U.S. plastics machinery shipments stable in Q3 2006: SPI

U.S. manufacturers and importers of primary plastics machinery and equipment shipped US$254 million worth of primary machinery (excluding components and auxiliary equipment) in the third quarter of 2006, representing a three per cent increase over the US$246 million shipped in second quarter 2006, according to figures released by the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc.(SPI).
For the year to date, however, the US$746 million in primary plastics equipment that has been shipped so far by U.S. manufacturers and importers represents a two per cent decrease when compared to the same period in 2005.
“Overall, there has not been much change in the 2006 data when compared with last year it has held steady,” Bill Wood, the economist who provided the analysis for SPI’s report, said. “But conditions will rebound sometime in the first half of 2007, and I am sticking to my forecast of steady-to-modest rise for next year.”
The SPI’s report also concluded that the shipments value of extrusion machinery in the third quarter 2006 jumped 15 per cent when compared with the same quarter last year; the value of injection molding machinery shipments is three per cent lower than the same quarter last year; and the value of blow molding machinery shipments is 10 per cent lower than the same quarter last year.