Quick facts on Quebec’s plastics industry
Canadian Plastics
There are 515 establishments producing plastic products in Quebec, responsible for 16,800 direct jobs (Statistics Canada, SIC group 16, 1997 figures). The vast majority are small- and medium-sized b...
There are 515 establishments producing plastic products in Quebec, responsible for 16,800 direct jobs (Statistics Canada, SIC group 16, 1997 figures).
The vast majority are small- and medium-sized businesses that employ less than 50 people and have between $1 million and $10 million in revenue.
Investment by the plastics industry in machinery and infrastructure is expected to grow 12 percent in 1999, to reach $96 million.
Total expenditure on R&D by the plastics industry has been growing steadily, but in 1995 still comprised less than one percent of total spending by the entire manufacturing sector on R&D.
The value of shipments of plastic products (not including resins and molds) grew 44 percent from 1993 to 1997, reaching $2.3 billion. Sheet, film and bag shipments dominate Quebec’s production, accounting for 28 percent of the total value of shipments in 1997.
The province’s reliance on the U.S. market is growing. Exports grew an outstanding 101 percent from 1993 to 1997, with over 90 percent of exports destined for the U.S.
Quebec has 58 moldmaking businesses serving the plastics industry, and another 30 serving both plastics and metalworking.
*information Courtesy of Pierre Arsenault, Quebec Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Science and Technology*