<B>Corrugated Shipments Plummet in December</B>

The shipment of corrugated products plummeted 8.2 percent in December, compared to figures the same time the previous year, according to the Fibre Box Association.

Total corrugated shipments for December stand at 30.691 billion square feet, compared to December 1999’s shipment total of 33.436 billion square feet.

All shipment regions posted sharp declines for the month, with the Northeast posting the biggest decline, 9.9 percent, followed by the West Coast, which declined 9.5 percent.

The steep drop during December resulted in total shipments for the year declining 0.9 percent. According to the FBA, shipments for last year stand at 401.320 billion square feet, compared to 1999;’s full-year shipment total of 405.086 billion square feet.

The biggest decline between the two years was the Northeast, which saw shipments drop by 2.5 percent between the two years.