U.S. packaging machinery shipment reached $5.3 billion, a 9.3% increase from 2003, according to the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI, Arlington, Va.).
All 17 machine categories that PMMI tracks in its annual review experienced growth. Double-digit growth was recorded in seven of the 17 categories. Some examples include:
• Palletizing, depalletizing and pallet unitizing 11.1%;
• Labeling machinery 22%;
• Converting machinery 24.6%.
Exports of U.S. made packaging machinery increased by 12.5% to $1.1 billion from 2003. This is the first time since the inception of the annual Shipments and Outlook study in 1993 that U.S. packaging exports have topped $1 billion.
U.S. domestic market demand, which includes domestic consumption including import figures, increased by 9.8% with $5.6 billion consumed in the U.S. market.
Canadian packaging machinery shipments grew 8.4% in 2004 to an estimated C$421 million.
