Abstract
US demand to approach 278 billion units by 2012
US demand for caps and closures will increase 5.0 percent annually to $9.7
billion in 2012, representing nearly 278 billion units. Gains will be
bolstered by the ongoing shift in the product mix toward such value-added
designs as child-resistant closures (CRCs) and dispensing closures, with the
latter offering increased convenience and controlled product release in
numerous applications. CRC demand will be driven by regulatory requirements
issued in 2002 which have expanded the range of products requiring
child-resistant packaging. Unit gains will be supported by continuing inroads
by closureintensive plastic packaging at the expense of closureless containers
like metal cans.
Plastic to remain dominant material utilized
Plastic caps and closures are by far the largest industry segment and will
post above-average annual gains through 2012, benefitting from the ongoing
supplantation of metal and glass containers by their plastic counterparts in
many food and beverage applications. In addition, technological improvements
have enabled certain plastic closures to replace metal closures on glass food
containers. Moreover, gains will be aided by healthy expansion of synthetic
corks in the wine market at the expense of natural corks. Metal cap and
closure demand will remain virtually flat as a result of inroads by plastics
and declining shipments of beer, the dominant application for metal crowns.
However, demand will be fueled by the robust expansion of aluminum beverage
bottles, most of which utilize metal closures. Rubber stopper demand will
register the fastest gains, spurred by rapid expansion in the pharmaceutical
market as a result of growth in the older population segments, which tend to
be the heaviest consumers of parenteral and other medications. Demand for
paperboard closures will benefit from continued use with premium ice creams.
Study coverage
It presents historical demand data for 1997, 2002 and 2007 plus forecasts for
2012 and 2017 in dollars and units by product and market. The study also
assesses US industry trends and variable, evaluates company market shares and
profiles 39 competitors in the US industry.
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