Top Folding Carton Converters — On the Rebound

A few years after folding cartons fell into a slump, the state of the industry is showing promise. In a July Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC) study, “2007 Shows Recovery in Carton Shipments After Soft Close to 2006,” the association reported that although shipments from the first half of this year were down slightly compared with the first half of 2006, “the outlook for 2007 could be brighter after a slow start to the year. Year-to-date shipments have slowly but steadily improved over a soft fourth quarter 2006. Inventories have risen in June by 18.2 percent compared to May levels, which appears to indicate that the third quarter will follow the traditional pattern of being the year’s best quarter for volume.”