The rate of growth for packaging machinery sales increased in the first quarter of 2011, as the purchasing index has not only remained above 50, but expanded from the fourth quarter of 2010, according to PMMI’s Purchasing Index.

The Purchasing Index, which PMMI releases quarterly, is based on surveys of 145 major U.S. packaging machinery end users, selected from all major market segments.

Other highlights include:

• 91 percent of respondents indicated either increased or flat investment in packaging machinery from the fourth quarter of 2010.
• Over half (57 percent) of respondents indicated spending projections for 2011 showed signs of increasing over 2010.
• Investments in beverages, foods, chemicals and paper non-durables are expected to outpace the market as a whole for 1^st Qtr 2011.

For details about purchasing trends in the first quarter of 2011, and projections for the rest of the year, members can read PMMI’s First Quarter 2011 Purchasing Index.