Industry pioneer dies

Robert J. Dunsirn, a pioneer in the tag and label industry, has passed away at the age of 84 in his hometown of Appleton Wisconsin.  Bob Dunsirn began his career at Atlas Tag Company in 1946 after returning from World War II combat.  Having spent many years working with Young Engineering and New Era flat bed printing presses, Bob traveled the country helping others to get their presses to run.  It was this experience that gave him the reputation for getting any type of job, no matter how complex, to run on those old machines.  Working his way up to plant superintendent, he decided to leave in 1967 to start his own business.

Along with partner Donald Buchta, Bob pursued a new direction with Mid America Tag & Label Company located in Neenah, Wisconsin. From a start up business in 1967, to a major force in the tag and label business, Mid America grew to over 200 employees with an industry-wide reputation for innovation and quality.  Bob, along with his son Duane, were the first to invent and produce multi-ply promotional coupons and game pieces. They were granted several United States patents for their innovative constructions.

In his autobiography, Bob recalls the challenges of running a new product, called "pressure sensitive" on letterpress tag machines built in the nineteen fifties. He also tells of the challenges encountered when starting a business from scratch.
After Mid America was sold to Menasha Corporation in 1985, Bob continued to influence industry direction by consulting for his sons’ newly created business, Dunsirn Industries.