Printed packaging industry market research firm LPC, Inc. has announced the release of its inaugural LPC Trendline report, a research initiative designed to capture converter perspectives and emerging trends shaping the North American label industry in the year ahead.

Based on survey responses and in-depth conversations with more than 70 narrow web label converters across the US and Canada, LPC Trendline offers an in-depth look at how converters are approaching capital investment, labor challenges, customer expectations, and technology adoption as they enter 2026.

Unlike traditional industry reports that focus on high-level forecasts, LPC Trendline was created to reflect the real-world decision-making happening on converters’ production floors today. The findings point to a market that remains active and adaptive, but more discerning when it comes to equipment acquisitions and new systems integration. Converters are still investing, but with far more scrutiny and tighter ROI expectations. There is a stronger emphasis on automation that adds to the bottom line, operational efficiency gains, and workforce solutions that reduce reliance on hard-to-find labor.

A key component of the research focused on differences by converter size. While many pressures are shared across the industry, LPC Trendline highlights distinct contrasts between small to mid-sized converters and large multi-site organizations, particularly around labor strategies, packaging buyer demands, supply chain transparency, and CAPEX planning.

To ensure strong participation from smaller and mid-sized converters, LPC partnered with Flexo Label Advantage Group (FLAG) as part of the research process. FLAG played an instrumental role in facilitating outreach, gathering feedback, and enabling candid conversations with its converter members.

LPC co-founder Jennifer Dochstader states, “We speak directly with people in the industry every day due to the different types of work we do for our clients. This inaugural Trendline report is an exciting development for us and is a result of conversations we’ve had with both converters and suppliers, and the need for research and reporting that truly speaks to companies’ concerns and the real-time implications of being a company wanting to grow in today’s business environment.

Additionally, FLAG’s partnership was invaluable. Their engagement helped us capture a much clearer picture of how small to mid-sized converters are experiencing today’s market pressures and where they’re focusing their attention heading into the year ahead.”

The inaugural LPC Trendline report is available now and will be updated annually as LPC continues its research and converter outreach efforts.

For more information or to request access to the LPC Trendline report, contact Jennifer Dochstader at [email protected].