VALDESE, N.C. — During the past 12 years, Valdese Packaging & Label, Inc. has worked hard to achieve steady annual growth, expanding from a small, family-run startup to a 50-employee, full-service operation. The Valdese, N.C.-based firm believes a newly installed Mitsubishi Diamond 1000LS sheetfed press is the key to a new round of growth. "The past year's print volume was phenomenal," said Darren Little, president. "We ran around the clock, so it was inevitable that we would have to increase our production capacity. Our customers look for only the highest quality packaging. We wanted a press that would enhance production, ensure additional quality and enable us not only to attract new clientele but to satisfy the current and expanding needs of our existing customers." Established in 1993, Valdese Packaging & Label specializes in textile packaging, pressure-sensitive labels and consumer boxes for the retail, food and pharmaceutical industries. A modern, well-equipped graphics department provides both design work and prepress capabilities. In addition, all binding and finishing processes are performed in-house. To service more than 400 customers, Valdese Packaging & Label utilizes sheetfed and narrow-web flexographic equipment. The Diamond 1000LS — a six-color, 28-inch model equipped with an aqueous coater — is the printer's second Mitsubishi press. A similarly configured Model 1F-15 was installed in 2001 and has proven to provide exceptional quality and efficiency. Little said the new press continues a dedicated effort by Valdese Packaging & Label to provide quality, speed and efficiency. "We chose the Mitsubishi press for a number of reasons," Little recalled. "I don't recognize a more highly automated press on the market. The automation and dependability of the press ensure that turnaround times for jobs can happen very fast. Our goal is to exceed our customers' expectations. We will be able to makeready a six-color job in just under 30 minutes. The central console allows an operator to set up one job and store the specifications while another job is running. Quicker turnaround equals more volume, and allows us to extend our customer partnerships." Print quality of the new press is "outstanding," Little stated. "Being able to deliver quality like that opens up new opportunities for us." Valdese Packaging & Label previously operated from two locations in Valdese. The company is in the process of bringing all of its production and administrative functions under one roof in a 40,000-square-foot facility. The second facility will house raw materials, printed stock and distribution. Little also said he expects to hire 10 more employees in the near future. Mitsubishi manufactures a comprehensive lineup of Diamond Series presses, available in 28-inch, 40-inch, 51-inch and 56-inch formats in configurations up to 12 colors. Mitsubishi is at the forefront of the implementation of the Job Definition Format specification. By integrating the Diamond Series presses into a JDF workflow, printing companies can realize zero makeready, decreased waste, accelerated job changeover, added value and increased competitiveness. Mitsubishi Lithographic Presses (MLP U.S.A., Inc.) markets multicolor sheetfed and web lithographic presses manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. MLP U.S.A. provides complete sales, parts and service for the entire line of Mitsubishi presses. For more information, contact MLP U.S.A. in Lincolnshire, Ill., at (847) 634-9100 or visit the company's website at www.mlpusa.com.