Harris DeLoach
Harris DeLoach
certainty coming company consumer continued costs customers delivered despite driven earnings efforts employees energy focused gas growth improved improvement improving key maintained majority managing margin market meeting natural needs performance positive product provide raw remained rising sales sustained volume wide
Sonoco delivered on its key performance initiatives in 2005. The Company experienced sustained quarterly earnings increases, margin improvement and double-digit sales growth driven by acquisitions, improved company wide volume coming from significant new consumer product and market development, and geographical expansion. Our employees remained focused on meeting the needs of our customers while improving productivity and managing costs in all of our businesses. We continued our efforts to successfully hedge the majority of our natural gas needs to provide more certainty of energy costs, and we maintained a positive price/cost relationship, despite rising costs in most raw materials.
ability achieve believe confident costs focused growing growth improving line managing margins overall profitable remain results solutions strategy top total validate within
We believe the Company's 2005 results validate our overall growth strategy and specifically our Total Solutions initiative. During 2006, we will remain focused on growing our top line and improving margins by managing productivity and costs within our businesses. I have never been more confident in our ability to achieve sustainable and profitable growth.