There’s a difference between staying in business and staying relevant. Inkon Labels has spent 25 years navigating that gap. The Sasolburg-based converter didn’t grow by chasing volume or trends. It built capability step by step, keeping control where it mattered.
The business started in 1999 producing hazardous chemical labels, work that’s compliance-heavy, detail-driven, unforgiving and leaves no room for inconsistency. That environment shaped how the company still operates today. But it was never going to be enough on its own.
‘A lot of our customers have been with us for years,’ notes director Mitzi Helm. ‘You grow with them. Their requirements change, and if you don’t move with that, you lose them.’ That dynamic has shaped how the business approaches expansion. Rather than chasing entirely new markets, much of Inkon’s capability has been built in response to existing customers needing more. This includes different substrates, more complex applications and shorter lead times. That shift in customer demand is what drove the next step.
The move into flexographic printing wasn’t a reinvention, but a calculated extension. It was a way to broaden the customer base while keeping the same level of control over output. From there, the goal was to invest deliberately, layer capability and bring processes in-house where possible. Early adoption of Mark Andy presses laid the foundation. Later upgrades into servo-driven platforms pushed consistency and repeatability further. Each step added range, but also complexity.
Mitzi says that balance has always been deliberate. ‘We’ve never tried to do everything at once,’ she comments. ‘If we bring something in, we make sure we can run it properly. Otherwise, it creates more problems than it solves.’ That approach has kept the business steady while the market around it has shifted.
Control over convenience
Today, Inkon runs flexo, digital and screen printing alongside an expanding finishing capability. The focus is not on having multiple processes for the sake of it, but on tightening control across the workflow. Prepress, print and finishing increasingly sit under one roof, with fewer handovers, fewer external variables and fewer delays.
Production manager Willem van Straaten keeps it practical. ‘If something goes wrong, you want to fix it immediately,’ he says. ‘The more control you have internally, the faster you can respond.’
That matters more now than it did even five years ago. Lead times are tighter, run lengths are shorter and the tolerance for error is lower. That shift shows up most clearly in the type of work coming through.
Recognition at the Flexographic Technical Association of South Africa (FTASA)’s Print Excellence Awards – including being named Best on Show in 2023 – reflects Inkon’s move into more technically demanding work, from flexible packaging structures and reverse print to tight registration jobs. These are not forgiving applications. ‘You’re dealing with materials that behave differently from run to run,’ Willem says. ‘Whether it’s ink adhesion, laminates or registration, everything has to be consistent. You don’t get away with shortcuts.’ In that environment, having control over each stage of production becomes less of an advantage and more of a requirement.
That becomes more apparent as jobs grow more complex. Materials don’t always behave consistently, even when they appear similar. ‘You can’t treat every job the same,’ Willem explains. ‘Even if it looks similar, the material can react differently. You have to adjust constantly to keep the quality consistent.’
Administration and marketing coordinator Jade Rabe adds that alignment across departments is just as important as the equipment itself. ‘Everyone needs to be on the same page from the start,’ she says. ‘If something is missed early on, it affects everything that follows.’
Moving into sleeves (properly!)
The expansion into shrink sleeves and flexible formats is the next step, but it follows the same logic. It’s not just about adding another product line. It’s about completing the process. Investment in seaming and finishing equipment is aimed at bringing sleeve production fully in-house.
Mitzi is clear on that point. ‘If we offer it, we want to own the process,’ she says. ‘That’s the only way you can stand behind the quality.’ It’s a measured move, not a rushed one, but it positions the business closer to where demand is heading.
Behind the equipment is a production model designed to handle variability. Operators are trained across machines and production can shift depending on demand. The plant operates on demand. For Inkon, it’s not about running flat-out all the time. It’s about being able to respond when the workload changes.
‘Jobs don’t come in evenly,’ Willem says. ‘You need a team that can adapt. Otherwise, you end up chasing your own schedule.’ That flexibility is becoming more important as SKU proliferation and shorter runs continue to define the market.
‘Our guys aren’t locked into one machine,’ Willem says. ‘They understand the process, not just the press. That makes a big difference when things change.’
It’s a subtle but important distinction and one that supports the flexibility the business relies on. ‘There’s always pressure to deliver on time,’ Jade says. ‘You have to stay focused because delays affect the whole chain.’
Anchored in discipline
Despite the expansion, the core hasn’t changed much. The same focus on consistency and compliance that defined the early hazardous label work still underpins the operation. Certifications support that, but the real value sits in how processes are managed day to day. For customers in food, pharmaceutical and industrial sectors, that consistency is often the deciding factor.
Reaching 25 years says something about stability, but it doesn’t say much about direction. Inkon’s trajectory is less about longevity and more about how it has adapted along the way, from a narrow industrial base to a broader converting capability. ‘From single-process production to a more integrated model, we’ve had to keep adjusting,’ Mitzi says. ‘The market doesn’t stand still, so neither can we.’
That’s likely what defines the next phase as well. Not a shift away from what’s worked, but a continuation of it; building capability carefully, keeping control tight and expanding where it makes operational sense. Because in this market, relevance isn’t something you reach. It’s something you maintain.
‘We’re proud of the 25 years,’ Mitzi says, ‘but it’s not something we sit on. The focus is always on what comes next and how we keep improving.’
Printing brighter futures
For Inkon Labels, backing the Rally to Read initiative speaks to something deeper than corporate social investment. It reflects a belief that building futures starts with literacy. As Mitzi puts it: ‘Education changes everything. If children can read, they have a far better chance to shape their own future.’
Inkon supports the Free State leg of Rally to Read, a three-year intervention working across seven schools in Vrede, Memel and Warden, reaching more than 5 000 learners. The programme goes far beyond delivering books. It equips classrooms with reading resources, supports teachers with practical training and helps strengthen literacy teaching at school level.
For Mitzi, the value lies in sustained involvement. ‘It can’t be a once-off gesture,’ she says. ‘Real impact comes from showing up consistently.’ It’s a meaningful extension of Inkon’s ethos, investing where it matters most.
