Cohesion Labels has marked more than a century in business, reflecting an ability to adapt through successive waves of technological and market change in Australia’s print and packaging sector.
Founded in Perth in 1925 as Waters Typographic House, the business has remained under Australian family ownership for four generations. Over that time, Cohesion Labels has transitioned from traditional typographic printing into a modern label manufacturer focused on efficiency, reliability and speed to market.
General manager Jamie Waters says the company’s longevity is rooted in its willingness to evolve alongside customer needs, rather than remaining tied to a specific production model or technology.
“Over the past century, we’ve been willing to change and evolve to keep serving our customers well,” Waters told Print21. “We’ve stayed close to our customers, adapted early, and invested where they’re heading next – even when that meant redefining the business itself.”
That approach is increasingly relevant as Australian manufacturers contend with rising input costs, imported competition and pressure on margins. Waters says Cohesion’s focus is on reducing total cost for customers, rather than competing purely on unit price.
“In Australia, labour efficiency, process reliability and speed matter enormously,” he says. “That drives how we design our solutions. Supporting Australian manufacturing has to make commercial sense, and that comes down to productivity and consistency.”
Recent capital investment has been directed toward digital printing capability, finishing automation and workflow systems designed to improve throughput and reduce manual intervention. According to Waters, the aim is to remove friction from production rather than simply adding capacity.
“The practical outcome is faster turnaround and more reliable delivery,” he says. “When customers get products sooner, they can improve cashflow, reduce inventory and respond faster to changes in demand or packaging.”
Digital and hybrid technologies have also reshaped expectations around print runs and customisation. Customers are increasingly comfortable with shorter runs, multi-SKU jobs and frequent artwork changes, reflecting the flexibility now built into modern production environments.
“Modern printing technology removes most of the traditional constraints,” Waters says. “That’s changing how brand owners think about labelling, particularly when speed and accuracy are critical.”
At the same time, label suppliers are being asked to manage greater complexity as compliance requirements evolve and SKU counts grow. Waters notes that reliability and ease of doing business are now often more important to customers than headline pricing.
“Sustainability is part of that conversation,” he adds. “Customers want to meet environmental and regulatory requirements without compromising performance or commercial viability. Our role is to help them make those choices in a way that works operationally.”
Looking ahead, Cohesion’s growth strategy is focused on servicing larger, more complex customers where its technical capability and service model deliver the greatest benefit. The company is also exploring adjacent product areas where customers face similar demands around efficiency, quality and supply certainty.