In September, it was still a mixed picture in the British market for cartonboard and cartons but weakness typically prevailed. Some market participants who saw an improvement in August and early September are now seeing a slowdown again, while others report the exact opposite trend.
“Now that all of Europe is back from the summer holidays, we should see significantly more activity,” said one expert. But even producers reporting slight improvement still describe the market situation as “pitiful.” According to respondents, demand is 20-30 per cent lower than usual and therefore cartonboard producers are still forced to take major downtime. And with winter approaching, there are growing fears about renewed delivery bottlenecks and escalating costs.
For now though, there are absolutely no problems sourcing cartonboard and lead times are short. “We have returned back to our preferred suppliers,” reported one major converter. Asian suppliers also remain “very present” on the British market.
⇒ This is an excerpt from the complete British paper and board market to be published in EUWID Packaging Markets 20/2023.
