78 Business View Magazine - October 2016
Panther Industries
The little company that could
Panther Industries, based in Highlands Ranch, Colo-
rado, is a manufacturer of automated labeling equip-
ment. According to Christian Dow, company Vice Presi-
dent, Panther’s founder, James Thompson, became
acquainted with print-and-apply labeling at a meat-
packing plant in which he once worked. While there,
he improved upon a simple version of the plant’s label-
ing equipment by replacing a relay-logic system with a
PLC (Programmable Logic Controller), a digital comput-
er that enhanced and sped up the electromechanical
labeling process.
“This was one of the first programmable logic con-
trollers that was implemented into a labeler in those
days,” says Dow. “Later on, Jim became an engineer-
ing manager for a company called Stadia Label, the
manufacturer of the equipment that he put the PLC
onto. They had recognized what he had done and were
