European decor paper manufacturers found that their plans to offset the latest round of hikes in titanium dioxide costs by lifting prices for fourth-quarter deliveries had been pushed back and did not take full effect in many cases. Insiders said that this was linked to the slight reduction in raw material purchasing costs and the fact that manufacturers continued to perceive demand for decor paper as too soft. In addition, many customers are sometimes finding it very hard to react to higher decor paper prices by raising the prices of their own products amid sales problems in their markets.
