The Executive Committee of the Association of Independent Corrugated Converters (AICC) expresses alarm at the recent price increase announcement of $50/ton by many integrated containerboard suppliers effective in March 2005. At a time when most North American manufacturers, the major consumers of our products, are beginning to recover from a protracted slowdown, we believe this announced increase will have a negative impact on all box and containerboard purchasers in North America . Likewise, we feel this move will threaten the ability of North American manufacturers to remain competitive in a global economy.