning with the highest quality of film for the specific kind of printing and packaging you need.

Bladder/Chamber pouches offer single, or dual bladders to hold liquids, pastes, granules from food to pharma/ag, cleaners, athletic supplements and other applications.

Today’s packaging and printing material is as diverse and creative as ever. It continues to grow through ingenuity and innovation.

Talk to your label printing, or packaging company about these and other creative packaging and label solutions. Strong printing and packaging companies are consulted on the front end of the design process because of their breadth of experience in the industry. If you are struggling to find the right application ask your printer.

At Century Printing and Packaging we have been designing and producing label and packaging solutions for years. We serve pharmaceutical (e.g, CBD oil & tincture), food grade, agricultural, janitorial, dry goods, craft beer/distilleries, and many more products. Whether it’s a flexo press, or digital application we can help you find the right solution, color, and quality.

Ben Waldrop President
Century Printing & Packaging
Greer, SC 29651
800.344.7509