Pizza Boxes in Play: Another Look at the Rock-Tenn/MWV Merger

Rock-Tenn Co., North America's No. 2 packager, this week announced it will merge with MeadWestvaco Corp. to create a company with a combined market value of about $18 billion. The deal could drive market leader International Paper Co.—which had also been considered a potential buyer for MeadWestvaco—to come up with an acquisition of its own to stay competitive, said Todd Wenning of Morningstar Inc.

The time is ripe for consolidation, with demand for packaging set to improve amid a strengthening economy and raw material costs on the decline, according to Robert W. Baird & Co.'s Ghansham Panjabi.