Name:  Whitlam Label

        Address: 24800 Sherwood Ave.               

City: Centerline, Mich  

President:  Richard Shaieb

Product: Labels  Phone: 800-755-2235  

Year Founded: 1957  

          Standing out in a crowded market can be difficult, unless you have special qualifications. At Whitlam Label Company, that means introducing digital technology and earning as many technical certifications as possible.

            Since 1957, Whitlam Label Company has been a world-class supplier of pressure sensitive labels, tags, and custom printed die-cut products. With almost five decades of award-winning experience, WLC is a recognized industry leader in engineered harsh environment solutions for the automotive, durable and consumer goods industries. Whitlam has two facilities, located in Center Line, Mich. and Harlingen, Texas. The Michigan facility is environmentally-controlled.

            Whitlam’s diverse customer base includes major global automotive companies, as well as a multitude of prime, consumer, and durable goods manufacturers.

            A wide variety of package and label technologies are available to Whitlam customers, including pressure sensitive and dry gum adhesive labels. Whitlam also provides adhesive development, converting, pre-press, and quality-controlled printing. Whitlam’s in-house testing lab ensures that these labels are designed to withstand diverse and extreme environmental conditions; such as below freezing and extremely high temperatures, fluid immersion, humidity, fading, abrasions, and more.  Whitlam’s quality and materials engineers are some of the most innovative in the industry, and are responsible for creating functional methods that improve, both label aesthetics and performance.

            Whitlam’s investment in the revolutionary digital printing and die-cutting technology provides its customers with the ability to review and adjust products at press sign off, test multiple prototypes in the marketplace and reduce the customer’s time to market.

            “Digital printing is something that is fairly new in the marketplace,” says Matt Shaieb, sales and marketing manager. “With digital printing we can offer prototypes and reduce the lead time it takes to bring new products to market. It’s very important for customers who require fast turnarounds.”

            In addition to its digital capability, WLC relies on its many quality certifications to attract customers, primarily in the auto industry.

            “The biggest problem in the label industry is trying to be a distinctive company; trying to have a unique position,” says Shaieb.

            What was once a niche industry now has many new companies joining the field. Finding a way to stand out is required. At Whitlam, the way to stand out is to pass varied quality certifications.

            Among it quality certifications are ISO/TS 16949 and ISO 14001. The newer ISO/TS 16949 is a formidable standard created for the auto industry. ISO/TS 16949 was created by the International Automotive Task Force and forms the requirements or the application of ISO 9001 for automotive production and relevant service part organizations. It uses the ISO 9001 standard as a base and includes requirements with specific additional requirements for the automotive supply chain.

            Whitlam Label Company was founded in 1957 by Elmer Whitlam, a retired Dictaphone executive, to produce pressure-sensitive labels for the food and beverage industry. Whitlam purchased his first 6 inch Vandenberg two-color press and named his company Whitlam FAS-A-PLY Label Company. From the basement of his own home, he filled the company's first order: labels for Alexander Hornung, of Alexander & Hornung meat processing company in downtown Detroit, and also Whitlam's neighbor.

            Over the next few years, Whitlam specialized in meat and sandwich labels for customers such as Prophet Foods, ARA Foods, Clark Products, Canteen Foods, Szabo Foods, Interstate United and many more.

            In 1968 as the company grew, Whitlam had to move from his basement to a 1,500 square feet building in St. Clair Shores, Mich. During that time he bought a second press, forcing him to find more space, this time moving to East Detroit.

            In 1973, the Shaieb Family purchased Whitlam Label Company with four presses and only four employees.

            Over the years, it steadily improved production capabilities, and by 1976, had moved from East Detroit into a 5,000 square feet facility in Warren to accommodate demand in the growing labeling industry. And the company was just entering the domestic automotive market. Its first automotive account was for producing non-production parts — chemical warning labels — for Chrysler Corporation.

            By 1980, the business had grown so rapidly with the OEM's that the company needed to add additional presses and equipment. Whitlam purchased a new facility: 30,000 square feet, also in Warren. During the years at this location, it began producing production parts for Chrysler and General Motors.

            The business never stopped growing and our increasingly diversified customer base, by now encompassing all the major automotive manufacturers as well as industries beyond automotive, required even more space to accommodate their needs. Around the corner was a vacant lot which Whitlam Label Company bought and where its fifth, and current, 120,000 square feet facility now stands.

Harlingen plant

            In 2003 Whitlam opened a small plant in Harlingen, Texas to provide support for its Mexico customers, and recognize a trend toward more products being assembled in Mexico.

            “We saw a need in the market to branch out to the Mexico market,” Shaieb says. “Most label printers move east to west, not a lot move north to south. But we see a lot of our customers are moving to the Southwest part of the company and we see a lot of production parts being built in Mexico.”

            The Harlingen plant currently employs six workers, and is responsible for 5 percent of the company’s revenue.