During the month of October,the Press Times is highlighting several of our local manufacturers doing great things.
SEYMOUR – Where do beer, cheese, and wine companies get their labels from? Some of them come from right in Seymour.
Orion Labels was started in 2003 by Eric August and his partner Neil Vandenberg.
By 2004, the company was in full effect and producing labels in Seymour.
“We knew the morals and the character of the people who lived here, and it was kind of the perfect place to start the business,” Johnny August, CEO of Orion Labels and son of Eric August, said.
Today, the company prints food, beverage and consumer products such as cleaning supplies and cosmetics.
Here in Wisconsin, cheese, sausage and soda are the most common.
However they ship their products across the country, to places like Texas, California and even Europe.
“You could be in a different country and see a label that we made on a cheese or water bottle or soda,” shared August.
Their products go to a co-packer which then ships the products the labels were made for out to stores.
“It’s really cool to see our product start on paper and see it transitioned into a label and then it’s on the shelf,” said Orion Human Resources Director Shalyn Mauthe.
Orion Labels prides themselves on their customer service and that’s what sets them apart.
August elaborated, “It’s really the customer service that we give, the people that we work with. Their interactions with us when there are issues and how quickly we respond. How do we treat them? Do we do things that are fair? Do we have good dialogue?”
Having a relationship with their customers that goes beyond the typical consumer-producer partnership is something Orion Labels strives for.
“We want to build partnerships with customers, not just transactional supplier or vendor relationship where all we do is ship them stuff,” August explained. “We want to be a partner and grow together.”
Each product is unique to customers, Mauthe described, “Everything is custom made, so we don’t have stuff just sitting on our shelves waiting to be shipped out. It’s very specific to our customer base and what they want.”
Production starts with a customer coming to Orion Labels with a design in mind for their product.
Orion Labels has no automation.
“There’s a lot of automation these days and big corporate players out there that maybe don’t have as personal of a touch,” August said. “The key customer interactions, the human interaction is still very valuable.”
After nailing down the specific details, such as color, time frame and machinery needed, production begins.
The labels are manufactured in large rolls of many labels which are then cut to proper size and inspected.
Most of the waste from the product is recycled and turned into plastic pellets.
These pellets are used as a fuel source similar to coal.
Orion does not have water discharge waste from their manufacturing process.
Additionally, they are both SQF and ISO certified, meaning that for food products they are meeting the strict standards for production and safety.
August and Mauthe described how Orion Labels is continuously recognized by their customers and staff for their high turn around and quality.
“One of the values or passions is building relationships inside and outside of work, keeping them lasting and meaningful. Whether that’s customer based or employee based,” Mauthe shared.
Some employees at the company have been working there for over 20 years.
August said, “We’ve still got a handful of people that have been here since the first day. Which is pretty special because those people took a big risk.”
They are thankful for their employees and want them to feel like they belong at the company.
August described this as, “If you’re working and showing up and everyone’s just a number, it’s hard to feel the value you’re bringing.”
In the community, Orion Labels supports youth activities, job fairs and Christmas donations.
“Something that we’ve been working on in the past couple of years is getting out there more to the community and trying to get the word out and show people in the community that we want people to come work here too,” stated Mauthe.
During the summer months, they have a monthly food truck in which they provide a meal for employees and is open to the public.
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