What’s the Next Move

All these developments are happening within the context of a broader geographic playing field which, as well as creating significant opportunities worldwide, also represents a threat in many areas of the package-printing industry.

In North America for example, our recent research in the label market shows 3-4 percent overall annual growth. However, the “traditional” product decoration and identification technologies are somewhat static. Glue-applied label usage is declining at 0.5-1 percent, and self-adhesive label usage is growing at just 2-2.5 percent. The newer technologies are performing better: in-mold labeling (from its small but growing base of 2.3 percent of the market) is increasing at 4 percent per year; and the sleeving technologies as a whole are showing the highest growth, with annual rates in excess of 15 percent (shrink sleeving at 7 percent).