Krebs ornaments round out the gift-giving season

Twinkling lights and glistening baubles make a Christmas tree the centerpiece of many a home during the holidays. The Krebs family began its ornament-crafting journey more than half a century ago in Germany and has continued the tradition in the U.S. since 1973, making the season brighter with ornaments made in its Roswell, New Mexico, factory. With high-quality raw materials and clients’ inspiration, industry supplier Krebs offers ornaments in 13 stock shapes for industry gifts and holiday promotions.

J.P. Herring, Krebs’ business development manager, says up until recently, custom promotional ornament styles were limited—something Krebs has sought to remedy. “For a long time, this category featured mostly basic round and flat ornaments,” says Herring. “We have begun to introduce new shapes and styles of ornaments, and we have been very happy with the customer response. It’s clear that many customers want unique shapes, and we will continue to invest in fresh ideas for each season.”

Krebs’s manufacturing process requires specialized machines, and employees undergo significant training. Clients most often request round glass ornaments, glass snowman figures and glass discs, he adds. “And, our clients are always happy to hear that our items are made in the U.S.”

Read on to learn how Krebs ornaments go from client order to finished piece.

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After the order is obtained, materials are gathered. Glass ornaments begin as molten material that is formed into an orb shape; the glass is silvered to offer better color definition. For custom ornaments that are created from submitted artwork, printers are prepped.

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Print plates are loaded into the machine or artwork is entered into the supplier’s software. Specially trained employees work with proprietary machinery to transfer custom artwork to the blank ornaments.

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The artwork is printed, and the ornaments are checked for quality before being packed and shipped to the customer.

About Krebs

Founding date: April 1973

Principals: Walter Krebs and Thomas Krebs

Number of orders filled per year: More than 3,000

Notable accomplishments: With the recent introduction of new shapes and technologies, Krebs now offers more than 13 different printable styles and offers minimums as low as one unit.

Size of production facility:  300,000 square feet

Number of employees: Approximately110 during peak season

Types of specialized equipment: Krebs has developed several machines over the years that enable the supplier to produce a high  volume of high quality ornaments from its factory in Roswell, New Mexico. Each machine is highly specialized to efficiently perform a specific ta