Advantage: Flexible Packaging

Baumann reported total sales for U.S. flexible packaging of $25.7 billion in 2009, down from $26.2 billion in 2008. Of this, value-added flexible packaging—which involves multiple processes, usually including extrusion, laminating, and printing—decreased about 1.5 percent in 2009 to $20.0 billion. In addition, preliminary results from FPA's converter member survey indicated that 69 percent of participants had lower revenues in 2009 versus 2008. Relative to capital expenditures, 57 percent reduced their investment levels in 2009, while a respectable 29 percent were able to increase capital spending. As another relatively positive indicator, capacity utilization was up slightly in 2009 with 43 percent of participants running at greater than 80 percent.