Contact: Paula Weis
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPI COMMITTEE ON EQUIPMENT STATISTICS RELEASES THIRD QUARTER 2004 REPORT ON PLASTICS MACHINERY SHIPMENTS

WASHINGTON (November 22, 2004) - The Committee on Equipment Statistics (CES) of The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) has released its "Third Quarter 2004 Report." The new publication provides an overview of plastics equipment shipments from Third Quarter 2003 through Third Quarter 2004 and includes an analysis of the U.S. economy and the plastics industry, looking at such factors as general economic indicators and durable good shipments to provide perspective for trends in plastics equipment sales and shipments.

An industry forecast and economic analysis compiled for the report by Bill Wood, Plastics Market Economist with Mountaintop Economics & Research, Inc., Colrain, MA, takes into account the economic events of Third Quarter 2004 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.

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:

• Companies participating in the Committee on Equipment Statistics - U.S. manufacturers or importers of plastics machinery and equipment - shipped a total of $246 million of product in Third Quarter 2004, a slight decrease of four percent from Second Quarter 2004. However, this marked a significant increase of 22-percent from the same period a year prior.



• Third Quarter 2004 equipment shipment dollars were up in all sectors when compared with the same time frame a year ago. The blowmolding and extrusion sectors also saw increases from Second Quarter 2004. However, the injection molding and auxiliary equipment sectors marked shipment dollar declines in previous quarter comparisons.



• Units of blowmolding equipment shipped in Third Quarter 2004 saw a 21-percent decline from Second Quarter the same year, but shipment dollars were up 9 percent in that same time period. However, previous year comparisons in the sector show only a slight decrease of 4 percent in units.



• Units of extrusion equipment shipped in Third Quarter 2004 saw a notable increase of 5 percent when compared with Second Quarter 2004. Likewise, shipment dollars were up 8 percent over the same timeframe. The sector saw more significant gains in previous year comparisons, with a 12-percent increase in total units shipped and an 33-percent boost in shipment dollars from Third Quarter 2004.



• The injection molding machinery sector saw slight declines in Third Quarter 2004 in previous quarter comparisons, experiencing a drop of 5-percent and 7-percent in units shipped and shipment dollars, respectively. However, the sector saw more notable growth in previous year comparisons, with units shipped up 23 percent and shipment dollars up more than 21 percent from Third Quarter 2003.



• Third Quarter 2004 plastics auxiliary equipment shipments totaled $79.3 million, a 10-percent decrease from Second Quarter the same year, but an 18-percent increase from the same time frame the previous year.
  
  
• The plastics components sector saw a 7-percent drop in shipments from Second Quarter 2004, but booked a 16-percent increase when compared with Third Quarter 2003.

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 is compiled by a confidential third-party fiduciary, then 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 www.plasticsdatasource.org/equipment.htm or by calling SPI's literature sales department, (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 members represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. The U.S. plastics industry employs 1.4 million workers and provides nearly $310 billion in annual shipments. For more information, visit SPI on the Web at www.plasticsindustry.org.

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