US corrugated & paperboard box demand to reach $34 billion in 2009.

Demand for corrugated and paperboard boxes is projected to climb 2.1 percent per year to over $34 billion in 2009, rebounding from weak growth during the 1999-2004 period. Advances will be fueled by an increase in manufacturing activity, especially an upswing in shipments of nondurables, which accounted for more than three-quarters of total box demand in 2004. Value gains will also be bolstered by the shift toward high-quality printing and graphics on boxes, as producers continue to focus on aesthetics as a means of competing with alternative packaging materials. These and other…