North American machinery builders who belong to the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI), shipped an estimated US$5.825 billion (€6bn) in packaging equipment and parts in 2001.
The figures mean that the region maintains its lead in the world market for packaging equipment, according to figures released by the Confederation of Packaging Machinery Associations.
COPAMA, a collaborative market research effort of the world's 13 largest national packaging machinery manufacturing associations, reports shipments of packaging machinery reached $19.863 billion last year. This was a drop of less than 1 per cent from the 2000 tally of US$20.021 billion. Eleven of the thirteen COPAMA members participated in the study.
US and Canadian packaging equipment continues to outsell packaging machinery from other markets. With shipments last year of US$5.825 billion, US and Canadian builders enjoyed a 29 per cent market share.
At US$3 .467 billion, Japanese manufacturers ranked second in shipments in the world market for packaging equipment last year with a 17 per cent market share. German packaging equipment shipments, at US $3.333 billion, ranked third with a 17 per cent market share last year.
"Even in the face of a manufacturing recession and the adverse affects of a strong US dollar global demand for US and Canada packaging machinery was solid," commented Charles Yuska, president of PMMI. "With almost one out of every three machines purchased manufactured in the US and Canada, PMMI members continue to be preeminent in the field."