NEW YORK -- July 10, 2003 -- Despite challenging economic times, the U.S. Packaging industry continues to flourish. TrendWatch Graphic Arts (TWGA) today announced the release of two segmented reports which independently target the Consumer Product Companies (CPCs) and Packaging Printer/Converter (PPCs) segments of the marketplace. According to the reports, 83% of CPCs and 73% of PPCs report business conditions to be as good or better than last year. The two reports were released today and are available online in PDF format at the TrendWatch Graphic Arts website (www.trendwatchgraphicarts.com). "TWGA's 2003 packaging industry surveys are a unique first look into the complex and multifaceted packaging industry," noted Packaging Technology and Workflow Consultant C. Ted Namur, IV. "Industry packaging has long been segmented, and classified by the multiple printing substrates, processes, and markets it caters to. This has limited its market influence and overall role in the printing industry and has forced packaging providers to work with workflows and tools designed for other printing production workflows. TWGA has taken an extensive look into the packaging industry as a whole and business conditions that drive it. In doing so, they are one of the few organizations to acknowledge the comprehensive global packaging market and have created an in-depth look into the North American packaging industry of and for Consumer Products Companies, Converters, and technology vendors." According to the Consumer Product Companies Report... -- TOP BUSINESS CHALLENGE: 48% of large CPCs cited "need for employee training" as a top business challenge, compared to 34% overall... among the largest CPCs, this jumps to 75%; -- TOP SALES OPPORTUNITY: 32% of operations personnel saw "just in time packaging" as a top sales opportunity compared to 24% overall... 30% of graphics personnel saw "personalized packaging" as a top sales opportunity, while 44% of pharmaceutical companies cited "speed up turnaround" as a top sales opportunity; -- TOP PLANNED INVESTMENT: The number one planned investment among CPCs is a digital camera, with 48% planning to make this purchase in the next 12 months. According to the Packaging Printers and Converters Report... -- TOP BUSINESS CHALLENGE: 46% of converters cited "keeping up with technological change" as a top business challenge... this jumps to 57% for converters in the pharmaceuticals, cosmetics & toiletries, and household products markets. -- TOP SALES OPPORTUNITY: 40% of converters cite "just in time packaging" as a top sales opportunity. This jumps to 56% among converters with 250+ employees; -- TOP PLANNED INVESTMENT: 36% of all converters plan to invest in computer-to-plate systems in the next 12 months... among independent converters, this rises to 42%. About the Reports... The reports, which represent the culmination of an exhaustive research endeavor, are an analytical review of the most critical trends and issues facing packaging businesses today. Each report, as it pertains to its defined segment, offers vendors, suppliers and consumer product companies a keen insight into how the packaging industry is evolving. Just some of the topics examined include: -- Business condition and challenges; -- Sales opportunities; -- Planned investments; -- Packaging types and print processes; -- Sourcing of packaging design, structural design and prepress workflows; -- Use of PDF proofs; -- Change in packaging types and print processes; -- Use of prototypes and sales samples; -- Typical run lengths and proofing cycles; -- and much more. Added Namur, "This report allows each group an opportunity to better understand the packaging industry as a global business, including its market drivers, industry trends, competitors, purchasing power, and the potential of creating and marketing goods and services that directly meet this multi-billion dollar market. Moving forward into Q2 of 2003 and 2004, this report provides insights into where the industry has been, current capacity, technology status, and how it will move forward and 'capitalize' as the economy improves, to meet the ever changing regional, national and business challenges it faces." Methodology... All data developed for these two new reports is primary data from a proprietary TWGA survey. For this survey, TWGA sent out 3,500 questionnaires to consumer product companies and 2,500 questionnaires to printer/converters in North America. Data analysis was compiled by TWGA's Analyst Heidi Tolliver-Nigro and Packaging Technology and Workflow Consultant Ted Namur, a former executive with Kraft Foods. Availability... TWGA today announced that both reports are now available online: -- "TWGA Packaging 2003 Directional Trends Survey: Consumer Product Companies" (182 pages); -- "TWGA Packaging 2003 Directional Trends Survey: Converters" (200+ pages). Both reports are available for purchase by visiting the secure TrendWatch Graphic Arts eStore online at www.trendwatchgraphicarts.com or by phone at 866-873-6310. The price for each report is $1595. TWGA is also offering a special introductory package price for both reports of $2690, a $500 savings. TrendWatch Graphic Arts eStore customers can download this report in PDF Acrobat format immediately after purchase.