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Contact: Paula Weis
(202) 974-5282

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPI COMMITTEE ON EQUIPMENT STATISTICS RELEASES FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT ON PLASTICS MACHINERY

WASHINGTON (May 5, 2003) - Much of the U.S. plastics equipment industry reported slight increases in shipments in 2002, up about 2.5 percent from the prior year, according to a new report from The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI). When comparing fourth quarter 2002 with the same period in 2001, the total shipment dollar increase was significantly higher, at nearly 23 percent.

The report is a product of the association's Committee on Equipment Statistics (CES), which collects monthly order and shipment data from manufacturers of plastic injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, auxiliary and component equipment manufacturers. The monthly data, compiled by a confidential third-party fiduciary, is aggregated and disseminated to participating companies, making the SPI program the only provider of timely and reliable plastics equipment statistics in the country.

The CES Full Year 2002 Report puts the data collected in context with the plastics industry in general. Detailed information includes new orders and shipments by quarter and growth rates for specific equipment sectors. The Report also includes a plastics equipment forecast and economic analysis provided by Bill Wood, Plastics Market Economist with Mountaintop Economics & Research, Inc., Colrain, MA.

Among information in the new publication:

  • Shipments: CES participants - manufacturers or importers of plastics machinery and equipment in the United States (excluding components and extrusion equipment) - shipped a total of $1.19 billion of product in 2002. This represents a 2.5-percent increase from $1.16 billion in 2001.


  • New Orders: The injection, blow molding, extrusion and auxiliary equipment industries saw a 6.9-percent increase in new orders, reporting $1.26 billion in 2002, up from $1.17 billion the prior year. These same industry segments experience a noteworthy increase in new orders of 16 percent when comparing fourth quarter reporting from 2001 and 2002.


  • By segment: Injection molding reported a slight decrease of 1.4-percent in unit shipments, while gaining 0.26 percent in dollars. Blow molding shipments were down significantly, nearly 37 percent in units, but at the same time saw a 5.6-percent increase in dollars. Extrusion shipments rose 3.6 percent in units shipped and 2.9-percent in dollars. Auxiliary bookings saw an 8.2-percent increase overall, with a 30-percent rise in bookings dollars when comparing fourth quarter 2002 with fourth quarter of the prior year.

Additionally, the report shows that, although actual totals from the plastics machinery sector have been unimpressive the last two years, the modest gain posted in 2002 indicates that the market is at a cyclical bottom and should see positive growth in 2003. Plastics Markets Analyst, Bill Wood, predicts that 2003 will start off slowly, but will see substantial gains in machinery shipments in the range of 8 percent after NPE 2003, June 23-27, 2003, in Chicago. Wood also forecasts that the momentum in the economy at-large, and ultimately, the machinery markets for 2003, will start slowly and build as the year progresses, unlike the 2002, which saw markets boom early, then dramatically drop-off as the year progressed.

Information about the CES Annual and Quarterly Reports can be found at http://www.plasticsdatasource.org/

Founded in 1937, The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc., is the trade association representing one of the largest manufacturing industries in the United States. SPI's 1,300 members represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. The U.S. plastics industry employs 1.5 million workers and provides more than $320 billion in annual shipments. For more information, visit SPI on the Web at www.plasticsindustry.org. Join SPI in Chicago June 23-27, for NPE 2003, the World's Plastics Showcase. The triennial event, sponsored by SPI, features innovations and technological breakthroughs from more than 2,000 exhibitors serving all facets of the industry, including automotive, appliance, medical, packaging and more. For more information, link to the Web at www.npe.org.


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