Q1 Paper Outlook — The Price Is Right

While there has been a greater effort on the part of the large mills to balance supply of paper to demand, to date, the industry has been unsuccessful in achieving a balanced market, contends Banta's Hilliker. "The merger activity has resulted in numerous efforts to eliminate non-standard grades, but this often results in the elimination of product differentiation that could help to create niche markets for mills that are in dire need of maintaining market share."