Business Development Advisory Announces a New Industry Study

Online, July 21, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Business Development Advisory (BDA), a specialized management consulting firm focused on the paper and related industries, has completed a new study on the North American market for specialty & value added papers. The focus of this study is on defining, quantifying, and evaluating the top 27 specialty grade segments that make up this overall market of about 6.7 million tons and over $8.6 billion in paper sales. These segments range from small niche markets to large volume categories with an overall projected annual growth rate of 1.3%. However, these markets vary greatly and individual grade growth rates will range from -5.4% to 6.7% over the next five years. Papers that compete in these markets span the spectrum within the packaging, printing, and technical paper segments.

"These grade segments include some of the highest value papers produced by the industry yet there is a very limited amount of common information and understanding about these markets, the potential for individual paper producers and converters, and what capabilities and methods are required for success," says Frank Perkowski, BDA president. As the North American industry continues to consolidate and rationalize assets, some of these markets may represent new growth opportunities for some mills while others will need to either reposition themselves or exit markets where they can no longer be competitive," adds Perkowski. The information contained in this study is critical new information for current and potential new suppliers to these segments. In addition to market size and growth information, the study identifies producer shares by grade, price estimates and trends, market trends, opportunities, and threats, numerous segmentation analyses, and major paper machine / converting processes by grade.

There is no doubt that "companies that have a deeper understanding of these different market / product segments along with emerging developments that are likely to take place will be in a much better position to respond appropriately, focus on those segments that are the most attractive, and identify those businesses that represent the best fit with their own capabilities and strategic focus," notes Perkowski. More information on this study can be found at the company's website at www.bd-advisory.com or by contacting Frank Perkowski at 770-643-9081.