HISTORY

Back in 1952, Joseph Gemelli opened Gem Gravure on the strength of a patent. That patent described a way to use a chromed wheel to transfer ink on to a moving wire during the manufacturing process. It was followed by five more patents, all related to streamlining product identification for wire & cable manufacturers. Joseph knew wire making processes well. He earned his degree in engineering from Northeastern University after diligently attending six years of night classes. He spent his days working at Simplex Wire & Cable.

Wheel printing is still used today. Today, wheels are created with state-of-the-art lasers instead of the original gravure process. Gem’s range of ink colors and types lead the industry. If it is used to jacket a wire, we can print on it. That includes Teflon® and Tefzel®.

In 1976, David Gemelli, Joseph’s son, left Polaroid to join the management at Gem. With a background in sales and an MBA, David set out to expand the company’s offerings. Gem brought continuous inkjet printing to wire identification. The addition of chemists to the staff lead to creation of pigmented and dye based inks specifically for inkjet and wheel printing technologies. Today, ink development has become a mainstay of Gem’s business.

Now, in 2020, Paul Gemelli, David's son, is leading the charge. Since 2008, Gem has been the exclusive North American representative for Koenig & Bauer Coding, a German based engineering company producing the fastest, most efficient industrial inkjet printers on the market. Though much of the world has changed, the company’s world headquarters remains in the same building in Hanover, MA and we keep the same dedication to customer satisfaction.

In addition to our main headquarters in Massachusetts, Gem offices now cover the United States coast to coast:

  • Gem’s Research & Development facility is located in Nixa, MO and boasts full laboratory facilities as well as back up manufacturing. Gem's ink development & testing is concentrated here.

  • Gem West in Santee, California, provides a workshop for printer preparation and repair in addition to software development and programming.

  • Coming soon in 2020 will be a second laboratory facility located in central Texas.

At Gem, we are committed to serving all customers with solutions for their product identification needs. From wire & cable marking to food & pharmaceutical packaging, we work with you to determine the right technology and the right ink for your application.