It’s hard to put just one label on the Great Little Box Company By Taryn Rittberg While the GLBC provides numerous services to its customers, one of the most comprehensive is the manufacturing of labels.
Launching its operation with only three employees, the Great Little Box Company Ltd. (GLBC) opened its doors in 1982 with their 5,000-square-foot plant in Burnaby, British Columbia. With a focus on customer service and a talent for innovation and advancement, the GLBC was able to navigate the difficult economic environment of the 1980s and begin a long tradition of growth and expansion. As the company expanded through the years, more space was required. Since 1984, the company has moved six times, with the last bringing them to their current location on Mitchell Island, encompassing a 250,000-square-foot facility. In conjunction with these moves, the GLBC opened additional sites in Victoria and Kelowna between 1992 and 1998. The company even opened a sister company, the Everett Branch of the Great Little Box Company Inc. The GLBC now provides services to customers all across Canada. In addition to the head office expansions, GLBC expanded into other markets in the region through the opening of three sales and distribution offices. The first branch to open was in Victoria in 1992, followed by the 1998 expansions of the Kelowna branch in June, and the Everett Branch in August. With the three branches and the head office, GLBC effectively services customers in B.C., Washington, and now Alberta. Focusing on labeling, the GLBC knows that every customer, company, and client is going to look for something unique. “When it comes to shape and size of labels, there really isn’t one trend that stands out,” says Ryan Hollis, product manager. “Every winery or distillery has a unique take on how The GLBC the ability to hot-stamp multiple foils, emboss, cold foil, coat, and spot varnish all in single pass. a label should look. This is why I love the industry, it’s always changing.” While the GLBC provides numerous services to its customers, one of the most comprehensive is the manufacturing of labels. As a printer, it is important for the GLBC to work closely with the designer in order to make their vision a reality. “There is nothing worse than taking on a job that exceeds your press capabilities,” says Hollis. That is why the GLBC has invested in machinery that can handle a wide range of today's concepts and designs. They have taken the best of both worlds by printing labels digitally and having full decorative finishing capabilities. These days, every printer has a digital press, but what defines the GLBC in this industry is their focus on the finishings. ”We have the ability to hot-stamp multiple foils, emboss, cold foil, coat, and spot varnish all in single pass.” When it comes to sustainability, the GLBC is at the forefront of their field. By digitally printing labels, they are able to lower their environmental footprint. The power consumption is approximately 25 per cent lower than traditional offset label press as they don’t need to run high-powered UV curing lights. More importantly, the set-up material waste is substantially lowered and there is no need to register and mount costly print plates. Hollis says that one of the greatest challenges in the wine industry is delivering labels on time, since there can be a very small window to label the bottles. “Many wineries do not have their own filling and labeling equipment. They will bring in a mobile bottling company and these company’s schedules fill up fast, therefore, missing the appointment is not an option,” says Hollis. “We are proud of our on-time delivery. This is tracked and followed very closely throughout our company.” The GLBC has its eye on the future, and is very excited by some of the new and amazing things happening in the industry. “My personal favourite is augmented reality,” says Hollis. ”This allows you to take your smartphone, hold it up to the label and the image will come to life. A great example if this is the Walking Dead Wines or 19 Crimes. If you have not yet seen this technology, you will very soon. The ability to run variable print is also something that is very interesting and is gaining momentum, however, this process can only be done digitally. For example, we can run one varietal with multiple variations in a single print run.” GLBC is proud to work with many upand-coming wineries and continually innovates to ensure they are a strong industry partner that will continue to help the industry thrive. o 31
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