PMMI sees a 12% jump from the previous year, thanks to food, beverage and pharmaceutical end user market segments.


The Packaging Machinery Materials Institute (PMMI), Reston, Va., reports that U.S. packaging machinery shipments in 2010 saw a 12% boost from 2009, bringing the shipments totals to $5.5 billion, up from $4.9 billion the year before.

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 D. Yuska, president and CEO of PMMI. "In 2008, shipments were generally flat from 2007, and in 2009, shipments dropped by about 16.3%. 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 percent of dollars spent on packaging machinery. The other categories shown in the study, such as consumer durables, paper products and other consumer non-durables, chemicals, hardware/industrial/automotive, converters/printers and personal care/toiletries/cosmetics,” account for the balance.

"The proportions between market niches are consistent with what we've seen since 2004: Food is the largest market, then beverage, pharmaceutical and medical," Yuska says. "Together, they average out to about 70% of the market."

U.S. Packaging Machinery Shipments for 2010 were calculated by combining responses from 178 PMMI member packaging machinery manufacturers (subtracting Canadian members) with projected non-member shipments.

Source: www.pmmi.org