{"id":40516,"date":"2021-05-17T07:47:33","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T05:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/kooperation-fordert-die-entwicklung-von-creative-labels-of-vermont\/"},"modified":"2025-03-14T17:28:50","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T16:28:50","slug":"kooperation-fordert-die-entwicklung-von-creative-labels-of-vermont","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/de\/kooperation-fordert-die-entwicklung-von-creative-labels-of-vermont\/","title":{"rendered":"Kooperation f\u00f6rdert die Entwicklung von Creative Labels of Vermont"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Winooski, Vermont, USA)
\n
\nWith the help of FLAG, HYBRID Software and Label Traxx, Dwane Wall has streamlined CLOV’s prepress processes to drive efficiency.<\/strong>
\nCreative Labels of Vermont (CLOV)<\/a> is a second-generation, family-owned label printing company located in Winooski, VT, USA. CLOV was founded in 1983 with three employees, a Vandenburg label press and a handmade screwdriver rewinder. Today over 30 employees service customers in food and beverage, wine, beer and spirits industries, printing labels up to 13\u201d wide and 21\u201d long.
\nThe company operates four conventional flexo presses and two HP Indigo WS6800 digital presses. Although CLOV\u2019s prepress department was equipped with the latest technology from art editing workstations to platemaking, Dwane Wall, president of CLOV, knew something was missing from his workflow.
\nOver the years, the converter has leaned on industry partnerships to help boost the business. Approximately six years ago, Wall reached the conclusion that there had to be a better way to deal with art files. At the time, he recalls, “Everyone would get a proof, FedEx that proof and handle it in a sneaker net type process. Everyone would name files differently and we would often print the wrong label.\u201d
\nWall perceived automation as the only way to be successful, noting, \u201cI knew there was a better way to do it. But I just didn\u2019t know what it looked like.\u201d
\n\"\"<\/img><\/p>\n

Dwane Wall, President of Creative Labels of Vermont<\/h5>\n

Enter Mike Agness, executive VP, Americas at HYBRID Software, whom Wall met at an industry event where he sketched out his vision on the back of a cocktail napkin. Wall realized that with the growth of digital and proliferation of SKUs, automation would play an even greater role in the coming years. \u201cDwane really understood his business and wanted to stay in front of it,” says Agness. “Unfortunately, not all converters are that proactive. He knew he would have more jobs coming in because of digital but didn\u2019t want to keep hiring prepress operators.\u201d
\nFrom that initial meeting, Wall and Agness sketched out a plan forward. Agness notes that HYBRID\u2019s philosophy is to \u201cright sell\u201d \u2013 enabling customers to embrace a product and then move forward when the business is ready. Wall describes the process as giving him the power to \u201cinch worm his way along. Cash is finite so we appreciated the flexibility of doing one thing, figuring it out and then bringing on a new component.\u201d
\nFirst CLOV installed PACKZ, a standalone software tool for PDF editing that put file editing and manipulation into operator hands. Unlike Adobe Illustrator, an application for label design, PACKZ prepares PDF files efficiently for print production.
\nSix months later came CLOUDFLOW with the Proofscope module. This package drove even greater efficiencies through his entire process by providing digital asset database management to ensure that his computer worked in sync with his MIS system. Additionally, Wall could now send customers a web link to view their label on any browser. Files now come in and are automatically pre-flighted and moved along. And everyone is always looking at the latest file tracked by the software.
\nAgness credits Wall with driving the need for change throughout his organization, noting, \u201cYou really have to embrace change to become more efficient. Dwane got his customer service and prepress teams engaged which was critical. He gave reasons that change needed to happen and why they should believe.\u201d
\nDriving collaboration<\/strong>
\nIn order to maximize HYBRID’s software, Wall needed it to speak seamlessly with his Label Traxx MIS program. He used a FLAG<\/a> event to broker a relationship between the two companies and convince Label Traxx that it should open up its program to another workflow supplier. As Wall recalls, \u201cI liked HYBRID\u2019s business philosophy \u2013 they value their customers and appreciate our business. I\u2019m a small business and I feel comfortable when I\u2019m being treated openly, honestly and fairly. And to make the most out of HYBRID, I needed this collaborative problem solving to occur between the two companies.\u201d
\nFrom this first meeting, a very positive relationship was born. Today the two companies talk openly, co-develop programs and bring new solutions to the label industry.
\nWall has used his positive experience with HYBRID to encourage other FLAG members to try the software. Agness acknowledges that \u201cevery time we saw Dwane talking to another owner at a FLAG event or a trade show and showing label art right on his phone that a sale wasn\u2019t far behind.\u201d
\nWall suggests that he\u2019s \u201cprobably sold more packages than some of their salespeople.\u201d
\nHYBRID became a FLAG vendor partner approximately four years ago, and in that time has participated in all available in-person and virtual events, and hosted Lunch and Learns. As FLAG has grown to 100+ members, so has HYBRID\u2019s customer base. FLAG customers who lease software from HYBRID see a big rebate in the first year. Agness notes, \u201cWe cut sizable checks to FLAG customers \u2013 and always with a smile on our faces.\u201d He acknowledges that FLAG has been a great investment for HYBRID, as the organization doesn\u2019t need to hire a national accounts salesperson.
\n\u201cFLAG gives us the introduction and gets us to the corner office much quicker. It\u2019s a win-win-win organization,\u201d he adds.
\nWall, a 10-year FLAG member, adds, “When we first became members, John McKay had a good vision of what he thought he could build. What he\u2019s actually doing today is extremely valuable for the industry as a whole. It offers a different level of camaraderie, multi-functional learning and fosters a sense of trust and collaboration.\u201d
\nWall participates in peer groups, attends all meetings, encourages his buyers to work with FLAG vendor partners and uses contingency backup as a sales tool for his bigger customers. He adds, \u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong, I appreciate the rebates. A dollar is a dollar\u2013 but I put great value on everything else the group brings to me.\u201d
\nAs with many FLAG members, CLOV has been extremely busy over the past year, printing labels for food, wine and spirits and personal care customers. He realizes that he \u201cjust couldn\u2019t do the volume we\u2019re doing today the old way. We used to have four people in our prepress area. We were able to repurpose two of them and now we have only two individuals doing three times the work.\u201d
\nInvesting in software, rather than manpower, is a clear selling point for HYBRID. Agness notes that a fully burdened software solution in a five-year lease is \u201chalf the cost of a fully loaded FTE right out of college. And software is there 24\/7, 365 days of the year, takes up no space and never goes on vacation.\u201d
\nWall adds, \u201cThe market has changed and so many of our customers require multiple SKUs, and shorter run lengths. Our beer guys sometimes need labels for 20-30 different beers. And for some applications \u2013 for example, nutraceutical labels for people and pets which are then private labeled to chiropractors and vets \u2013 we wouldn\u2019t even have been able to gain the business without our automation capabilities from HYBRID.\u201d
\nHe concludes with his usual humor, \u201cI\u2019ve made a lot of dumb mistakes in my career, but HYBRID wasn\u2019t one of them.”
\nEND<\/strong>
\nDownload press release here<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/www.hybridsoftware.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Labels-nad-narrow-web-logo-150×150.jpeg
\nStory courtesy of Label <\/a>and Narrow Web<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Winooski, Vermont, USA) With the help of FLAG, HYBRID Software and Label Traxx, Dwane Wall has streamlined CLOV’s prepress processes to drive efficiency. Creative Labels of Vermont (CLOV) is a second-generation, family-owned label printing company located in Winooski, VT, USA. CLOV was founded in 1983 with three employees, a Vandenburg label press and a handmade […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":37421,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[223],"tags":[],"challenge":[],"hybrid-product":[],"market":[],"service":[],"class_list":["post-40516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-presse-medien"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40516\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40516"},{"taxonomy":"challenge","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/challenge?post=40516"},{"taxonomy":"hybrid-product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hybrid-product?post=40516"},{"taxonomy":"market","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/market?post=40516"},{"taxonomy":"service","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hybridsoftware.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/service?post=40516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}