A digital path for ProLabel

Ramon Fernandez jokes that shortly after his first digital presses were installed in his south Florida label shop, he threw his conventional assets in the lake. He’s figuratively speaking, of course. Literally, Fernandez, owner of ProLabel, sold the press, but the point is he eschews conventional wisdom that digital press technology is a complementary – not a replacement – technology.
Ramon Fernandez, owner of ProLabel in Miami, Florida, stands by the Xeikon 3030 press that jumpstarted his foray into digital printing

It should be noted that the greater majority of label printers still view digital presses as complements to existing conventional technology. Experts estimate that 90 percent of North American label jobs are printed today on conventional presses. 

But Fernandez, an American of Cuban descent, has never been one to follow conventions. Along with his two flexographic presses, he threw away $40,000 USD of ink and saw dollar signs in all the equipment he would eventually shed from ProLabel. ‘At the time, I said to myself, ‘I’m either really brave, or really stupid.’ 

’And now? ‘The jury is still out,’ he says, laughing. ‘I chose this path and I’m not looking back.’ 

Never look back 
Fernandez started ProLabel in 1995 after spending years in the label business at different companies. ‘I really understood the product, I felt the comfortable selling what I sold and I believed in it. I knew labels really well, but the business side is where I really struggled,’ he admits. 

Even the best businessmen and women were limping along in the early 2000s. In 2010, the world was still reeling from the worst economic downturn since the great depression. Some businesses were folding, and nearly all were struggling. ProLabel was no exception. 

On the verge of collapse, Fernandez needed a radical change. That’s when he turned to digital printing, and in 2012, bought his first digital press with the Xeikon 3030. ProLabel has since installed a Domino N610i and Xeikon 5000 to round out its digital printing capabilities. 

‘The world was in the midst of the economic meltdown, and here’s this little Cuban guy buying $1 million USD worth of equipment. What the hell was I thinking? But we pulled it off,’ he says. 

At the time, ProLabel had three flexo presses, but Fernandez slowly shed his business down to one, which he kept until about two months into his digital press installation. And with that, ProLabel became an all-digital label company. ‘It was the best decision I’ve ever made,’ he said. ‘I can’t look back. I never second-guess myself. I don’t talk about things I can’t change.’ 

Everywhere Fernandez looked he saw dollar signs. He saw plate charges, and makereadies and downtime and shrinking run sizes and eventually he had enough of what he calls ‘non-revenue producing time.’ He admits, getting rid of his flexo assets was an unconventional move at the time, and even today. It was a choice that was met with some internal resistance. His finance, sales and production departments all fought him. ‘I paid by bills and ate for a long time on flexo,’ Fernandez said. ‘But if you want to lead the orchestra, sometimes you have to turn your back to the crowd.’ 

Today, ProLabel has a Xeikon 3030 press and a Domino N610i. Finishing is completed on a GM DC 330, a custom-built 20-inch Aztech and Brotech CDF 330. A GM hot stamping machine and a GM Miniflex finisher are ProLabel’s latest purchases. A digital workflow integrates Esko and LabelTraxx to track and streamline the production process. 

ProLabel’s business is built on quick turnaround, short-run jobs in the food, beverage, nutraceutical and cosmetic markets. Many of its customers are in south Florida, as well as Latin America and the Caribbean. ProLabel has 15 employees and grossed $3.2m USD in 2017, and is forecasted to grow 20 percent in 2018.

Chelsea McDougall

  • Group managing editor