When I present to groups of Avery Dennison colleagues, or lead our internal town halls, I try to do a little ice-breaker. I ask everyone to introduce themselves and tell us their tenure with the company. After the last employee speaks, we add up the years. It’s not uncommon for even a small group — say, a dozen employees — to have two or three centuries’ worth of experience under its collective belt.
Having done this exercise many times, I got to thinking: What’s the collective experience of the entire North America Label and Graphics Materials Division — all 2,567 employees? After a little digging, I had the answer.
It’s 26,098 years.
For me, this is more than just a novel way to view our tenure. It’s a way to help understand our dedication to leading our industry, to providing the highest standard of quality, to putting the customer first, and to focusing relentlessly on innovation.
It’s also a way to think about how we’re building on the legacy Stan Avery left us, and how we’re fostering a culture of healthy risk-taking, collaboration, integrity in all we do, and demanding excellence from each other.
Here are just a few of the things we’ve accomplished since the start of 2017:
The launch of three new portfolios for applications in the outdoor durables segment.
The acquisition of Hanita Coatings, an Israel-based producer of pressure sensitive materials.
The granting of ISO 17025 accreditation from A2LA for our Mentor, Ohio, Innovation Center.
A significant investment in Gauzy, an Israel-based maker of liquid crystal specialty films
Launching new products and portfolios to help you win more business … forging new partnerships to ensure you have the products you need, when you need them … investing in new capabilities that help you meet the increasing demands of evolving value chains. For 80 years, Avery Dennison has had the courage to shape our industry — and help you grow.
Fostering a culture of courage and external focus means providing a solid platform of support and experience for people to launch from, and, if necessary, fall back on.
Our 26,098 years is that platform. It lets us be confidently courageous. It lets you be confident that we’re helping you stay a step ahead of the competition. It lets all of us lean forward with optimism about the future of our industry, our customers, our business, and our working together as partners.
I’m so grateful to be surrounded by such a tenured, dynamic, dedicated and courageous organization. Thank you for your business, and for your willingness to choose Avery Dennison each day.
For a deeper look at innovation at Avery Dennison, please check out “Built on Breakthroughs.”
#togetherAD #builtonbreakthroughs #pioneeringchange
