Kerry Pianoforte, Ink World Associate Editor12.03.09
Cabrun Ink Products Corp., a 52-year-old Philadelphia-based company, primarily manufactures a wide variety of lithographic inks as well as UV and rubber-based inks.The company has had much success with its Hexachrome inks, both in lithographic and UV versions. In addition, Cabrun has two in-plant operations in Pennsauken, NJ and Syracuse, NY.
Cabrun Ink was founded in 1954 by Jim Campbell, John Brauer and Andy Gunther. According to Sharon Reich, treasurer of Cabrun, “They chose Coronet initially for their name, but it was unavailable in Pennsylvania. They then combined the letters in their last names to make Cabrun Ink.”
Cabrun Ink started out as a modest company, with just three employees. “In 1974, my father, Ken Reich, bought the company. Ken had previously worked for Dayco Corp., selling blankets,” said Ms. Reich. Mr. Reich got his start in printing at the Ashland Daily News in upstate Pennsylvania. “He was always involved in the printing industry and loved it. He wanted to have his own business, so when he discovered the opportunity, he was very excited.”
At the time of purchase sales were $70,000 annually. “We now are between $5 million to $6 million annually,” Ms. Reich said. Mr. Reich is still the president of the company,but now divides his time between Richboro, PA and Plant City, FL.
Cabrun Ink is a truly family-run operation, with Mr. Reich’s daughter, Sharon, serving as treasurer and his son-in-law, Steve Jankowski, joining the technical side of the company in 1978.
“I came in 1976 to help my father out while I looked for a teaching job,” said Ms. Reich. “I loved the printing industry as well and went back to school for accounting and have been with the company ever since.”
Throughout the years Cabrun Ink has seen a lot of changes in the printing and ink industries. “There have been changes in our customer base,” said Ms. Reich. “We have seen a lot of mergers and a lot of people have gone out of business.”
In addition, Cabrun has seen a lot of changes in technology “There are changes going on all time. The biggest changes we’re going through is the tremendous amount of R&D at the UV end,” said Mr. Jankowski.
Surviving in this challenging business environment is a testament of Cabrun’s dedication to the ink industry. “We like to think our service and our attention to our customers make us unique, as well as our quality,” said Ms. Reich. “Being a small independent, we do a lot of custom work. We frequently customize process series for our customers. While some of the larger companies may have four different series, we make well over 20 different series of process ink to suit various customer needs.”
It’s this individualized approach to business that has contributed to the company’s success. “We actually answer the phone. We don’t have machines do it. We get a lot of comments from customers who like the personal attention,” Ms. Reich added.
Cabrun’s customers comprise a variety of small, medium and even larger-sized companies. “The abilities of our staff and our dedication to service enables us to accomplish this,” Ms. Reich said.
Cabrun Ink has no plans to slow down. “We’re exploring more work in the UV end, trying to keep up with all the changes,” said Ms. Reich. “We are dedicated to the industry and serving our customers.”
Cabrun Ink was founded in 1954 by Jim Campbell, John Brauer and Andy Gunther. According to Sharon Reich, treasurer of Cabrun, “They chose Coronet initially for their name, but it was unavailable in Pennsylvania. They then combined the letters in their last names to make Cabrun Ink.”
Cabrun Ink started out as a modest company, with just three employees. “In 1974, my father, Ken Reich, bought the company. Ken had previously worked for Dayco Corp., selling blankets,” said Ms. Reich. Mr. Reich got his start in printing at the Ashland Daily News in upstate Pennsylvania. “He was always involved in the printing industry and loved it. He wanted to have his own business, so when he discovered the opportunity, he was very excited.”
At the time of purchase sales were $70,000 annually. “We now are between $5 million to $6 million annually,” Ms. Reich said. Mr. Reich is still the president of the company,but now divides his time between Richboro, PA and Plant City, FL.
Cabrun Ink is a truly family-run operation, with Mr. Reich’s daughter, Sharon, serving as treasurer and his son-in-law, Steve Jankowski, joining the technical side of the company in 1978.
“I came in 1976 to help my father out while I looked for a teaching job,” said Ms. Reich. “I loved the printing industry as well and went back to school for accounting and have been with the company ever since.”
Throughout the years Cabrun Ink has seen a lot of changes in the printing and ink industries. “There have been changes in our customer base,” said Ms. Reich. “We have seen a lot of mergers and a lot of people have gone out of business.”
In addition, Cabrun has seen a lot of changes in technology “There are changes going on all time. The biggest changes we’re going through is the tremendous amount of R&D at the UV end,” said Mr. Jankowski.
Surviving in this challenging business environment is a testament of Cabrun’s dedication to the ink industry. “We like to think our service and our attention to our customers make us unique, as well as our quality,” said Ms. Reich. “Being a small independent, we do a lot of custom work. We frequently customize process series for our customers. While some of the larger companies may have four different series, we make well over 20 different series of process ink to suit various customer needs.”
It’s this individualized approach to business that has contributed to the company’s success. “We actually answer the phone. We don’t have machines do it. We get a lot of comments from customers who like the personal attention,” Ms. Reich added.
Cabrun’s customers comprise a variety of small, medium and even larger-sized companies. “The abilities of our staff and our dedication to service enables us to accomplish this,” Ms. Reich said.
Cabrun Ink has no plans to slow down. “We’re exploring more work in the UV end, trying to keep up with all the changes,” said Ms. Reich. “We are dedicated to the industry and serving our customers.”