In the next few weeks we will gradually convert products which we have so far packaged in PE tubular film to upright bags (Doypack with zipper) and flat bags made of aluminium composite films (PET/Al/PE).

As part of our quest for continual improvement, these new forms of packaging offer several advantages compared with the standard PE film:

• lower steam permeability
• much lower oxygen permeability
• absolute opacity

The prefabricated bags allow us more rational processing and improved ability to produce and store greater quantities without a loss of quality. We will attempt to reduce the sometimes confusing number of different packaging forms without our customers having to accept tangible disadvantages. We will therefore doubtlessly be able to dispense with packaging sizes which were scarcely called for without replacement.

In the context of these conversions, some slight price adjustments are unfortunately unavoidable. Despite constantly increasing purchase prices for raw materials, we were able to maintain most product prices at a constant level over the last three years. It was clear that at some point we would have to pass on part of the price increases. Those who had expected the considerable price increases for raw materials in the last boom phase of the economy to decrease again in the crisis were mistaken. This was at least not the case for the quantities we purchased.