MARCH 7, 2008--IMS Research (Wellingborough, UK;www.imsresearch.com) forecasts that Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) sales of packaging machinery equipment will increase to €13 billion by 2012. Beverage packaging is expected to grow the fastest.
Senior analyst and report author Don Tait commented, "Retail packaging (including foods, beverages, and pharmaceutical) accounts for more than three-quarters of the EMEA market for packaging machinery. Beverage packaging machinery was estimated to be worth €3.1 billion in EMEA in 2007, or 30% of the total. The beverage equipment sector is predicted to grow at above-average growth rates over the next five years."
He continued,"The shape of drinks containers has been evolving, for example, from rectangular cartons to rounded ones that would easily fit in the hand to packages that can easily be resealed. Increasingly, consumer needs are influencing package design. This creates a demand for new machinery. Supermarkets are also demanding new packaging styles to differentiate themselves from their competitors and catch consumer's attention and thus improve revenues," Tait continued.
"The market for packaging machinery is also growing as a result of increased consumption of certain beverages. Consumption of packaged water, fruit juice drinks, and health drinks are forecast to increase markedly, growing at more than 8% a year. Single-serve beverages are also becoming increasingly popular for away-from-home consumption. Manufacturers need to produce more machinery with greater output speeds to accommodate the increased demand," said Tait.
