Consolidated finds success in walking the talk

Joel Carmany has developed Consolidated Label Company into one of North America’s best performing label converting operations. Since its inception in 1984, the business has achieved double-digit growth year-on-year, becoming one of the larger privately held companies in the country.

In a game where the same set of rules applies to everyone, productivity and improving operational efficiency is what sets each player apart from the next. Carmany believes in change and adaptation, and leads his business and associates to capitalize on this belief. ‘An important part of life is keeping things interesting,’ he says.

‘You won’t learn more or grow if you continue doing the same things day-in and day-out – personally and in business.’ Consolidated Label has earned the TLMI Eugene Singer Award for Management Excellence twelve times in multiple size categories as the company has grown. The leadership teams are made up of action takers, mostly developed within the business, who walk the talk.

The leaders value hard work, which has created an atmosphere where associates feel confident in their roles and their ability to communicate with and bring new ideas to management. Profitable change is rewarded and recognized. You can feel the pride when you’re there; this is the culture that breeds success at Consolidated Label.

Carmany explains, ‘It’s important to get the people in the business to know that it’s a constant moving set of strategies that take you to the next level. We want our people to be comfortable with evolving with us, and vice versa. When you keep introducing firsts into people’s lives, they understand how critical this is. No one wants to be road kill.’

This belief in the need for transformation and value in ambition is what has kept the business ahead of the curve for thirty years and has fueled a passion for understanding market needs early. Wise investment coupled with strong supplier and customer partnerships bolsters the Consolidated Label team.

Comfortable with change

While pressure-sensitive labels represent the vast majority of the converter’s business, over the last six years Consolidated has invested to produce printed unsupported film labels and multi-layer film materials. Packaging accounts for 10 percent of sales, and remains a steady, growing piece of the business.

Carmany explains, ‘When you can go into a market where there are fewer competitors, it gives you more opportunities. Customers can buy what they want cheaper somewhere else, but you still have a shot.’

People, passion and performance

The company employs more than 250 people. It hasn’t brought in many industry experts, rather it has chosen to home-grow its talent and appoint people into roles that serve the best of their ability and range. Management works hard to understand what levels its people are at to avoid forcing them to go beyond their abilities.

On-the-job training has contributed to the company’s achievement. Each position has a training plan. Existing operators serve as the trainers, which creates a positive relationship amongst the team and helps newer associates understand the entire production process.

Operations manager Jim Voltoline started as a pressman in the business thirty years ago. Says Carmany, ‘He’s had the vision to understand where we are and where we need to go – and the ability to continue to learn and develop the leadership skills required to fulfill our vision.’

To thirty more

The Consolidated Label story began when Carmany decided to apply his experience working at GE to developing a small label manufacturing business with only six employees. He originally dealt with Ed Vandenberg in the early 1980s to purchase his first Rotopress, which is dedicated to running Online Labels orders.

The partnership began as Consolidated Label was looking to save money. The relationship has endured because ‘the presses produce excellent quality’ and there’s mutual respect between the parties. When Rotopress merged with Nilpeter, the two businesses continued to make advancements together. Today Consolidated Label is Nilpeter’s largest customer in the southeastern US.

Lenny DeGirolmo, president of Nilpeter USA, comments: ‘We are a press manufacturer that aligns with Joel’s philosophy. Nilpeter products have met the growth demands of Consolidated Label and kept pace with the technologies that the business requires to differentiate and drive growth.’