US Label Market Faces Pressure For Innovation

The 2007 edition of the US Tag and Label Manufacturers Association's North American Label Study provides an up-to-date overview of the pressure-sensitive label and product decoration market.

The 2007 edition of the US Tag and Label Manufacturers Association's North American Label Study provides an up-to-date overview of the pressure-sensitive label and product decoration market.

Its remit is to give TLMI member companies - both converters and their suppliers - access to market data and analysis to facilitate decision making in areas that may be critical to future business growth and profitability, said Alexander Watson Associates (AWA).

Combining supply-side analysis and an assessment of demand by market segment, the study has been researched and written for TLMI by AWA Alexander Watson Associates, a business-to-business market research, publishing, consulting and events company focusing on the speciality packaging, coating and converting industries, with particular emphasis on packaging, labeling and product decoration.

Frank Sablone of TLMI said: "Our members need and value the regular update that our NALS study - now in its sixth edition - provides.

The market for labelling and product decoration has become both complex and highly-competitive.

Purchasing is driven from the demand side by end users and major retail chains and that has created pressures for both label printers and their suppliers in terms of the need to continuously innovate and in maintaining profitability, according to AWA.

Additionally, new product decoration and identification technologies, new materials and competition from markets outside the USA mean that everyone in the industry needs to be able to keep abreast of current thinking and, if possible, anticipate future trends if they are to remain successful.

In the TLMI 2007 North American Label Study, AWA Alexander Watson Associates said that it provides an assessment of the market structure for pressure-sensitive labels and other labelling and product decoration technologies.

The report assesses the value chain segments, from raw material supply to end use and the market drivers in each segment.

The study evaluates the fundamental changes that have taken place in recent years, both in the industry itself and in end-use segments, again identifying the drivers for this change.

AWA added that central to the study is the qualitative and quantitative analysis of present and future demand for labels in North America, segmented by regional characteristics and end-use markets.

The data are provided in terms of volume; current and projected growth rates; label substrates and converting technologies, as well as the relative position of alternative labelling and product decoration technologies.

The scope of the content embraces pressure-sensitive and glue applied labels; all types of sleeving; in-mould labels and other technologies, including flexible packaging and direct-printed packages.

The key end-user market segments, from food and beverage to pharmaceuticals, chemicals, transport and logistics and consumer durables are all evaluated.

AWA said that the study benefitted from close co-operation with TLMI and input for a broad base of its members and other industry organisations.

A number of research methodologies were used, including secondary and primary research.

Corey M Reardon, president and chief executive officer of AWA, commented: "An integral part of the research was an on-line questionnaire developed and circulated to TLMI member companies, which provided current data and an exceptional response rate.

We also conducted interviews across the whole value chain, including end users in each market segment, to enhance our existing knowledge base in the label and product decoration industry and to give TLMI member companies a very special market focus.

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