China is expected to increase plastics processing equipment demand by more than US$1.6 billion (10.9 billion yuan) from 2007 to 2012. By then, China will account for nearly one-quarter of the global market.

The Asia-Pacific market, including China, is expected to grow at a 5.5 percent annual rate from US$8.99 billion (68.5 billion yuan) in 2007 to $11.8 billion (80.7 billion yuan) in 2012. Much slower market growth is predicted for the North American and European markets.

Plastics processing machinery demand in North America was US$3 billion (22.9 billion yuan) in 2007 and will rise by 2.8 percent per year to US$3.45 billion (23.5 billion yuan) in 2012, according to Freedonia.

In Europe, demand will increase at only 2.2 percent per year from US$4.16 billion (31.7 billion yuan) in 2007 to US$4.64 billion (31.7 billion yuan) in 2012.

Cleveland-based Freedonia expects extrusion equipment to gain the most of all the major product groups.

Plastics & Rubber Weekly is a London-based sister publication to Plastics News.