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Contact: Paula Weis
(202) 974-5282

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPI COMMITTEE ON EQUIPMENT STATISTICS RELEASES FIRST QUARTER 2003 REPORT ON PLASTICS MACHINERY SHIPMENTS

WASHINGTON (August 29, 2003) - The Committee on Equipment Statistics (CES) of The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) has released its "First Quarter 2003 Report."

The new publication provides an overview of plastics equipment shipments from First Quarter 2002 through First Quarter 2003. The CES report also includes an analysis of the U.S. economy and the plastics industry, looking at such factors as general economic indicators and durable goods shipments to provide perspective for trends in plastics equipment sales and shipments.

Also included in the report is an industry forecast and economic analysis provided by Bill Wood, Plastics Market Economist with Mountaintop Economics & Research, Inc., Colrain, MA. The forecast takes into account the economic events of First Quarter 2003 in both the plastics industry and the economy at-large and uses the data to project likely trends for the industry in the near future. Among the likely scenarios the report anticipates is that - by year's end - steady capacity utilization rates and low resins levels will help to expand overall production by four- or five-percent compared with 2002. The report also predicts that the industry's overall profits will begin to improve as the increase in demand for product during the second half of 2003 combines with the gradual drop in materials and energy prices.

The report uses data supplied by CES participating companies and provides a beneficial and important tool for examining and understanding the vital U.S. plastics machinery and equipment industry.

Among the data included in the report:

  • U.S. plastics industry shipments totaled $293 million in First Quarter 2003, a 12-percent increase from the same period the previous year, but down 13.5 percent when compared with Fourth Quarter 2002. (Shipment data excludes components and extrusion, which are not published in dollar terms.)


  • Overall, First Quarter 2003 equipment shipments were down in all sectors when compared with Fourth Quarter 2002, but up from the same period the previous year. The extrusion sector was the exception, with declines across the board.


  • Units of injection molding equipment shipped in First Quarter 2003 were up nine percent when compared to First Quarter 2002 and shipment dollars were up 23 percent over the same timeframe, but the sector saw an 11.9-percent decline in total units shipped and a 10.4-percent drop in shipment dollars from the last quarter of 2002.


  • The Extrusion machinery sector was hardest hit in previous quarter and previous year comparisons, with a 42-percent decrease in units shipped from Fourth Quarter 2002 and a nearly 32-percent decrease compared with First Quarter 2002.


  • First Quarter 2003 Plastics auxiliary equipment shipments were up nine percent when compared with the same time period in 2002, but were down 2.7 percent from Fourth Quarter the previous year.


  • The plastics components sector saw a slight decline in shipments from Fourth Quarter 2002, but experienced a 12.6-percent boost in shipment numbers when compared with First Quarter 2002.


  • Shipments of blow molding equipment saw a 15.6-percent decrease in units shipped from Fourth Quarter 2002, but, when comparing First Quarter shipments in 2002 and 2003, the sector saw the most significant increase, with a 100 percent surge in units shipped and a 14.4 percent increase in shipment dollars.

The CES 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 report can be purchased online at http://www.plasticsdatasource.org/equipment.htm or by calling (800) 541-0736. The cost of the CES Annual Report (Reference No. AB-151) is $290 for SPI members, $580 for non-members. For a one-year subscription, which includes the Committee's Annual Report plus the quarterly reports (AB-152), the cost is $590 for members and $1,180 for non-members.

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.


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