Targeting Success

2003 and beyond…

According to Van de Water, 2003 was a recovery year for the folding carton industry, with dollar volume up 2.7 percent and tonnage up 3.2 percent at year-end. This was coming off a decline of 2.5 percent in sales dollars in 2002 vs. 2001.

Markens didn't see a whole lot of volume growth in 2003; what he did see was a reduction in margins. He reports that one of his clients actually increased its volume in the neighborhood of 25 percent, only to bring home the same profit as the previous year.