Cartonmakers Must Accentuate Positives

But there are some experts who diminish the upbeat tone of these statistics with the following question: Could the folding carton industry be doing better? "Perhaps the more interesting story is why there has been so little annual growth [for folding cartons] during one of the longest [national] economic booms," states Mike McGuinness, president of consulting firm PacSys Packaging Systems Solutions. McGuinness points out the carton industry's 1.5 percent to 2 percent annual growth rate in the past few years isn't that impressive in light of national strengths such as real GDP growth, increased real disposable income, and bolstered purchases of non-durable goods.