Economic Reports

4th Quarter 2021 PMMI Quarterly Business Indicator, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines Q4 2021 market conditions and outlook into Q1 2022, drawing on PMMI surveys and national sources including ISM Report on Business, ITR Leading Indicators and the Producer Price Index. The analysis indicates focus areas in demand and project activity, where scheduled-project indexes and industry benchmarks generally show expansion across sectors such as beverages, foods and pharmaceuticals; supply-chain and lead-time pressures, with charts highlighting persistent disruptions and longer commitment horizons; and workforce access and digital enablement, where plant-access trends, remote support and knowledge-capture practices tend to affect service responsiveness. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

3rd Quarter 2021 PMMI Quarterly Business Indicator, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in November 2021, examines Q3 2021 trends using PMMI member survey data alongside national indicators such as the ISM Report on Business and Producer Price Index to benchmark activity. Focus areas include supply-chain disruptions and expanding lead times, investment and scheduled-project momentum across beverage, food and pharmaceuticals, and operational access and workforce challenges for sales versus service staff. Analysis indicates investment indexes generally show expansion while emerging patterns point to SKU and capacity shifts; charts highlight comparative industry performance and timing signals. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

Packaging Machinery Quarterly Update – Q3 2021, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines market dynamics from 2019 through 2026 using Omdia-sourced forecasts and a 2020–2021 quarterly timeline to compare recent recoveries and emerging headwinds. Focus areas include workforce development and retention; supply-chain resilience and sourcing; automation, robotics and digital-tool adoption, including machine vision and cobots; and cross-sector market forecasts and variance benchmarking across beverages, food and pharmaceuticals. The analysis indicates manufacturing demand rebounded but tends to face compounding pressure from labor and supply disruptions, and charts highlight shifting investment priorities toward automation and remote monitoring. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

2nd Quarter 2021 PMMI Quarterly Business Indicator, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines Q2 2021 market activity using member surveys, the ISM Report on Business, and national economic indicators to benchmark investment and production trends. The analysis indicates three focus areas: operational resilience (supply chain disruptions, extended lead times, and plant-access dynamics), investment and project activity (capital commitments, scheduled projects, and SKU expansion), and workforce and capability risks (hiring, retention, and knowledge capture). Emerging patterns show industry variation across beverages, foods, and pharmaceuticals, and charts highlight diffusion-index movements against historical midpoints; the report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

2021 State of the Industry: US Packaging Machinery Report, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines U.S. packaging and converting machinery performance using 2015–2020 base-year data and supplier and public sources (including Omdia and US Census Bureau) and provides forecasts to 2026. The analysis identifies three focus areas—operational resilience (order backlogs and supply‑chain dynamics), technology adoption (automation, robotics and IIoT with wireless connectivity and machine vision), and sustainability & materials innovation (flexible packaging and recyclable substrates)—and explores workforce and compliance pressures, from workforce skills and knowledge capture to labeling/serialization requirements. Charts highlight comparative trends and benchmark performance across sectors and machinery categories. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

2021 Guidance in an Uncertain Economy – Moving Forward into 2021, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines near‑term to multi‑year economic outlooks using leading indicators, industry benchmarks and public economic data to assess implications for packaging and processing companies. The analysis indicates a recovery phase driven by consumer demand and reshoring trends, and highlights focus areas such as supply‑chain resilience and commodity pricing pressures, investment priorities including M&A and automation (including robotics and predictive maintenance), and workforce development with knowledge capture for retention. Charts highlight sector momentum from beverages to pharmaceuticals, and comparative benchmarks generally show stronger U.S. resilience versus many trading partners. The report reveals where industry leaders are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

PMMI Quarterly Business Indicator: 1st Quarter 2021, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines recovery signals and capital-allocation intent across packaging markets. Using PMMI survey data and national measures such as ISM Manufacturing PMI and the Producer Price Index for Q1 2021, findings are framed against diffusion-index benchmarks and year-over-year trends. Focus areas include investment and project pipelines (new orders, scheduled projects), supply‑chain and lead-time pressures (disruptions, extended lead times), and resilience and workforce access (plant access, service technicians), with charts highlighting cross-industry patterns from beverages to pharmaceuticals. Analysis indicates firms tend to prioritize capacity and automation while managing workforce constraints. The report reveals where industry leaders are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

2021 Packaging Machinery Quarterly Update – Q1 2021, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines market shifts, COVID-19 impacts, and recovery forecasts across the US packaging machinery market. Using Omdia shipment and revenue data covering 2018–2025 and a 2020 market timeline, the analysis indicates sector resilience and divergent recovery patterns, with food and beverage strength and pharmaceutical upticks among notable themes. Focus areas include forecasts and variance analysis, supply chain adaptation, and technology and aftermarket strategies such as digital-tool adoption and service offerings. Charts highlight comparative trends and benchmarks, and the analysis generally shows where suppliers tend to reallocate investments. Download the report to see where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

January 2021 PMMI Monthly Business Indicator, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines industry conditions and near‑term investment intent. Using three‑month averages from PMMI’s Purchasing Index survey and national benchmarks such as the ISM Report on Business and the Producer Price Index, the analysis indicates shifts across core focus areas: supply‑chain resilience and plant access policies, investment and SKU strategy (including planned capital projects, SKU expansion, and quotation activity), and workforce and operational continuity, covering workforce development, retention and knowledge capture. Charts highlight month‑over‑month trends and comparative benchmarks, and emerging patterns show increased investment intent tempered by operational constraints. The report reveals where packaging and processing teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

December 2020 Monthly Business Indicator, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines industry conditions, investment intentions, and operational disruptions drawing on member and end‑user survey three‑month averages through November 2020, alongside ISM and Producer Price Index inputs. The analysis indicates recovery trends with nuanced sectoral variation; focus areas include workforce development and retention and knowledge capture, supply‑chain resilience and access restrictions, and capital and digital‑tool adoption with version control for line modernization. Findings generally show increased equipment interest and SKU proliferation, with charts highlighting shifts from quotation activity to plant access constraints. The report reveals where packaging and processing leaders are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

Guidance in an Uncertain Economy – Moving Forward into 2021, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines macroeconomic and sector-level trends from early 2020 through a projected recovery into 2023 using leading indicators, federal and industry sources including ITR benchmarks. The analysis indicates cyclical momentum is shifting positive while monetary policy and debt dynamics suggest prolonged low rates; focus areas include macroeconomic monitoring and policy, operational resilience—automation, reshoring and supply‑chain diligence—and market opportunities in beverage, food and pharmaceuticals. Charts highlight comparative performance across the U.S., Canada and Mexico and analysis shows implications for hiring, cash management and capital allocation. Download the full report to see where companies prioritize investments to strengthen operational resilience.

November 2020 PMMI Monthly Business Indicator, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines industry recovery and investment intent across packaging and processing, drawing on PMMI surveys and national benchmarks. Covering mid‑ to late‑2020, analysis of PMMI data alongside ISM, BLS and ITR indicators indicates shifts in demand and capital planning. Focus areas include demand and investment planning (new orders, quotations), SKU dynamics in sectors such as beverages and foods, and supply‑chain resilience including plant‑access constraints. It addresses workforce adjustments and manufacturing benchmarks; emerging patterns show most segments tend to report expansion while pharmaceuticals lag, and charts highlight improving indices for orders and investment expectations. The report reveals where teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen resilience.

October 2020 PMMI Monthly Business Indicator, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines recent manufacturing and packaging trends using three-month survey averages, industry benchmarks such as the ISM PMI and Producer Price Index, and member/end-user responses collected through PMMI research. Focus areas include investment outlook and equipment capex planning, SKU creation and product innovation, and supply-chain and plant-access adaptations paired with workforce measures like staffing and compensation adjustments. Analysis indicates organizations generally show cautious expansion, with emerging patterns in digital-tool adoption and remote monitoring such as cobots, remote access and telemaintenance. Charts highlight comparative industry performance and shifting priorities. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

September 2020 Monthly Business Indicator, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines equipment investment expectations and operational resilience across consumer packaged goods and industrial sectors using PMMI survey data alongside ISM and government economic indicators from mid‑2020. Analysis indicates several focus areas—investment and demand trends across industries, technology adoption and remote operations such as cobots, remote access and monitoring, and supply‑chain and plant‑access dynamics affecting service and payments. Findings generally show industry variation in recovery and technology uptake; charts highlight shifting priorities and risk areas, while qualitative feedback points to workforce and plant‑level adjustments. The report reveals where packaging and processing leaders are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

August 2020 PMMI Monthly Indicator, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines industry performance and business sentiment during the COVID-19 period using member and end-user surveys, national manufacturing reports and price-index data. Covering March–July 2020, the analysis provides benchmark context against diffusion-index midpoints and leading indicators and focuses on four strategic areas: workforce access and plant operations (including technician and sales access), supply‑chain resilience and investment planning, digital and automation adoption (such as remote access, remote monitoring and cobots), and financial resilience around payments and contractual terms. Emerging patterns indicate uneven recovery across sectors and the charts highlight shifting priorities. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

2020 State of the Industry — US Packaging Machinery Report, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines 2019 base‑year performance and 2020–2025 forecasts using supplier questionnaires, US Census trade data and Omdia analysis. The study’s focus areas include automation and robotics adoption, including cobots and AMRs, and digital integration and cybersecurity; aftermarket and service models alongside parts and technician training; and sustainability plus material innovation, highlighting shifts from rigid to flexible formats such as PET and pouches. Comparative sector and backlog benchmarks and charts highlight emerging patterns that tend to favor flexible, traceable and service‑oriented business models. The report reveals where industry leaders are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

The July 2020 PMMI Monthly Indicator, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines industry conditions and near-term investment intent using member surveys and national manufacturing indexes to benchmark trends since spring 2020. Analysis indicates three focus areas: operational continuity (plant access, supply-chain disruptions, plant environment changes such as PPE and reconfiguration), investment and technology adoption (equipment investment expectations, CapEx lead times, growing use of cobots, remote access and remote monitoring), and financial and workforce resilience (late payments, staff reductions, evolving travel and compensation policies). Charts highlight cross-industry variation and emerging patterns that generally show where risks and opportunities concentrate. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

2020 Economic Impact of COVID-19: Guidance in an Uncertain Economy, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines the pandemic’s dual shocks and their implications for packaging and processing across 2020–2022 using leading economic indicators and industry data from public sources and ITR Economics. The analysis highlights focus areas such as demand shifts and sectoral resilience—grocery, beverage and pharmaceutical channels versus food service—supply-chain and near-sourcing strategies, and operational liquidity and capital planning, alongside workforce and service model adaptations including field service and aftermarket. Charts and comparative benchmarks that reference the pre-2009 recession indicate recovery timelines that tend to stagger by sector and geography. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

June 2020 PMMI Purchasing Index, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines near-term equipment spending and investment expectations across U.S. packaging sectors and benchmarks those findings against national manufacturing indicators and end-user survey data. The analysis focuses on three strategic areas: investment outlook and cross-industry performance benchmarked via diffusion indexes; technology adoption and remote operations, including cobots/robots, remote access and remote monitoring; and supply-chain and macroeconomic signals that inform capital planning. Emerging patterns indicate varying industry trajectories and cautious optimism for 2021, and charts highlight how benchmark metrics tend to correlate with planned projects and operational resilience. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

May 2020 U.S. Packaging Machinery Purchasing Index, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines U.S. packaging machinery spending outlook using monthly survey responses and national manufacturing indicators from April–May 2020 and benchmarks against diffusion-index norms. The analysis focuses on investment outlook and industry performance across Beverage, Foods, Personal Care, Durables and Pharmaceuticals; technology adoption and remote operations such as cobots, remote monitoring and remote access; and manufacturing and supply-chain signals including PMI, the Producer Price Index and capex lead times. Trends indicate varied industry trajectories and increased reliance on digital tools, and charts highlight comparative benchmarks and emerging patterns. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.