We welcome Adam Valencic, our new sales director for Avery Dennison Performance Tapes North America. Adam started in his role in October 2021. Having come up professionally through Avery Dennison, he’s very knowledgeable about our business and the opportunities available to tape converters.
Below is a conversation we had with Adam so you can get to know him better and understand his vision for our mutual business.
Avery Dennison Performance Tapes (ADPT): Tell us about your background, including how you came up through Avery Dennison.
Adam Valencic (AV): I've been with Avery Dennison for 13 years. I started in customer service for Label and Graphic Materials in 2008 and worked up through our commercial sales organization into a regional sales leadership role. When the opportunity became available, I moved to our Fastener Division, achieving the position of automotive sales director, Americas.
I joined the Performance Tapes team in October and am excited to be on board!
ADPT: What industry and segment growth opportunities do you think our converters should be aware of?
AV: Great question. The first one that comes to mind is the EV battery space. It’s near and dear to my heart with my automotive background. But the fact is nearly every major OEM has announced some sort of domestic investment in EV and EV battery manufacturing. It’s an area that’s just getting started, making it a great time to enter. It has tremendous upside with lots of potential for innovation and many applications for adhesives.
There's also continued strong demand across many different segments — from home building to white goods and appliances, to automobiles and more. This demand will undoubtedly carry over into 2022.
Finally, there’s the recently passed federal infrastructure bill. The government will meet in the coming months to divide that money and determine where those funds will be spent. There’s much potential business for everyone involved in the pressure-sensitive adhesives space, this includes converters and suppliers.
ADPT: What challenges will our industry face in 2022?
AV: Well, the main challenge is not going to be a surprise to anybody. It’s the ongoing issue with the supply chain and inflation. I know every one of our converter customers feels the effects of this issue, alongside Avery Dennison. Unfortunately, it’s an issue that will continue into next year with unusually long lead times and challenges procuring materials.
Yet, with any challenge comes opportunity. We’ve worked to evaluate some of how we do business and have made some investments that'll help us be an even more reliable collaborator for years to come.
ADPT: So can you tell us more about what Avery Dennison has been doing to help converters navigate the supply chain challenge?
AV: The first is the ability to leverage our global scale. This absolutely has tremendous benefits. I know it doesn't always feel that way, when there are longer lead times or other challenges related to getting products. But I can say we are leveraging that global supply chain in every way we can to help get materials where they need to be.
Another area is investment and expansion. We acquired JDC Solutions in early 2021, helping expand our capabilities. As we've integrated their operations into our existing business, we’ve worked hard to improve and streamline our communication with our customers.
We’ve also broken ground on a new coating line at our Painesville, Ohio, manufacturing site. This will add capacity to our business while expanding our scale and ability to service a growing industry.
One thing I've learned from my experience is that relationships are based on trust. And one of the best ways to build trust is by working through challenging situations together. I encourage converters to keep challenging us, and to take advantage of the situation as best they can to build trust with their customers.
I know it may be a bumpy ride at times. But we’re in this together, and we’re committed to our customers’ success. I do believe we’ll all come out stronger.
ADPT: What else would you like our converters to know about you?
AV: I grew up and am based in Northeast Ohio, so I'm local to our Performance Tapes business and the majority of our team.
On a personal level, I’m married to a wonderful wife, Jenna. We have a daughter, Lila, who’s 19 months old. We also recently found out we have a baby boy on the way in March. So these are very exciting times for our family. Aside from that, when I'm not busy changing diapers, I enjoy woodworking, DIY projects, and those kinds of things.
Professionally, I want to reinforce how excited I am to be in this role. I want converters to know they can and should expect transparency and continued growth from our team. I think we already have a world-class team here, and I’ll continue to challenge all of us to find ways to help converters be successful.