Jan 10 2011
Blister packaging is of the leading packaging services presently provided by the packaging companies.
Increase in consumer incomes, improved lifestyles and westernization coupled with competent marketing practices have widened the market for packaged consumer goods. The trend fueled the demand for blister and other high visibility packaging solutions, especially in developing markets such as Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
The food industry sustains momentum as the largest end-use market for blister and other high visibility packaging industry. World over, the rising demand for convenient, easy-to-prepare, semi-processed food products, is on a continual basis creating opportunities for blister and other high visibility packages. The pharmaceutical industry follows next, with its rising need for FDA compliant, patient friendly and child-resistant packages. End-use industries are increasingly turning towards packaging solutions that would enhance the visual appeal of their products, ensuring immediate sales. In addition, the emphasis is also towards packaging solutions that offer added benefits including communicative graphic design, increased shelf life and packaging flexibility among others. The aging world population is creating a demand for senior-friendly packages, and this is expected to dole out expanded business opportunities in the blister and other high visibility packaging solutions market. All of these factors, among several others, lay down a strong foundation for future market growth. High visibility packaging industry is contesting against increasing demand for healthy food, rising cost of material and convenience-oriented products, which require substrate combinations and innovative technologies to satisfy packaging needs.
Advances in manufacturing techniques and technologies have spurred innovations such as modified-atmosphere packaging and controlled-atmosphere packaging (MAP/CAP). These techniques utilize stronger resins such as metallocenes that offer longer shelf life for food products, and convenience features such as specialized closures and zippered bags. In addition to easy packaging, compliance packaging and patient safety are the key issues for consumers, governments, manufacturers and health care organizations. FDA is promoting the use of printed information and patient guides for certain drugs including antidepressants and NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to ensure safe medication. Child-resistant designs, unit-of-use packaging, multipanel labels, package inserts and more space for instructions are the major focus issues of the industry. The market for emerging technique, nano-enabled pharmaceutical packaging is poised to grow at an impressive yearly growth rate of about 15% through 2015. User-friendly and customized containers/closures with enhanced shelf life and labels are most sought after packaging trends. In future, interactive packaging is expected to gain public interest.
The global packaging industry is yet to completely recover from the adverse impact of the economic crisis in the past couple of years. World packaging industry buckled under intense impact of the crisis, leading to sales in developed markets including US and Europe plunging to all-time lows. Packaging manufacturers reported a massive 20% decline in sales in 2008, while the position was no better in 2009. The global financial meltdown and the consequent trade collapse devastated the packaging sector in Western Europe. Packaging sales, mainly for consumer flexible packaging, in the rapidly developing Asian countries also declined in the period 2008-2009. Factors including cost cutbacks by end-use industries, reduction in the number of layers in flexible packaging and initiatives by governments to reduce packaging waste contributed to the overall demand shortage. Nevertheless, with the recovery anticipated in the larger packaging sector and the expected demand increase from end-use industries, the world market for blister and other high visibility packaging in developed nations is likely to register moderate growth in the near future. Complete recovery for the market is not expected until the year 2014.
Europe, powered by high demand from Central and Eastern European countries, represents the largest regional market worldwide, as stated by the new market research report on Blister and Other High Visibility Packaging. In addition to Europe, Asia-Pacific and the US constitute the other significant blister packaging markets. China and India drive growth in the Asia-Pacific market, promising rapid growth at the highest compounded annual rate of 3.8% for the analysis period.
Clamshells packaging makes up for greater part of high visibility packaging market. Increasing preference for convenience, natural and high freshness food drives overall growth for Clamshells Packaging. The segment emerges as the clear winner, constituting the largest chunk of the market.
Key market participants in the report include Amcor Ltd, Bemis Company, Inc, Klöckner Pentaplast GmbH & Co. KG, MeadWestvaco Corporation, Pactiv Corporation, Reynolds Packaging Group, SCA Group, Sealed Air Corporation, Sonoco Products Company and Tegrant Corporation.
The research report titled “Blister and Other High Visibility Packaging: A Global Strategic Business Report” announced by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., provides a comprehensive review of the packaging industry, end-use market analysis, technological developments, product innovations, recent industry activity and profiles of market players worldwide. Analysis and overview is provided for major geographic markets such as US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Rest of World. Market analytics are provided in terms of Value (US$) for product segments including Carded Blister Packaging, Clamshells, Windowed Packaging, Skin Packaging and Others. The study also provides historic data for an insight into market evolution over the period 2000 through 2006.