The Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) reports U.S. packaging machinery shipments in 2010 reached $5.5 billion, up 12% from 2009’s $4.9 billion figure.
PMMI’s annual U.S. Packaging Machinery Shipments Report also indicates exports, as measured in U.S. dollars, increased 9%, from $891 million in 2009, to $975 million in 2010, while imports jumped 13%, from $1.17 billion to $1.32 billion.
“In recent years, the packaging machinery market has reflected trends in the general economy,” says Charles Yuska, president and CEO, PMMI. “2008 shipments were generally flat from 2007, and 2009 shipments dropped by about 16.3 percent. The increase in 2010 shipments mimicked the slow economic recovery, however preliminary data shows significant growth in 2011.”
The Shipments Report notes food, beverage and pharmaceuticals/medical devices accounted for 70% of dollars spent on packaging machinery. The other categories shown in the study--consumer durables, paper products and other consumer nondurables, chemicals, hardware/industrial/automotive, converters/printers, and personal care/toiletries/cosmetics--make up the bulk of the balance.
“The proportions between market niches are consistent with what we’ve seen since 2004: food is the largest market, then beverage, then pharmaceutical and medical,” Yuska says. “Together, they average out to about 70 percent of the market.”
U.S. Packaging Machinery Shipments for 2010 were estimated by combining responses from 178 PMMI-member packaging machinery manufacturers (subtracting Canadian members) with projected nonmember shipments.
The Executive Summary of PMMI’s 2011 U.S. Packaging Machinery Shipments Study, which reflects shipments made in 2010, is available to PMMI members. Contact Paula Feldman ([email protected]), director of business intelligence, for more information, or call 703.243.8555.
