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At S-One Labels & Packaging, we value the relationships we’ve built with our vendors; we consider it the foundation of our business and our strategic partnership with Michelman is one that continues to perform – nearly 20 years and counting.

2020 was a year that tested supply chains across the label and packaging industry. As we were examining our figures from last year, something jumped out at us. While the world was grappling from a global pandemic, and supply chains were pushed to the limit, S-One Labels and Packaging and Michelman had maintained 100 percent delivery. We had not missed a single order during the height of the pandemic.

Michelman inline and offline primers for HP Indigo presses, water-based varnishes, and barrier coatings were shipped from S-OneLP in less than two days. These essential materials were shipped from S-One’s network of warehouses directly to the customer without missing a single delivery.

That means we were never out of stock of products, and our customers were able to keep their presses running – even during those chaotic early days of panic buying and stockpiling meant increased product demand and label and packaging presses at full capacity.

This flexibility and responsiveness to the marketplace has been the cornerstone of S-One’s partnership with Michelman. This relationship dates back to 2002, well before the launch of S-OneLP in 2018, and began at another S-One Division; Utopia Digital Technologies. The same was true nearly 20 years ago as is it today – Michelman were pioneers in priming on flexo presses, and Utopia chemists were technical experts for offline printing.

It was kismet.

The partnership started small, as there were very few presses in the market and not everyone had priming capability. But success was on the horizon. As HP Indigo’s business grew through the early 2000s, S-One and Michelman were able to scale with them. Over the years, this association has enabled HP digital press customers to get more out of their presses and do more with their investment.

By 2018, the digital flexible packaging market was taking off, and S-One’s label and packaging division was ready to set off on its own. In February that year, S-One Labels & Packaging officially launched as its own business unit as a channel partner for Michelman inline and offline primers for HP Indigo digital presses.

“As the channel to market partner for Michelman, our customers get the strong technical knowledge and industry expertise from S-OneLP experts, and the consistent quality that defines Michelman products,” said Tom Hauenstein, S-OneLP’s global VP of sales. “It’s is a business model that works. The partnership that S-One and Michelman set up during the past decade has helped continue our great success story today.”

Adds Pete Petrie, Sales Director, Printing & Packaging at Michelman “From the customer’s standpoint, we’ve built a partnership that serves the market better than anyone. We each focus on our core competencies and do what we do best. S-OneLP not only responds and takes care of customers, they also work with our team to provide strong technical support while we continue to be the technology innovator. The direct communication we receive from the press owners and converters through S-OneLP allows us to serve the market by developing the next generation of digital printing technology.”