Kennesaw, GA - FetterGroup is on a roll. Last month, the Louisville, KY-based company opened a new, 12,000-square-foot facility in Reno, Nevada, aiming to better serve its California clients and further expand its market reach on the West Coast. Closer to home, Fetter has been working steadily to expand its product and service offerings, especially on the label side. The company is extending its longstanding traditional expertise in square cut-and-stack labels for the paint and coating industries to highly specialized, highly decorative labels for makers of distilled spirits and wines.
 
In continuous operation since its founding in 1888, Fetter knows which tools work best to accomplish its production goals. Along the way, the company has gained a strong reputation for quality, service, and innovation using state-of-the-art technology. To accelerate its latest venture, the company's label division, FetterLabel, recently purchased and installed a Heidelberg POLAR Label Cutting System with automatic in-line bander to cut and stack the intricate die-cut, embossed and uniquely sized labels it turns out in average quantities of 6,000-plus for a growing list of clients in the distilled spirits business.
 
Installed in early November, "The POLAR die cutter was a necessary addition to our equipment lineup to service this market," said Dayna Neumann, Vice President of Marketing Strategy for FetterGroup. "We now exercise more end-to-end control over projects, and we gain the benefits of speed, accuracy, and incredible ease of use. While we have trained several operators on the POLAR system, typically one operator can run the machine, and the process of moving from installation to training to full production was seamless and smooth."
 
Like Heidelberg, Fetter also is committed to helping its customers lower costs, reduce cycle times, and increase speed-to-market. It is also why, in terms of equipment suppliers, Fetter learned a long time ago to separate the wheat from the chaff. The company's pressroom boasts an impressive lineup of Heidelberg firepower, including an 8-color Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102 with UV coater, a Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102 6-color press with coater, a 6-color Heidelberg Speedmaster 102S, a 2-color Heidelberg MOZH with UV coater, and a Printmaster QM 46 2-color press, along with a Heidelberg saddlestitcher and POLAR guillotine paper-cutting system.  Along with the POLAR DC-M label system with automatic in-line banding, the company also installed a Stahl USA B26 16-page continuous-feed folder.
 
"Our relationship with Heidelberg is very important to us. Over the years, we've found that Heidelberg-like Fetter-strives to make a better product that suits the user. We like to do business with companies that share our ambition and our values, and we pride ourselves on being a Heidelberg shop because the association reflects our shared commitment to quality and to the customers we serve."
 
The company was on track to realize a 15-20% increase in sales in 2009, with an additional $2 million budgeted for infrastructure growth in 2010.