Kinetic blends youthful company with seasoned experience
Situated in Alpharetta, some 25 miles from Atlanta, Georgia, is a young company that is growing fast thanks to the extensive experience of its founding members. Established in 2016, but effectively operational from January 2017, Kinetic Label Services can draw on more than 30 years of label experience from Managing Partner Greg Bishop, whose main role is growth strategy, client development and innovation, and Vice President of Operations Shane Martin, who is responsible for manufacturing, production and delivery.
Joining them are fellow Managing Partner Steve Hangartner, who brings almost 30 years of senior management skills, and oversees the company’s business strategy, financial operations, and new product innovation, and Customer Service Director Elizabeth Todd, who has forged a reputation for excellence that has seen her build up a portfolio of loyal client followers.
Beginning life with two used 10” Aquaflex six-colour presses and focussing almost exclusively on labels for leading international logistics and distribution clients, the company quickly established a thriving demand for its work that saw sales double in a matter of months. Now producing work that fills five trucks per month (with a capacity to fill eight), Kinetic Labels has recently added a 16” Gonderflex four-colour line, fitted with automation for greater productivity.
With his production department working a 20-hour day, Greg Bishop knew he needed to increase efficiency, and from previous experience turned to Martin Automatic for assistance. “I’d had 18 years of good experience with Martin technology in my past and to my mind there was never a question of looking elsewhere,” he explained. The Martin Automatic equipment in question is an MBS unwind/butt splicer, which Bishop describes as ‘totally bullet-proof’. “Strong, uncomplicated and reliable – just what you need from a machine that works hard for a living in a competitive commercial environment,” he added. “It has performed flawlessly, but of greater importance to me are the people who stand behind the product from the order through to the installation, and beyond.`’
According to Shane Martin, the Martin splicer, along with an ABG turret rewinder, allow Kinetic to process around 320,000 feet of substrate per day on the Gonderflex, which equates to around 3.5 million feet per month. With a roll change every 15,000 feet, he estimates it saves around 2.5 hours per shift, and allows him to fill a truck in two fewer shifts. Doing the math, Steve Hangartner said: “We’re looking at saving around $57,000 a year with the Martin and have reduced waste levels from between 3% and 4%, to less than 1%. The machine makes its own case financially and has a very short payback period.”
Renowned for its high level of ‘old fashioned customer service’, Greg Bishop says the business is well founded on personal relationships and trust. “We know we have to be competitive, but also reliable in terms of delivery and our ability to problem-solve in a crisis – and this is why we have a stable portfolio of customers. They demand reliability from us, as we do from our suppliers, and the Martin equipment is a good example of this.”
With ISO 9001:2015 in daily use as a yardstick for in-house procedures and processes, Kinetic Labels produces a vast range of products in its 12,500sq/ft facility. These include direct and thermal transfer labels, bar code, tamper evident, and security labels, as well as inventory control labels and blanks, all the way up to holograms – and this list is far from complete. Currently employing nine staff and keen to recruit more to cater for the sustained growth in demand for its products, Kinetic Labels is well set for future success.