Flex Pack —Polischuk
Flexible packaging is alive and well. It continues to be a bright spot in the package-printing arena, led in part by novel pouch implementations in a broad range of product categories.
The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) recently held its annual meeting in Orlando. The 260 attendees were treated to two days of timely presentations that covered important topics affecting the industry.
Presentations included FPA’s “State of the U.S. Flexible Packaging Industry,” “The European Flexible Packaging Market,” “Capital Markets, Mergers and Acquisitions,” “An Economic and Financial Outlook,” “A Closer Look at Election ‘08,” “Conducting Business in China,” and “The Future of Flexible Packaging.” As can be seen, there was something of interest for everyone.
Dr. Robert Genetski, an investment advisor, presented the economic outlook, mainly focusing his comments on the U.S. economy. Genetski is an economist who believes firmly in classical economic principles, highlighted by low tax rates and free markets. Even in the current weak economic conditions, he believes the underlying fundamentals are sound and his long-term outlook is optimistic. He does, however, see two short-term threats to the U.S. economy—higher taxes and the potential for restrictive trade practices.
Both of these issues just happen to be high on the agenda of the three major presidential contenders, so they are getting a fair share of press. The FPA covered the political landscape with the Keynote Address provided by Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard and a Fox News commentator.
Barnes observed that bad economic conditions historically hurt the party that holds the White House. This, along with a number of other factors, was enough for him to say, “By every reckoning, it’s going to be a Democratic year.”
As is typically the case in an election year, major issues such as healthcare, immigration, and social security are on hold, awaiting the next president. Tax increases will also be on the agenda and Barnes believes there will be one—it’s just a matter of how much. He says this if only for the fact that the tax decreases passed by Congress several years ago are set to automatically expire in 2010.
These two presentations were stimulating complements to the other sessions that more specifically focused on flexible packaging. What all of the presentations portrayed was a dynamic industry that is operating in a global environment that is historical in many ways—economically and politically. For more of the state of the flexible packaging industry, see our report starting on p. 50.
Tom Polischuk, Editor-in-Chief
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