Wisconsin has a large presence of container and boxboard production facilities across the state. We have some large Wisconsin-based companies, National and International companies with manufacturing
facilities across Wisconsin. Unfortunately, a large number of them have older production facilities! We just saw GP shut down an Oshkosh plant and announce the building of new corrugated facilities elsewhere. We do appreciate ALL of GP investments in Wisconsin!!! We are seeing a number of these companies build new state-of-the-art facilities outside of Wisconsin. With the exception of Green Bay Packaging and ND Packaging a Chinese-based company, we have not seen a brand-new container or boxboard plant built in Wisconsin. The Business community and the State of Wisconsin need to take a very aggressive approach to rebuild the Wisconsin Paper Industry. The Green Bay Innovation Group is
putting together a group of very educated and talented individuals that support the paper industry. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Marty Ochs. We will be reaching out to Businesses, The State of Wisconsin, The Wisconsin Paper Council and other Associations supporting the Paper Industry in Wisconsin.
The Boxboard prices are relatively flat while containerboard prices softened. Kraft linerboard declined $20.00 a ton while corrugated medium prices declined $40.00 a ton. Overall, the box demand is holding its own with an expected CAGR ranging from 3.00 to 4.5%. The industry is experiencing more downtime along with plant closures and diminished inventories. We expect inventory to be replaced mid-first quarter of 2023. The Amazon effect will continue with online ordering after Christmas shopping supporting the container and boxboard production. With a potential for a recession, we could see a slowdown overall! We do expect pricing to remain relative stable with some discounts! A number of companies have announced building new state of the art plants with a lot of additional capacity. However, due to supply chain and excess capacity in the market, a number of the companies are putting on hold their expansions. In 2023, we can expect a steady demand, normalizing backlogs and price stability.
