Key Currency Exchange Rates for Friday, 3/17/23

National Average Price for Regular Unleaded Current: $3.209; Month Ago: $3.253; Year Ago: $3.663. National Average Price for Diesel Current: $3.612; Month Ago: $3.645; Year Ago: $4.498.

Flint Group announced today the acquisition of Eston Chimica SRL located in Padova, Italy. This acquisition follows Flint Group’s strategy to grow not only organically, but also through tactical acquisition. Eston Chimica manufactures and sells water-based inks for flexo and gravure applications to printers predominantly located in Italy and Southern Europe. The company supports key Paper & Board applications, such as corrugated, shopping bags, paper bags, and various other water-based print jobs. Eston Chimica is located in northern Italy, near Venice, and employs 32 people. Kim Melander, Vice President & General Manager EMEA and Global Strategy, Paper & Board, says, "Flint Group is very happy to join together with Eston Chimica. We have found the ‘right’ partner; a company who, with the dedicated support of its employees, has been very successful in recent years outgrowing the market as compared to other suppliers.” Click Read More below for additional information.

Transportation prices fell in February at the fastest rate recorded in the six-and-a-half-year history of a monthly survey of supply chain executives. The Logistics Managers’ Index (LMI) registered a reading of 36.1 for transportation costs in February, 5.9 percentage points lower than in January and below the prior record, which was established in December. A level below 50 indicates contraction while one above signals expansion. The report said the rate declines were “a little more pronounced in the later portions of the month than in the beginning of the month.” “February is generally a low point seasonally due to the consumer spending hangover from the holidays in the U.S. combined with slowness in imports due to Chinese New Year, and that was certainly reflected this year,” the report stated.