Rapid growth in Mexico for Sama Etiquetas

Few label converters have grown as rapidly in recent years as Mexico-based Sama Etiquetas. 

Since its foundation just eight years ago, the company has expanded from a fledgling operation with three staff and a single flexo press into an 88-person business running state‑of‑the‑art flexo and digital technology and specializing in the stringent demands of the pharmaceutical label market. Annual growth regularly exceeds 30 percent, and Sama even managed a dizzying 1,000 percent growth in its third year. 

Now its youthful founders – still in their 30s – are preparing for further expansion by adding more printing capacity, recruiting new production and sales directors, and opening a sales office across the border in the US. 

‘Not even in our wildest dreams in 2018 did we imagine that we would have grown as much as we have,’ says co-founder and general director Armando Madrid. ‘At first, the growth was not necessarily planned. We were surprised by it. But now we are prepared for it, and expect it.’ 

Undeterred 

Sama Etiquetas was founded in Tepetlaoxtoc de Hidalgo, just outside Mexico City, by Armando Madrid and Rocío Sánchez, with additional investment coming from Rocío’s sister Jessica. Madrid and Sánchez met in their 20s while working for a Mexican label converter: Madrid in production and Sánchez in sales. Madrid left to work at another label business, before the pair teamed up a year later to found another label printing company. The business was not a success, he admits. The pair sold it to another buyer, and it remains in operation today. 

Undeterred, they swiftly started again, setting up Sama Etiquetas in July 2018 and printing simple labels on a 5-color Webtron flexo press. A key early client was growing fast by buying excess stock from US manufacturers and selling it in Mexico and the rest of Latin America. Sama grew alongside it and quickly added an 8-color Mark Andy 2200 flexo press to increase capacity. 

In 2020, Sama hired two sales staff with experience in the pharmaceutical industry. It proved to be a turning point. A pivot to this new market supercharged the company’s growth, which hit an astonishing 1,000 percent that year, thanks to surging demand during the Covid pandemic. Today, pharma labels represent 75 percent of the business. 

‘We hadn’t planned to serve the pharmaceutical market,’ says Madrid. ‘But we saw the opportunity. There was a huge boom in booklet labels for the pharma industry, and we could print them on our Mark Andy 2200. Entry into this market helped us continue to operate during the pandemic.’ 

That same year, Sama achieved ISO 9001:2015 certification and added digital printing capabilities with the installation of an HP Indigo 6600. 

‘The move from flexo to digital required a big learning curve,’ says Madrid. ‘It took a little while to adjust to it, but now we are very efficient with the technology.’ 

In 2022, the company installed an 8-color Mark Andy Evolution Series flexo press with a 13in (330mm) web width. Two years later, it added another and sold the Webtron and Mark Andy 2200 presses. 

Not even in our wildest dreams in 2018 did we imagine that we would have grown as much as we have

‘With the two Mark Andy Evolution Series presses, we have grown so much,’ says Madrid. Sama equipped both machines with EyeC inspection systems and has installed finishing equipment from Rotoflex and Rhyguan. The latter machine, a modular system, is soon to be upgraded with semi-rotary flexo and laser die-cutting units, which Madrid says is aimed at reducing delivery times. 

Finishing of labels printed on the HP Indigo press takes place on an A B Graphic Digicon Series 3 converting line, while Sama also runs shrink sleeve equipment from the UK manufacturer. A second HP Indigo press, this time a 6K+, is due to be installed imminently. ‘We attended Labelexpo Europe 2025 in Barcelona to look at digital machine options, and we decided to choose an HP Indigo machine again. We are very happy with the quality and efficiency of their technology.’ 

This regular investment in new technology is one of the two key reasons behind Sama Etiquetas’ extraordinary growth, according to Madrid. ‘We are always keen to invest and upgrade our technology,’ he explains. ‘Mexican converters are often reluctant to invest. 

They don’t want to take money out of the company. We decided at the very beginning that reinvesting our profits into new technology would be a key strategy to maintain a strong growth trajectory.’ 

‘The second reason,’ he continues, ‘is the responsibility with which we deal with our clients, partners and employees. It is very rare that we lose a customer, and we consistently attract new ones. We work hard to ensure that our operations are very professional. And we have a talented sales team, led by Rocío.’ 

Next phase of growth 

Alongside investment in the new HP Indigo digital press and the upgrading of the Rhyguan converting line, this year Sama Etiquetas is preparing for its next phase of growth with two further strategies. The first is to further strengthen its team by hiring new operations and sales directors, both with extensive label-industry experience, so that Madrid and Sánchez can focus on overall business management. ‘They will help us to grow our sales even further and also to improve the efficiency and capacity of the plant,’ says Madrid. 

The second is to open a sales office in the US. Currently, Sama Etiquetas’ production is sold entirely within Mexico, even if around 50 percent of its labels end up on products sold into the US by the company’s Mexican clients. ‘Having a sales office in the US, most likely located in Texas or Arizona, will allow us to target that market directly and compete with US converters to label US-manufactured products,’ says Madrid. 

The motivation behind the move is growth, but also future-proofing. ‘In recent years, Mexico has been the factory of America,’ he explains, citing the example of the automotive sector. ‘Nearshoring has helped the Mexican economy to grow, which in turn has boosted label consumption. But this growth has slowed, and there is uncertainty surrounding Trump’s tariffs. We can take advantage of our much lower labor costs here in Mexico to serve the US market.’ 

‘Investment in new technology will also continue,’ says Madrid. ‘We have new deals with pharmaceutical companies, and so we will also need to increase our flexo printing capacity with a new press. It is likely that this will be another Mark Andy machine, because we have had a great experience with the Evolution Series presses. They produce high-quality output with easy changeovers and fantastic registration. We’ve not had any problems with them.’ 

We decided at the very beginning that reinvesting our profits into new technology would be a key strategy to maintain strong growth

Pharma makes up 75 percent of Sama Etiquetas’ business. ‘Pharma is a complex market with specific needs,’ says Madrid. ‘Delivery times are short and quality demands are high. Quality control processes are stringent. We have four or five audits from our customers every month. Our competitors are very experienced. But not many converters have the ability and capacity, or the interest to serve this market. It was complicated for us to gain the experience and abilities needed. But we feel that if we can successfully serve the pharmaceutical market, then we can serve any sector.’ 

The remaining 25 percent is highly diversified and includes food and alcoholic beverages such as tequila. The focus is always on high-quality applications. ‘Our client base is very diversified,’ says Madrid. ‘Our most important client is just 6 percent of our billing.’ 

Speaking about Mexican market trends, Madrid notes that variable data is increasingly required on labels. ‘We have noticed this as a new trend in the last year or so.’ Shrink sleeves are also growing strongly. 

Booklet labels make up 30 percent of production, with 20 percent shrink sleeves and 50 percent self-adhesive. Booklet label printing takes place exclusively on the Mark Andy presses, while shrink sleeve and self-adhesive production is shared by both the flexo and digital machines. 

Digital represents 25 percent of the company’s production, though Madrid believes this will rise to 45 percent this year. ‘Not because flexo is slowing; on the contrary,’ he says, ‘but because of digital growth and the extra capacity which will be brought by the second HP Indigo press.’ 

Order numbers in 2025 grew 92 percent from the previous year, while the company’s overall growth was 26 percent. With 35 percent growth forecast over the next 12 months, Sama Etiquetas’ trajectory continues. ‘2026 will be an exciting year,’ says Madrid.