12.11.09
FPA Publishes 18th Annual State of the Industry Report
FPA’s 2008 State of the Industry Report provides data on the economic
and financial health of the flexible packaging industry.
The Flexible Packaging Association’s (FPA) 2008 State of the Industry Report provides data on the economic and financial health of the flexible packaging industry. Information available within the report examines industry performance and structure; material and processes; end-uses, industry issues/vision; and global packaging. The report also includes NAICS – SIC information and an interpretation guide for code keys to the flexible packaging industry.
The 2008 State of the Industry Reportcontains response data from the FPA members 2008 State of the Industry Survey and non-members 2008 Industry-Wide Converter Survey, which are conducted through the FPA Business and Economic Research Department. Survey responses were received from 82 converters representing $15 billion in sales, 246 plant locations and more than 47,000 employees. The report also includes data available from the 2006 Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Manufacturers and information collected from the U.S. Department of Labor and Commerce, industry analysts, investment banking reports and additional authoritative sources.
The 2008 State of the Industry Report notes that the total flexible packaging industry has estimated 2007 annual sales of $25.6 billion. The industry has experienced continuous growth and expansion into new and existing markets at an annual growth rate of 2.9 percent (2006-2007), and a compound growth rate of approximately 4 percent per year (1997-2007). This report focuses on the “value-added” segment of the flexible packaging industry, which is valued at $19.8 billion, and includes retail and institutional packaging, industrial materials and shrink and stretch films.
Flexible packaging remains the second largest packaging segment in the U.S., representing approximately 18 percent of the total U.S. packaging industry, which has estimated annual sales of $135 billion. The global packaging industry has an estimated $490 billion in annual sales, with Western Europe and North America accounting for 28 and 27 percent, respectively, of the global packaging industry.
More than 85 percent of survey participants ranked the cost and availability of raw materials as the “most important” issue for 2008. The top five most important issues also included labor, competition, imports and the economy/interest rates.
FPA member can view and download copies of the The 2008 State of the Industry Report within the Members Only section of the FPA web site (www.flexpack.org). Hard copies of the report are available by contacting FPA at (410) 694-0800. For more information about FPA’s Business and Economic Research Department, its programs and publications, contact Bob Zaborowski, the director of FPA Business and Economic Research, at bzaborowski@flexpack.org.
The Flexible Packaging Association has served as the voice of the flexible packaging industry since 1950. FPA members are manufacturers of flexible packaging sold to users or distributors for packaging purposes, and material ore equipment suppliers to the industry. Flexible packaging is produced from paper, plastic, film, aluminum foil, or any combination of those materials, and includes bags, pouches, labels, liners, wraps, rollstock and other flexible products.