FLEXcon
Encyclopedia
FLEXcon is a worldwide manufacturer of pressure-sensitive
film products for applications that include indoor and outdoor advertising
, product identification and safety/hazard labels, bar coded
labels, primary labels and bonding/mounting.
FLEXcon also develops custom solution
s to meet unique converting or application needs. The company is headquartered in Spencer, Massachusetts
, and has operations throughout North America
and Europe
, with distribution world
wide.
, FLEXcon has grown to be a worldwide polymeric coater and provider of pressure-sensitive film and adhesive
products. FLEXcon remains a family-owned
, privately held company
.
vinyl
and metallic polyesters for use in women's shoes and handbags. “You can never remain on a plane. You must either go up or down.” was Myles motto.
Among his values that permeate the company to this day, Myles McDonough emphasized doing whatever it takes to meet customer needs. A typical example of his ingenuity was building a slitter
/re-winder using motors from discarded washing machines.
d, brushed, embossed, and topcoated
products in the '60s; the growth of sheet-form labeling and dramatic expansion of roll-form-labeling in the '70s; the introduction of variable print technologies in the '80s; and the birth of "no-label-look" labels for glass bottles, which FLEXcon pioneered in the '90s for Clearly Canadian
.
As they enter their second half-century, FLEXcon continues to innovate. For example, they have launched a line of more than 500 pressure-sensitive film and adhesive products designed for the most popular end-use applications across a wide range of industries.
in the 1980s, achieving ISO
certification and OSHA
VPP status in the 1990s, and integrated Lean Manufacturing
practices in the 2000s. All of these programs are ongoing today.
; and Glenrothes, Scotland
. The company also has sales offices throughout North America and Europe and distribution worldwide.
FLEXCON also had a factory in North Branford Connecticut but closed the plant.
Pressure sensitive adhesive
Pressure sensitive adhesive is adhesive which forms a bond when pressure is applied to marry the adhesive with the adherend...
film products for applications that include indoor and outdoor advertising
Out-of-home advertising
Out-of-home advertising is made up of more than 100 different formats, totaling $6.99 billion in annual revenues in 2008 in the USA. Outdoor advertising is essentially any type of advertising that reaches the consumer while he or she is outside the home...
, product identification and safety/hazard labels, bar coded
Barcode
A barcode is an optical machine-readable representation of data, which shows data about the object to which it attaches. Originally barcodes represented data by varying the widths and spacings of parallel lines, and may be referred to as linear or 1 dimensional . Later they evolved into rectangles,...
labels, primary labels and bonding/mounting.
FLEXcon also develops custom solution
Solution
In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...
s to meet unique converting or application needs. The company is headquartered in Spencer, Massachusetts
Spencer (CDP), Massachusetts
Spencer is a census-designated place in the town of Spencer in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,700 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Spencer is located at ....
, and has operations throughout North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, with distribution world
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....
wide.
History
From its origin as a small garage-based business in Spencer, MassachusettsSpencer, Massachusetts
Spencer is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,688 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Spencer, please see the article Spencer , Massachusetts....
, FLEXcon has grown to be a worldwide polymeric coater and provider of pressure-sensitive film and adhesive
Adhesive
An adhesive, or glue, is a mixture in a liquid or semi-liquid state that adheres or bonds items together. Adhesives may come from either natural or synthetic sources. The types of materials that can be bonded are vast but they are especially useful for bonding thin materials...
products. FLEXcon remains a family-owned
Family business
A family business is a business in which one or more members of one or more families have a significant ownership interest and significant commitments toward the business’ overall well-being....
, privately held company
Privately held company
A privately held company or close corporation is a business company owned either by non-governmental organizations or by a relatively small number of shareholders or company members which does not offer or trade its company stock to the general public on the stock market exchanges, but rather the...
.
Founding
Neil McDonough’s father, Myles, founded FLEXcon in 1956. In those early years, the company focused on laminatingLaminate
A laminate is a material that can be constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. The process of creating a laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to the placing of something between layers of plastic and gluing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an...
vinyl
Vinyl
A vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group ,which are derivatives of ethene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom replaced with some other group...
and metallic polyesters for use in women's shoes and handbags. “You can never remain on a plane. You must either go up or down.” was Myles motto.
Among his values that permeate the company to this day, Myles McDonough emphasized doing whatever it takes to meet customer needs. A typical example of his ingenuity was building a slitter
Roll slitting
Roll slitting, also known as log slitting, is a shearing operation that cuts a large roll of material into narrower rolls. The log slitting terminology refers back to the olden days of saw mills when they would cut logs into smaller sections. They would also use these saw mills to cut iron rods...
/re-winder using motors from discarded washing machines.
Expansion
Through the years, FLEXcon's product line and capabilities expanded to meet changing requirements within the industry. This included the increased demand for dyeDye
A dye is a colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. The dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution, and requires a mordant to improve the fastness of the dye on the fiber....
d, brushed, embossed, and topcoated
Primer (paint)
A primer is a preparatory coating put on materials before painting. Priming ensures better adhesion of paint to the surface, increases paint durability, and provides additional protection for the material being painted.-When primers are used:...
products in the '60s; the growth of sheet-form labeling and dramatic expansion of roll-form-labeling in the '70s; the introduction of variable print technologies in the '80s; and the birth of "no-label-look" labels for glass bottles, which FLEXcon pioneered in the '90s for Clearly Canadian
Clearly Canadian
Clearly Canadian is a flavoured sweet sparkling water produced by Clearly Canadian Beverage Corporation in Vernon, British Columbia. Clearly Canadian was popular in the 1980s and early 1990s, but fell out of favour in later years.-Flavors:...
.
As they enter their second half-century, FLEXcon continues to innovate. For example, they have launched a line of more than 500 pressure-sensitive film and adhesive products designed for the most popular end-use applications across a wide range of industries.
Quality Management
FLEXcon adopted a Quality Management SystemQuality management system
A quality management system can be expressed as the organizational structure, procedures, processes and resources needed to implement quality management.-Elements of a Quality Management System:# Organizational structure# Responsibilities# Methods...
in the 1980s, achieving ISO
International Organization for Standardization
The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
certification and OSHA
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard M. Nixon, on December 29, 1970...
VPP status in the 1990s, and integrated Lean Manufacturing
Lean manufacturing
Lean manufacturing, lean enterprise, or lean production, often simply, "Lean," is a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination...
practices in the 2000s. All of these programs are ongoing today.
Facilities
FLEXcon employs 1,200 people worldwide (2008), with manufacturing facilities located in Spencer, Massachusetts; Columbus, NebraskaColumbus, Nebraska
Columbus is a city in east central Nebraska, United States. Its population was 22,111 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Platte County.-Pre-settlement history:...
; and Glenrothes, Scotland
Glenrothes
Glenrothes is a large town situated in the heart of Fife, in east-central Scotland. It is located approximately from both Edinburgh, which lies to the south and Dundee to the north. The town had an estimated population of 38,750 in 2008, making Glenrothes the third largest settlement in Fife...
. The company also has sales offices throughout North America and Europe and distribution worldwide.
FLEXCON also had a factory in North Branford Connecticut but closed the plant.