Worldwide demand for bulk packaging is projected to rise 5.8
percent per year to $56.0 billion in 2015. Advances will be driven by growth in
manufacturing activity, especially in key end-user industries such as chemicals
and pharmaceuticals, and food and beverages. Film wrap demand will see the
fastest gains, benefiting from growing requirements for the bundling and
protection of goods during warehousing and distribution. Demand for film wrap
will also be bolstered by retail trends, as a greater number of retailers offer
a broad range of goods packaged in bulk and utilize secondary packaging for
product warehousing and multipack bundling.
That’s according toWorld Bulk Packaging
Marketa new report at Reportlinker.com.
Shipping sacks to
remain largest segment
Although shipping sacks will continue to represent the
largest product type, shipping sack demand will exhibit below average growth
through the forecast period and beyond. Strong price competition and increasing
use of alternative products -- such as flexible intermediate bulk containers
(FIBCs) and various rigid bulk packaging types, including material handling
containers and drums -- will serve to limit gains in shipping sack demand.
Demand for drums will benefit from an upswing in global chemical and
pharmaceutical production, as chemicals comprise by far the leading application
for drums. Growth in pail demand will be slightly below average, due to
competition from other packaging formats, including drums, bulk boxes and
shipping sacks. Plastic pails will experience faster gains than their steel
counterparts as a result of their lighter weight, which substantially reduces
shipping expenses.
Strong growth in Asia, but
US to remain leading market
The most rapid gains will be seen in the world's developing
regions. The Asia/ Pacific region will remain
the largest regional market in the world, due to its large food and beverage,
and chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Overall, the fastest growth will be
seen in Asia, specifically in China,
India and Indonesia.
Other developing countries such as Brazil,
Mexico and Russia are also
expected to see healthy gains. In contrast, advances will be generally below
average in North America and Western Europe,
where markets are more established.
The US,
which accounted for 27 percent of global sales in 2010, is the largest national
bulk packaging market in the world by a wide margin. Other large, but mature
markets include Japan and Germany. While Japan will
remain one of the largest national markets in the world, the country is
forecast to see the slowest growth rate through 2015. Nonetheless, good
opportunities will still be found in developed countries, especially for
flexible bulk packaging products such as film wrap.
