Optimistic packagers head to Pack Expo Show

Demand for packaging machinery is now poised to reach a new high as the premier exhibition for the industry gets ready to kick off in Las Vegas Sept. 26. A study conducted by the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) predicts aggregate growth of 7% this year in overall equipment sales.

PMMI credits both renewed business confidence and higher rates of capacity utilization for the spurt in sales. A third of respondents to the PMMI study planned to spend more on packaging equipment this year than last. Last year, packagers that planned no change in their machinery spending were in the majority. The shift lends further support to the idea that the cautious, indecisive mood of the past few years is giving way to more optimism and resoluteness, says PMMI. And another third of respondents expect purchases of packaging machinery this year could exceed their original budget estimates if the economy cooperates.