Economic Reports

How’s Business: 4th Quarter 2025, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in January 2026, examines macro and member-sourced indicators from late 2024 through Q4 2025 using PMMI’s How’s Business and Quickie surveys alongside public economic series such as PMI, CPI and PPI. The analysis indicates strengthening demand and growing backlog, while focus areas highlight demand dynamics and backlog management, supply-chain resilience and tariff impacts on procurement and pricing, and cash-flow pressures tied to late payments; charts highlight quarter-over-quarter movements and benchmark comparisons around neutral index thresholds. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

How’s Business: 3rd Quarter 2025, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines current business conditions for packaging and processing equipment suppliers using quarterly survey data from late 2024 through Q3 2025 . The analysis highlights evolving demand signals from new orders and quotation activity, shifting backlog patterns, and ongoing pressures tied to late payments and supply chain reliability. Emerging patterns indicate mixed but stabilizing operating conditions, with charts showing modest easing in disruptions and heightened sensitivity to tariff-driven cost changes. Broader manufacturing indicators such as PMI, CPI, and producer pricing trends provide context for member sentiment, offering a view into how macroeconomic dynamics may shape near-term planning. The report reveals how industry leaders are interpreting these signals to navigate a cooling yet resilient market environment.

How’s Business: 2nd Quarter 2025, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines near-term conditions shaping packaging and processing markets across mid-2024 through mid-2025 . The analysis highlights how new orders, quoting activity, late payments, backlog levels, and supply chain pressures are shifting amid geopolitical uncertainty and tariff-driven cost dynamics. Charts and trendlines indicate generally steady demand paired with softening growth rates, tightening cash-flow conditions, and re-emerging sourcing disruptions. Broader manufacturing indicators—including PMI readings, CPI and PPI movements, and a three-year U.S. macro outlook—provide comparative context for understanding where investment sentiment is stabilizing or slowing. The report reveals where machinery builders and CPGs are adapting to evolving market pressures and planning for the next phase of recovery.

The 2025–2027 ITR Economic Outlook Report, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines how U.S. and global economic conditions are expected to evolve through 2027, drawing on leading indicators and multi-year trend analysis . The report highlights shifting growth patterns across industrial production, inflation, labor markets, and sector demand, noting emerging pressure points such as rising input costs, tight workforce dynamics, and gradual reconfiguration of supply chains. Visual analyses within the report illustrate how consumer activity, capital investment signals, and global trade flows tend to shape near-term momentum while hinting at longer-term structural vulnerabilities. The report reveals which economic forces may most influence investment, capacity planning, and strategic risk management over the next several years.

1st Quarter 2025 How’s Business, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines manufacturing and packaging sector dynamics in Q1 2025 using PMMI’s How’s Business Survey alongside public macroeconomic sources such as the ISM PMI, CPI and PPI. The analysis indicates areas of focus around demand and order momentum, financial health and payment timeliness, and supply-chain resilience, grouping related concerns such as new orders, quotation activity and backlog together with late payments and disruption trends. Emerging patterns show muted but stabilizing growth compared against recent quarters and trade-policy uncertainty shaping near-term decisions; charts highlight comparative benchmarks and trend trajectories. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

How’s Business: 4th Quarter 2024, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines industry momentum and conditions across demand, supply and financial health using PMMI’s survey and macro indicators. The analysis, covering Q4 2024, indicates improving order momentum and quotation activity, while pressure remains in late payments and backlog and supply‑chain disruptions generally ease. Focus areas include demand and backlog, including new orders and quotations; working capital and receivables, including late payments and terms; and supply‑chain resilience, including supplier risk and lead times. The report synthesizes survey results with industry indices such as PMI, CPI and PPI, and charts highlight comparative benchmarks and emerging patterns. The report reveals where engineers are prioritizing investments to strengthen resilience.

How's Business: 3rd Quarter 2024, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines industry conditions from Q4 2023 through Q3 2024 using PMMI member survey data alongside public indicators such as the ISM PMI and the Consumer Price Index. The analysis centers on three focus areas: demand and backlog (new orders and quotations), liquidity and payment trends (late payments and cash flow), and operational resilience (supply chain disruptions and capacity). Emerging patterns indicate new orders have contracted while quotation activity tends to rise, late payments generally show expansion, and supply chain frictions have eased; charts highlight quarter-over-quarter shifts and benchmark comparisons. The report reveals where industry leaders are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

2024 State of the Industry: US Packaging Machinery Report, published by PMMI - The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines 2023–2028 market sizing, sub‑machine taxonomy changes and forward-looking forecasts using PMMI surveys, 30+ supplier interviews and public macroeconomic data. The analysis identifies four focus areas—workforce and aftermarket services, automation and digital tools, sustainable materials and regulatory alignment, and quality and sanitation—where emerging patterns indicate suppliers and users tend to prioritize flexibility and lifecycle support. Charts highlight sector benchmarks and comparative performance across food, beverage and pharmaceuticals, and examples include end-of-line automation, predictive maintenance, and cartoning shifts. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

How’s Business: 2nd Quarter 2024, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines industry conditions from Q3 2023 through Q2 2024 using PMMI member survey data alongside public economic indicators such as the ISM PMI, CPI and PPI. The analysis indicates softening demand and shrinking backlogs contrasted with rising proposal activity, while late payments and improved supply‑chain stability reflect changing financial and procurement dynamics; focus areas include demand and capacity management, cash‑flow and receivables, and supply‑chain resilience and digital readiness, with comparisons to the neutral 50‑point benchmark and broader macro outlook. Charts highlight these patterns and emerging operational priorities. The report reveals where packaging and processing leaders are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

2024-2025 Economic Insights for Tomorrow, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in July 2024, examines the mid‑2020s economic landscape using ITR Economics forecasts, industry production and trade data, and PMMI market indicators to benchmark near‑term and multi‑year scenarios. Focus areas include workforce strategy and retention amid tight labor markets; inflation, interest‑rate and cash‑flow preparedness; and supply‑chain resilience and regional market divergence. The analysis indicates recurring patterns—services outperforming industrial activity, demographic‑driven regional shifts, and sectoral variance across material handling and paperboard—while charts highlight cyclical inflection points and leading indicators. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

How’s Business: 1st Quarter 2024, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines quarter-over-quarter activity from Q2 2023 to Q1 2024 using PMMI member survey data alongside macro indicators such as the ISM Manufacturing PMI, Consumer Price Index, and Producer Price Index. Focus areas include demand indicators and backlog dynamics, supply-chain disruptions and payment timeliness, and pricing and macro outlook that influence capital allocation. The analysis indicates new orders and backlog generally trend below midpoints while quotations and late payment patterns tend to show stability or easing, and charts highlight declining supply-chain disruptions relative to recent quarters. The report reveals where packaging and processing leaders are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

4th Quarter 2023 How’s Business, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines industry momentum across Q1–Q4 2023 using PMMI member surveys alongside macroeconomic indicators such as the PMI, CPI, and PPI. The analysis indicates shifting demand and operational pressures and groups findings into focus areas: order and backlog dynamics, from new orders to backlog; cash-flow and payment behavior, such as late payments; and supply-chain resilience and digital-tool adoption. Emerging patterns generally show contracting new orders but improving quotation activity, declining supply-chain disruptions, and mixed signals for backlog and payments, while charts highlight trends benchmarked against index midpoints and macro indicators. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

3rd Quarter 2023 PMMI Quarterly How’s Business, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines market indicators and member survey responses spanning Q4 2022 through Q3 2023 to assess near-term performance and outlook. Drawing on PMMI’s member survey alongside macroeconomic data from ISM and BLS and a multi-year industry outlook, the analysis indicates shifts across operational focus areas—order activity and proposal pipelines, working-capital pressures such as late payments and backlog, and supply-chain resilience—where patterns tend to vary by segment. Charts highlight comparative benchmarks and historical trends, and the report reveals where packaging and processing leaders are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

2023 State of the Industry: US Packaging Machinery Report, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines US packaging shipments and a 2023–2027 forecast using supplier surveys, Interact Analysis modeling, US Census manufacturing data and Federal Reserve (FRED) macrodatasets. The analysis indicates that inflation and higher interest rates are moderating demand and backlog dynamics, and highlights three focus areas: supply‑chain resilience and component lead times (notably drives and controllers) and sourcing strategies; workforce and aftermarket readiness, including service‑technician retention and predictive‑maintenance adoption; and end‑of‑line automation and sustainability‑driven machine design, from robotic palletizers to adaptive end‑effectors. Charts highlight shifting sector priorities and emerging warehouse‑automation opportunities. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen resilience.

2nd Quarter 2023 How’s Business, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines Q2 2023 market dynamics using PMMI member survey data alongside macroeconomic indicators and industry benchmarks such as PMI, CPI, and the Producer Price Index. The analysis indicates shifting demand and order patterns and groups findings into focus areas: demand and backlog management including new orders and quotations; operational resilience and supply-chain performance such as lead times, shipments, and disruptions; and financial health and payment trends including late payments and price pressures. Charts highlight comparative trends across recent quarters and benchmarks, and emerging patterns generally show where leaders are adjusting priorities. The report reveals where packaging leaders are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.

June 2023 PMMI Monthly How’s Business, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines market activity and operational trends across the packaging and processing sector using PMMI’s How’s Business Survey alongside public macroeconomic indicators through June 2023. Focus areas include demand and order flow (new orders, quotations, backlog, shipments), supply-chain and lead-time dynamics (lead times, component disruptions), and financial pressures and pricing (late payments, CPI/PPI context), with comparative benchmarking to PMI and a three-year outlook. The analysis indicates varying expansion and contraction patterns across equipment segments such as primary, secondary, and end-of-line, and charts highlight evolving risk concentrations. The report reveals which segments and operational levers leaders are monitoring to navigate near-term headwinds.

Guidance in an Uncertain Economy: Gauging the Risks Going Forward 2023–2024, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines macroeconomic and industry-specific risks across 2023–2024 using ITR Economics forecasts, government data, and PMMI market indicators. The analysis indicates key focus areas—labor and workforce strategy, including development and retention and knowledge capture; operational resilience through automation and digital-tool adoption, such as version control and data governance; and financial and supply-chain health, including cash management and material-cost trends. Emerging patterns show disinflationary pressures, interest-rate sensitivity, and sectoral divergence from food to durable goods, and charts highlight leading-indicator signals versus historical benchmarks. Download the full report to see where manufacturers are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.