Print & Packaging Industry News
US producer prices for paper fell 0.6% in September 2015 compared to the same month a year earlier. Newsprint mills saw the largest decline with a drop in prices of more than 16%. Prices received by paperboard mills were off nearly 3%, while paper mill prices declined 1%. Producer prices for converted paper products were flat. US paper producers face a tough pricing environment amid imports from low-cost producers and an overall downward trend in consumption of paper, especially newsprint. Although overall US imports of paper were flat in the first eight months of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014, imports from China and Mexico were up 9% and 16%, respectively.
Global demand for security printing services is forecast to increase nearly 6% per year between 2015 and 2020, according to a recent report by Smithers Pira. Security printing uses overt and covert print-based features to deter counterfeiting while providing a means of in-field authentication. Security printing techniques include watermarking, holograms, magnetic inks, optically variable color changing inks, and RFID. Brand protection is expected to be a strong growth segment for security printing in industries including pharmaceutical packaging, and tobacco and alcoholic beverage labels as print & packaging companies seek compliance with government regulations and to protect against counterfeiting. Other top security printing market segments include checks, ticketing, payment cards, and stamps.
Industry Indicators
- US corporate profits, an indicator of corporate demand for converted paper products, fell 4.7% in the third quarter of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014.
- US nondurable goods manufacturers’ shipments of paper products, an indicator of converted paper product demand, fell 0.8% year-to-date in November 2015 compared to the same period in 2014.
Posted by Anthony Contaldo.
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