Label Impressions grows with green initiatives

In the label business, time is money. At California label and flexible packaging converter Label Impressions, so is energy.

When President and CEO Jeff Salisbury expanded his headquarters and simultaneously installed two new flexo presses, energy consumption was on the sustainability-conscious CEO’s mind.

As the company expanded into an adjoining 15,000-square-foot site in January – effectively doubling its manufacturing space – Salisbury had another project underway: an energy-saving battery system to accommodate the additional energy consumption of the new presses.

In short, the system runs on 79 batteries – similar to a car battery – that are connected to a microprocessor. When the computer detects spikes in energy consumption from the traditional power grid, power is then shifted to the batteries. The back-up batteries can produce enough energy to run the presses for two hours. It is designed to take Label Impressions off the grid during peak consumption times and recharge during times of lower demand, thus saving energy and lowering energy costs. It’s a process called ‘peak shaving.’

‘Tesla is working on a peak shaving system for the home. In five years peak shaving will be a household term,’ Salisbury says, adding that he’s the first label converter to make the six-figure investment in this technology.

Energy consumption is not the only area where Salisbury eyes environmental initiatives. Label Impressions is also part of a liner-re­cycling program; the company is carbon neutral and FSC certified; and Salisbury sits on a TLMI environmental committee.

Many of his green endeavors are customer-driven, he says, while noting that often these efforts are stymied by a customer’s bottom line.

‘To be honest, it’s a business tool,’ he says. ‘We do it because we think it’s good business. It’s that extra service that sets us apart from our competition.’