MPS launches wood veneer labels

The labels are manufactured using a hardwood veneer backed with a thin film. The wood veneers can accept a variety of pressure-sensitive adhesives.  

Available in rolls and sheets, the labels can be applied to a variety of surfaces, including glass, plastic, metal and rigid containers. The wood veneers can also be laminated directly to paper, paperboard or film, allowing for a wide range of uses in folding cartons and marketing promotions. 

Under development for over 12 months, wood veneer labels have been introduced to the market through Jim Beam’s limited edition American Stillhouse Clermont Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey. 

Made with a cherry wood veneer and digitally printed at the MPS facility in Lansing, Michigan, the labels evoke the iconic barrels in which the bourbon is aged.

‘When Jim Beam asked us to explore the possibility of a pressure-sensitive label made from wood veneer, we were excited to take on the challenge,’ said Erin Willigan, vice-president of marketing at MPS.

‘Working with our developmental partners, our innovation team was able to achieve the aesthetic qualities and performance criteria Jim Beam was looking for.’

Shawn Nevitt, printed packaging manager for Jim Beam, said: ‘The prospect of making a label that would be a genuine wood material as opposed to a faux wood appearance has been of interest to us for quite some time.

‘The barrel aging process is so special and unique to bourbon making that a veneer label just seems to fit and MPS did a great job working with our research and development team on testing and matching our performance specifications.’