The metal packaging industry is very large within the packaging industry as a whole, and in some product areas steel and aluminium are the dominant materials because they are traditionally regarded as the best for the markets they serve. However, steel and aluminium are not irreplaceable, as technology has improved the performance of rival materials in almost all of the packaging markets where metal is currently supreme. Small plastic and glass bottles are a growing threat to the popularity of single-serve beverage cans supplied to the soft drinks and beer markets. The steep growth in demand for a wide variety of ready meals in microwaveable containers threatens demand for food cans, for which the best-selling product lines tend to be of fairly basic staple foods. Much of the consumer demand for products with metal packaging is determined by impulse buying, so presentation and availability are key factors.
Most cans are of a standard structure and appearance.
However, market differentiation is very important to the industry's customers, so there is a strong incentive for designers to offer more individual shapes as well as a variety of colours. Technical innovations have concentrated on reducing material cost by downgauging the metal content and eliminating some of the assembly processes. Few market areas have good growth potential, so there are many mergers and amalgamations among the top companies to grow their market shares by acquisition.