According to statistics compiled and reported by the Plastics Industry Association’s (PLASTICS) Committee on Equipment Statistics (CES), the plastics machinery shipments in North America continued to increase in the third quarter.
The preliminary estimate of shipments of primary plastics equipment (injection moulding and extrusion) for reporting companies totalled $349.4 million (approx £274.66 ) in the third quarter. This was a 4.1 percent increase from the $335.5 million (revised) (approx £263.73) second-quarter shipment.
In the second quarter, injection moulding shipments were higher than previously thought and year over year, shipments grew 5.6 percent.
On a quarterly basis, injection moulding shipments increased 2.1 percent, with single-screw and twin-screw extruder shipments continuing double-digit growth of 23.8 percent and 14.2 percent.
“We expect higher shipments in the fourth quarter. We have a tight labour market and U.S. manufacturers, including plastics machinery manufacturers, have been working on production backlogs. As a result, shipments are pushed into the next quarters,” said Perc Pineda PhD, Chief Economist of PLASTICS.
“Except for soft auto and home sales numbers in the third quarter, the U.S. economy is still in expansionary mode and that’s good news for plastics machinery manufacturing. While there are projections of moderate growth next year, it is expected that the U.S. economy will remain healthy.”
