Holliston
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Specialty cloth: Conversion story success
When it comes to business success, don’t judge a book by its cover.
The nation’s oldest and largest manufacturer of cloth coverings for books has converted its all-natural finished material into tasteful textured packaging uses. ICG Holliston’s conversion of its cloth coverings, which are mostly 100 percent cotton-based, have been getting the attention from brand marketers with their specially laminated carton board for the collector’s edition of The Band and book cloth for Island Michael Kors Collection fragrance cartons from Estee Lauder.
Dusty bookshelves no more
Formerly owned by a private equity group called Versa Capital, Holliston has served the book cover material, packaging fabric, and industrial cloth markets since 1895. Since its establishment, however, the cloth covering manufacturer noticed major shifts in this commercial marketplace and adapted to the changes particularly in the book publishing industry. From the introduction to paper as an alternative to cloth to the electronic age of PDAs and Kindles, today, Holliston has developed along with technology and strategically diversified into other markets as the book industry didn’t see the annual growth once seen decades ago.
Diverse customer base
Interestingly, the cloth covering manufacturer discovered that its product line made a natural extension into the passport cover market, as they met the strict requirements of durability, a 10-year shelf life and compatibility to incorporate the security features. This unique extension happened when the specialty cloth manufacturer combined its operations with the Industrial Coatings Group (ICG) in 1998 and consolidated all manufacturing operations in a Church Hill, Tennessee facility. “Between those two companies they’ve been doing several country passports for over 20 years,” says Gary Sweeney, senior marketing manager at Holliston.
There are over 150 employees working in the Tennessee-based facility, which is one of its kind dedicated to research and development. In turn, they provide various options for customers with a wide ranging continually updated choice of materials, colors, fabrics, coatings, and embossings.
Perhaps what sets ICG Holliston apart from the rest of the cloth is the fact that they do custom-engineer products to meet unique customer requirements. This capability is especially necessary in the international security marketplace, where Holliston remains the U.S. government’s preferred supplier of high-security passport cover material, among many others in every continent.
Global customer base
The 100 percent cotton-based cloth is a big part of that solution and that where Holliston comes in. The US-based manufacturer hold accounts with some key brand owners who are conscious about using packaging as their differentiation on the shelf of their product, including Gap and Michael Kors –just to name a few. “We took advantage of our processing capabilities to meet our customer’s unique, atypical application and we can bring those solutions to them,” says Sweeney.
Sustainability
Not only is cotton a natural product, it is also harvested every year versus petroleum, or other materials such as paper, which can take decades. “We think sustainability is very important, as it is part of our core competency and mission. It is also part of our business expansion plans, as well as the basis for new technological opportunities,” explains Sweeney. Built on the cornerstones of innovation and sustainability, Holliston is meeting the 21st century head-on with environmentally friendly products designed for the digital age and increased financial stability.
The eco-friendly trend has also benefited the company’s growth by presenting new opportunities. “I think our industry and our world has seen the environmental message to be of importance in 15 or 20 years ago, but we don’t see that public attention fad away. As a company, we’ve benefited by and taken advantage of it. We now have large brand owners and superstores talking with us because they are dedicated to sustainability,” he says. When one door closes, another one opens evidently. “The eco-friendly trend has open the door for us.”
Global challenges overcome with custom-based approach
As American companies feel the pressure to compete globally and concerned with pricing in the marketplace, it really come down to product substitution. “For us that means, customers come to us who are price-conscious and want to look at an alternative to the 100 percent cotton. Sometimes they ask if it can be custom-made with petroleum or paper, which is a challenge, because it is the message of value, capability and durability versus the price pressures,” explains Sweeney. Despite these markets haven’t seen much dynamic growth compared to 15 years ago, Holliston continues to look for ways to discover the needs of its niche markets both commercially and custom-based industrial one. “In the future, we’re looking into expanding into sub-markets where the message is really important. On the packaging side, we can bring some product differentiation whether it be with color, textile feel, we deliver that message,” says Sweeney. On the passport side, Holliston is continually looking for ways to incorporate security features and technology features into our material to help all around the world.
For more information on how to discover innovative, sustainable and brand-building options at the new Holliston.
When it comes to business success, don’t judge a book by its cover.
The nation’s oldest and largest manufacturer of cloth coverings for books has converted its all-natural finished material into tasteful textured packaging uses. ICG Holliston’s conversion of its cloth coverings, which are mostly 100 percent cotton-based, have been getting the attention from brand marketers with their specially laminated carton board for the collector’s edition of The Band and book cloth for Island Michael Kors Collection fragrance cartons from Estee Lauder.
Dusty bookshelves no more
Formerly owned by a private equity group called Versa Capital, Holliston has served the book cover material, packaging fabric, and industrial cloth markets since 1895. Since its establishment, however, the cloth covering manufacturer noticed major shifts in this commercial marketplace and adapted to the changes particularly in the book publishing industry. From the introduction to paper as an alternative to cloth to the electronic age of PDAs and Kindles, today, Holliston has developed along with technology and strategically diversified into other markets as the book industry didn’t see the annual growth once seen decades ago.
Diverse customer base
Interestingly, the cloth covering manufacturer discovered that its product line made a natural extension into the passport cover market, as they met the strict requirements of durability, a 10-year shelf life and compatibility to incorporate the security features. This unique extension happened when the specialty cloth manufacturer combined its operations with the Industrial Coatings Group (ICG) in 1998 and consolidated all manufacturing operations in a Church Hill, Tennessee facility. “Between those two companies they’ve been doing several country passports for over 20 years,” says Gary Sweeney, senior marketing manager at Holliston.
There are over 150 employees working in the Tennessee-based facility, which is one of its kind dedicated to research and development. In turn, they provide various options for customers with a wide ranging continually updated choice of materials, colors, fabrics, coatings, and embossings.
Perhaps what sets ICG Holliston apart from the rest of the cloth is the fact that they do custom-engineer products to meet unique customer requirements. This capability is especially necessary in the international security marketplace, where Holliston remains the U.S. government’s preferred supplier of high-security passport cover material, among many others in every continent.
Global customer base
The 100 percent cotton-based cloth is a big part of that solution and that where Holliston comes in. The US-based manufacturer hold accounts with some key brand owners who are conscious about using packaging as their differentiation on the shelf of their product, including Gap and Michael Kors –just to name a few. “We took advantage of our processing capabilities to meet our customer’s unique, atypical application and we can bring those solutions to them,” says Sweeney.
Sustainability
Not only is cotton a natural product, it is also harvested every year versus petroleum, or other materials such as paper, which can take decades. “We think sustainability is very important, as it is part of our core competency and mission. It is also part of our business expansion plans, as well as the basis for new technological opportunities,” explains Sweeney. Built on the cornerstones of innovation and sustainability, Holliston is meeting the 21st century head-on with environmentally friendly products designed for the digital age and increased financial stability.
The eco-friendly trend has also benefited the company’s growth by presenting new opportunities. “I think our industry and our world has seen the environmental message to be of importance in 15 or 20 years ago, but we don’t see that public attention fad away. As a company, we’ve benefited by and taken advantage of it. We now have large brand owners and superstores talking with us because they are dedicated to sustainability,” he says. When one door closes, another one opens evidently. “The eco-friendly trend has open the door for us.”
Global challenges overcome with custom-based approach
As American companies feel the pressure to compete globally and concerned with pricing in the marketplace, it really come down to product substitution. “For us that means, customers come to us who are price-conscious and want to look at an alternative to the 100 percent cotton. Sometimes they ask if it can be custom-made with petroleum or paper, which is a challenge, because it is the message of value, capability and durability versus the price pressures,” explains Sweeney. Despite these markets haven’t seen much dynamic growth compared to 15 years ago, Holliston continues to look for ways to discover the needs of its niche markets both commercially and custom-based industrial one. “In the future, we’re looking into expanding into sub-markets where the message is really important. On the packaging side, we can bring some product differentiation whether it be with color, textile feel, we deliver that message,” says Sweeney. On the passport side, Holliston is continually looking for ways to incorporate security features and technology features into our material to help all around the world.
For more information on how to discover innovative, sustainable and brand-building options at the new Holliston.
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