The Beginning

Great Lakes Label distributes an automated print and apply label applicator designed & engineered specifically for the horticulture industry. Great Lakes Label LLC was established by John A. “Tony” Cook in 1994. Cook’s business vision is to provide extraordinary value to customers by offering complete turnkey solutions for label and label application requirements.

about us Great Lakes Label

The Growing Problem

Tony Cook discovered the horticulture market was facing growing pressures from the Big Box retailers. Barcoding and more precise label placement on plant containers were required to accommodate new point of purchase selling that was now revolutionizing garden centers.

Requirements were changing from just one UPC for 30 different products to an individual UPC for each container size, type, and color. In many cases, this changed the needs from 200 bar codes in the past to over 4,000 with the new requirements. The new point of purchase systems were providing the garden centers with more accurate and real-time information on the plants that customers were demanding. These systems were changing the industry to a Just-In-Time ordering system as retailers began adjusting shipment orders to reflect their customer needs.

The Solution

The Label Gator® is the perfect answer to address these challenges. Now growers can precisely label pots with individual, customer-specific labels as needed and react quickly to order changes. Productivity and delivery speed significantly increased and labor cost decreased by automating the labeling process. Plus, the cost of container inventories significantly reduced by purchasing blank pots instead of having them pre-labeled.