For Flexibles, Stable Doesn't Mean Stagnant

FPA data also indicate the continued switch from rigid to flexible package constructions as a source of growth in 1998. The aging baby boomer population is expected to create a hot new application area for these conversions: medical and ethical drug packages.

New orders for flexible packaging to replace rigid are down slightly, with 55 percent of converters receiving orders in 1998 compared to 61 percent in '97. Consumer food packages are still at the top of converters' rigid-to-flexible request list.