Alcoa Flexible Packaging Produces Tempting New Shrink Label for Whisker Lickin’s Cat Treats

Alcoa Flexible Packaging, the leading domestic manufacturer of printed full body shrink sleeves, is supplying the shrink sleeve label for Nestle Purina PetCare’s modernized Whisker Lickin’s packaging. The original cat treat packaging was a straight wall container with a paper label and plastic cap.

Alcoa Flexible Packaging, the leading domestic manufacturer of printed full body shrink sleeves, is supplying the shrink sleeve label for Nestle Purina PetCare’s modernized Whisker Lickin’s packaging. The original cat treat packaging was a straight wall container with a paper label and plastic cap.

The new version features a contoured, easy-to-hold HDPE container complemented by the form-fitting, glossy Alcoa shrink sleeve. Five of the labels are reverse rotogravure printed at Alcoa’s Downingtown Printing Plant in Downingtown, Pennsylvania using Bonset’s PVC 50 micron shrink film. The remaining four labels, for the Canadian market, are printed using the flexographic printing process. All of the sleeves utilize seven colors, 4 process colors and 3 spot, to create colorful, eye-catching labels that stand out next to competitive products. The six labels available in the U.S. market, two 2.1 ounce flavors, two 3 ounce flavors, one 4 ounce Economy Size and the new 5.7 ounce Moist product size, feature a whimsical white-faced kitty design. For its 60 gram and 85 gram Canadian products, Ralston Purina Canada chose an actual cat image for a more conservative brand image.

“That’s one of the benefits of a printed shrink sleeve,” states Terry Copenhaver, Alcoa Flexible Packaging commercial manager. “The graphics can be slightly altered for special promotions or different markets, yet you have a 360 degree wraparound billboard display, so you can still incorporate the graphics of your overall brand image and you, or your contract packer, is not forced to inventory multiple pallets of pre-labeled containers.” The Alcoa Flexible Packaging shrink sleeves come in roll form and changing the labels is an easy task, requiring minimal changeover. For this label application, the Nestle Purina Whisker Lickin’s HDPE containers have the shrink labels applied by an Accutek Model 'SBA100 sleever at Toll Packaging in Gibson City, Illinois. After hot air shrinking, the labels tightly fit the contours of the shapely container prior to filling.

This method allows for a very tight, form-fitting shrink with the label tucking securely under the bottom of the container for a continuous graphic down the length of the package. Alcoa Flexible Packaging, based in Richmond, Virginia, manufactures a variety of packaging materials including extrusion and adhesive laminated pouch materials, overwraps and linerstock, blister lidding foil, thermoformed trays, cable wrap, plastic shrink sleeve body labels, and Reynolon® shrink film. These packaging materials serve the world’s leading consumer products manufacturers within the pharmaceutical, medical, food & beverage, and industrial markets.