US converter celebrates 50 years as independent business

Valley Forge Tape & Label, a self-adhesive label converter based in Exton, Pennsylvania, USA, is celebrating 50 years as an independent printing business.

VFTL was started by Paul Myers Sr. After working for 16 years at 3M, he and his sons started printing Scotch tape in the basement of their home in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. Today, Myers’ sons Dennis Hulton and Paul Myers Jr own and operate the company.

‘We’ve never been acquired by a faceless conglomerate or sold out to venture capitalists,” said Paul Myers, Jr, the company’s president, ‘so we’ve always been able to do what’s right for our customers. We still provide the personal service of a family business, but on a much larger scale.’

The company’s capabilities have diversified significantly over the last five decades. Today it produces award-winning pressure sensitive labels, tamper evident and security products, as well as specialty self-adhesive constructions for the packaging of food, pharmaceuticals, healthcare products, animal products, chemicals and consumer products. Its manufacturing is done on ten Mark Andy and Webtron presses using conventional flexo, UV flexo and hot-stamping technologies. Fully digital pre-press operations are also housed at VFTL headquarters in Exton, Pennsylvania, along with customer service, sales and administration.

‘Printing today isn’t just about staying up with technology, and it goes beyond putting ink on paper,’ said Myers Jr. ‘It’s about solving customers’ problems and making them feel comfortable knowing that their project will be handled correctly, by a family business that’s still “sticking” around after 50 years.’